Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-20
THE oilers GOSSIP.
TWO GOOD ,cooNsroRIes AND SOME
THING ABOUT WHALING
Como Of Richmond's Handsome Men-How
Jim Wood Lost His Has-Cap-
tain Cooks Dry Humor.

so we'll known 70 the lovers of the Little
Tyeoon.p we're to ask Aleck Brownell.
"Have you seen the whale2" the latter
could respond with perfect .veracity that
he certainly had. Aleck always Smiles
when be sees the "ldler," for on one occa-
sion he came down on the boat from New
York with the indolent scribe, aud the
latter was undergoing all the nor
rors of seasickness. The greener 1 got
in the face and the more ire
ouently sought the side OK the steamer
fne more heartily the genial detective
laughed, and what is more, he persisted IN
talking of fat bacon and other SUBJECTS
calculated to nauseate. Alex ouered
me httte consolation, however, oy ,eu'hg
me that on one occasion ne was SICK lot SIX
weeks. Ii was on trip from New orleans
10 New Bedford. and ne was travelling on
one Of his fathers whaling boats. At that
tmo he vas only about IL years OF age, but
be will never forget the sutierings he
underwent. For days and days he could
swallow nothing except crackers and KIND
OF medicine something like "pain-kilIer."
He swore he would never 60 TO sea again.
Int pretty soon this oath was broken, and
now he delights in brine as much as a
cucumber pickle. But, as usual, am wan
derine from my subject. for | started 10
tell about Aleck and the whales. On
subsequent trips which nc made
with his father. who was wealthy
New Hampshire whaler. he-frequently saw
the big animals, and what is more, became
thoroughly familiar with their habits and
the manner in which they are captured. 1t
is indeed interesting TO hear him tell of
the adventures which the sailors some
times meet while pursuing these mlehty
monsters of the deep. Everybody knows
that they are harpooned. but few realize
the dangers incident 10 such chase. In the
first place, the big fish (some small dc
tlonaries allow us TO call them flshl, when
the spear is plunged into his body, shoots
of At terrific rate, and unless YOU give
him plenty of rope you and your little boat
are mighty apt to shoot OF with him, too.
Sbould he take q notion to 90 under
water, you go along with him, too, boat
and all, and so you never know
when your time Is to come, AS
a precautionary measure several ooats
ALWAYS 90 together, and of course assist
each other when danger threatens. The
whale. if struck in vulnerable point,
spouts blood profusely. Aleck saws that
when his father first went into the busi-
ness the bones Of the giant mammals were
NOT used. but nowadays they are much
sought after in commerce. and bring
So O pound. Some idea of the value
of first-class whale OF good social
and political standing IN his community,
can be gained when 1t IS known that his
bones weigh 300 pounds. This alone
would bring over $4,000 to the mariners,
Int a fsh whose skeleton tips the scales at
tins point will also yield two hundred and
CIV barrels of oil. The whaling ships,
however, are fitted up. at an i'm
mense cost, and as 1t takes from
900 to $4,000 to furnish them,
after all the profits are not very great.
They were gathered together in drug
store and wed with each other in men,
dacitv. First one and then another spun
a warn until 1t seemed to those who
listened that Jules Verne and Baron Mum
chausen had long since been put to the
blush. 1t was q strictly masculine. to-
baccO-smoke party, and therefore AFTER
every other subject had been exhausted,
the conversation turned upon hunting.
From this it dritted to 'coons--four-legged
'coons. or. more strictly speaking, varmints'
The champion sweep stake liar related
AN incident about several darkies who
went TO chase the rinG-talied quadruped
of the Virginia forests. The dogs tralled
the animal to a large tree which overhung
a stream. and after mu ch persuasion the
coon was shaken down ana fell INTO the
water. The darBies. the hounds. and the
citement, and so great was the confusion
that one of the negroes, IN tho exube-
rance of his spirits, fell headlong
into the stream. And then. indeed,
the water got into chaotic state.
and the splashing was tremendous.
10 make matters worse. the cannes
plunged in, too, and in the great hub-bub
that ensued 1t was hard TO tell by me
moonlight which was the coon, whlchwas
the darkey, and which were the dogs. The
hunters, armed with big sticks, stood on
shore and waited for an opportunity to
strike their prey on his head as he bobbed
nm ont of the stream. Suddenly one
of the negroes drew back and land
ed a terrific blow at furry object.
An unearthly yell followed, and pretty
soon il became known that the wrong
.Ecoonn had been struck. Just as the ne
Gro who unexpectedly fell IN had come
M TO the surface from his sudden plunge
his nappy head had been mistaken for That
of the coon, SO great was the consterna-
ton produced by the mistake that the
four-legged "varmint managed to make
his escape.
After this story had been completed the
small, cross-eyed man, who appeared to
have been holding his exaggerative forces
in check, boldly asserted that he had heard
his grandfather relate the same incident
forty wears before. He modestly asked
the privileges of the floor, however, and
expressed his desire 70 tell true story,
which. though not startling, was certainly
unusual We'll" said he, when hesaw that
only two thirds of his auditors were asleep,
when was q boy 'coons used TO be as
thick as hops in our country. One cola,
cold night we went after them, and hunt
ed the slashes' over and over, but. SIN
cular to say, nary o one could we md.
Coming home, we stopped near huge
tree which appeared to have fallen or
been cut down. Here we lit fire, and
as we were talking l noticed that the
trunk of the forest monarch would hrst
expand and then contract. Not q
breath of air was stirring, and the
thing seemed almost miraculous.
PROMPTED By curiosity, lit piece OF
wood and, approaching, held 1t near a
hollow in the trunk. Would you 6eileye
il. gentlemen. that tree was chuckiul OF
coons, from one end TO the other! Ihere
were 800 in it. and the expansion and con-
traction which | noticed was caused by
their breathing" Seven of the sleepers
awoke with a snort. but the champion had
disappeared and has been seen no more.
-
Everybody ir Richmond knows Jim
Wood, the Richmond representative of the
Associated Press. He Is certainly one OF
the best looking and most accomplished
newspsper-mer in this city, but he IS
horn" Jonah there is no question about
that. If any sudden mishaps occur Jim
is bound TO be the victim, but he bears up
cheerfully under misfortune and has the
reputation of being one of the best,
natured men in town. He was one OF
the scribes who accompanied the Howitz-
ers to New Orleans, and, strange to say, he
utterly failed N this occasion TO sustain
his usual name Of Jonah" SO happily
did he pass the time that he made friends
of everybody, and even captivated Cap
tain Charlie Epps's heart to such an ex-
tent that the genial City Sergeant present
ed him on their return with a handsome
silk hat. Jim" wore the stovepipe' -
for months and knew that he looked well
in it, but, alas, he was doomed TO undergo
a terrible affection and TO be suddenly
and without a moments warning de-
prived of bis darling headgear. He
went to Newport News Wednesday
and was in excellent spirits. de-
spite the beastly weather, which was
enough TO dishearten anybody. The cars
on which he was travel had hardly
made half their distance wi N " jim" ap-
preached one Of the doors nd was look
inc ont. While absorbed III this pursuit