The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-12-28
3pnal Buki4tn 31n1uHe2:.

OF the hinge, some five inches. This iron
PeIetfates much deeper than any other
portion OF the gun" and by it the whale
= heid IN leash and followed in event the
pom b fails to do its work.
Inc central tine of the huge fork is the
gun proper, and a queer looking gun it
! Is. copper cylinder, an inch and an
| men and half in diameter, firmly fast
| ehed to little square metal box on the
| emo OF the shaft, is all that is visible of
the mechanism, and there is nothing to
suggest gun about either cylinder or box.
1here Is a little door set in the box, how
ever, and when that is opened a lock and
trigger are disclosed, which connects
WIN Inc third tine. On the inside of the
ooX Jhe trigger fires an ounce of powder
IN the butt OF the cylinder, and this pro-
pels the bomb from tie mouth Of the
| cylinder at the same time that it ignites a
hve-second fuse leading to the chamber
Of the bomb.
The bomb looks moro like a
Dr1ss railroad spike without head
than an Implement of destruction.
1t IS slightly larger than rail-
ROAD spike, however, ard is charged
win tonlte. 1t IS usually strong enough
OF the largest whale afoat.
An understanding of the simDle
method OF the cumbersome affair is not a
hatter OF difficulty. The bow is the To-
cau0n OF the whaler. who plays the part
OF the harpooner OF old. His object is to
pllry MS Ponderous weapon Just back of
the lin. Twenty-Five feet is considered a
long cast, but there are a few much
sought after giants who can add ten feet
70 tAlS distance without losing any Of
thelf accuracy of aim. The keen toggle
IRON, pushed by the weight of the ofher
hamper, penetrates the soft blubber to a
qepth OF tour or five feet before it re-
leases h ~
hold it to the head of the wooden shaft.
Inc gums" penetration amounts to
Just sufnclent to steady it before the third
me or trigger performs it's part. This
Trigger IS blunt iron rod of lust suffi-
Gent length to come in violent contact.
ehd on, with the whales hide when the
copper cylinder serving as a gun-barrel
Is directed fairly against the target. The
pressure on the rod touches of the trip-
ger; this eXplodes the powder charge
and the powder charge speeds the bomb
after the toggle iron into the whales
WAS, the hVe-second fuse burning as it
Is dragged through the outlying biubber.
The damage up to date is tritiiner.
speaking from whales standpoint, but
when that explosion of tonite occurs in
MS inner CONSCIOUSNESS it is usually Suf-
| hcient to put any thoughts of future ex-
| lstence out Of his head. Not always.
| though. The bomb may not go near a
'ADe'A 'IJCI VI bHO lNS6 may not ignite the
tonlte, ana there is an anxious minute or
two While the monster goes below, i'm
PEELED by the shock of his wounds. If he
comes up in furry" as whalemen call
the death agony, well and good. but if
! there is an intelligent vigor in his move
ments, betokening a desire for revenge
or escape, there is another bomb waiting
for him. This one is from a 24-pound
gun, Tor which the head killer in the bow
has exchanged his darting-gun. This
latter by the way, is all recovered but the
bomb. The powder charge rids it of the
! bomb and the toggle-iron and the gun
ana the trigger remain fixed to the
wooden shaft, which is connected with
the boat by few iathoms of light line.
The real whale line is fast to the t0ggle-
iron, buried deep in the monsters fat.
and 1t goes Whirring out of its tub to
such Hmitless lengths that there is no
possibility of the whales dragging the
boat down with him. 1t is a light line.
but tough, and whale could tow n boat
around by it all day without fear of its
breaking.
The guns reserved for the finishing
bomb are of two patterns. One is an ex-
tremely heavy affair, bordering on being
a young cannon, and is mounted on a
swivel in the bow, while the other is a
large edition Of the cutoff shotgun, with
a cushion of rubber in the stock to save
the shoulder of the man who fires it.
The bombs are of the same character as
those, used in the hand-propelled darting-
gun, but are larger and more symmetrical
In shape, and are leathered with rubber.
arrow-iashion, to insure their voyaging
end on.
\ bomb costs about 81 70, loaded, and
the whalemen don't care if it takes half
dozen OF them to kill if they only get the
bowhead. The bowhead's jaw contains
/ 1850 pounds of bone on an average. 50
that there is profit over the cost of an
extra bomb or Two, especially when bone
is in demand at So per pound.