The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-03
GOOD STORIES OF THE PRESENT DAE
The Career or Mocha Dick, the Terror or
the whnlenen.


Ing vessels OF such nations as pursued the
leviathan Of tho deep for his commercial value
encountered no less than flve whales who be-
came famous rs tcrrors Of the sea. They were
Mocha Dick" Spotted Tom" Shy Jack"
Ugly jim" and Fighting Joe" These names
we're OF course given them by tho sailors. but
they came to be known to whalers Of all ma
lions. You may think It curious that one whale
could be Identified from another Of the same
size and species. but 1t was no more difficult
than to identify a particular horse In o drove
OF several hundred. In other words. each
leviathan has some particular mark or char.
aoteristio OF his own. and II sighted two or
three times can be identified forever.
Mocha Dick" headed the list Of terrors
from the start and kept his place for nineteen
years. No whale was so fercely hunted. and
none ever created 80 much damage among the
hunters What am going TO tell you IL
partly matter Of published record in Eng.
land. Scotland. and America. and was CLEANED
partly from Nantucket and Now Bedford
whalers who battled with the cachelot time
after time, TO suffer defeat on each occasion.
S ghans brig Desmond ,sa being then rs ss
length above the surface about two miles
they were within half mile II the wi whaIe Y he
slowed around head on to them and advanced
saa sa He Her anSsF sn SG With
e. Wien hs 9ss
ns Gtsss so sSo t mss cd ss
pletely shattered; Oars and panks were
s ss9uad ana ps ~ his teeth ss h
Mocha Dicks" Introduction to. the biubber
hunters. He was the largest whale any ono
seen.
head was u scar about eight feet long. which
showed almost white on the gray black back
II. Ths 2, ae 4 essit to encqunte, Mocha Dick"
the, SVth OF August. almost two months later.
and she was fully 500 miles to the south Of the
SPOT where he was frst seen She loweredtWo
t bar * was "a. three miles away, and beating Down
cha Dss sna s bea a 0s wss 5 @
s ss s 5 full SSSd be sSss
had righted himself he made straight for. the
boats. One Of them passed around the dead
sGfs ss got but a q. ssn
and knocked to pieces. He then took up his
position beside the dead whale and remained
tRs S %nen nteFv"
Three men had boon lost. and o fourth had
sSsS s s ssu shf s &c 6d
attack. The. vessel hung about. the spot for
three hours; hoping the fieroe leviathan would
him in n' T hSe sns a sse
ka 8fSs f Nntu sss y b h Whaling
Bay
Re Nay ss Of She sSd en
% "a vth tight 0' Sfssso SO o sE!
Nm I'M
Srsaehed within 30 feet o, kef. shootnE S lis
full length out Of water. and raising such a sea
The whale them swan slowly about, and as
s m sSEh Hs seSsyy
and as the whale made on TO windward tho
1s put nsG % Ts s
sounded At once and ran for three miles, and
he % us around and
the boat unprepared and ran right over it
As i ws a Se sss sRs s ws ssS End Ind
FEET aeross Nothing was lett Of the boat but
drowned. The. other boats advanced to the
6ee 81 f boss IL sh
line; but had scarcely secured It when the
tricky fighter came anne, Up under the other and
He. then piyoted and thrashed the surface as
before. and another man was lost and two
The crew r! had enough Of Mocha Dick" and
other attack the remaining boat was, hauled
the had avg dwsa ever wne
tered that whale he would kill him or lose his
Wholo outfit q men and boats, but an hours
Tho particulars OF the several encounters re-
wses to o
severely alone while others were 4mbltioust to
secure the sredit q stling htm hno%SSreT he
It had come to be believed generally that he
deS 81 Ga or he f
Pacific Ocean OF tho east coast OF Japan for
the battle OF his life.
by heavy gale and was ing her way back.
1t was about an hour after daylight when
big whale was sesn to b5Ssrh ponf ns
than was discovered rushing down In the wake
He was SO close aboard and tho sight Of him
threw the natives into such terror TINT no
Were carried away in his jaws as 10
the cargo Of the coaster was OF lumber.
the men soon knocked together raft The
craft did not go down. but sank until her
decks were Rwash. and the men had not yet
ssls II sight A. # Ssssow
All had heard Of Mocha Dick" but NIL
thought him dead. BY 4 O'Clock the thrcu
put MOCHA Dick" had Disappeared "A
found all three ships. should take part In
the attack and share In the credit Of rid
ding tho deep OF such a terror. They did not
have to hunt for the fellow. however. Whilo
the CAPTAINS were planning he showed ~
fashion hs came 70 ths, surface under such
the tin 81 his aukcs before he fell over on his
side with crash like tho fall OF q great build
Ing. He wallowed about for q time. and then
slued around head to the whalers and re-
NAMED perfectly quiet He seemed to be ask.
Ing what they were going to do about 1t. and
the query was answered W tho full OF u boat
from each vessel
These had only pulled away when three more
were lowered to support them. Lots had been
cast as to which boat should have the first
show, and the honor bad fallen to the Yankee
Her bont took u circuit to approach the whale
from behind. while the other twp lay on their
oars to wait. The whale seemed for u time to