The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-03
SWALLOWED BY A WHALE.

Nv bE LiSDEDs M" n..
Copyright. ~
SWALLOWED BY A WHALE.
A Man VINO Had Jonah's Experiences
f. #-- Tolls About 1t.
Last February the whaling ship Star Of
the East was in the vicinity of the Fslk-
land Islands searching for whales, which
were very scarce, says thu Yarmouth, Eng
land. Mercury. One morning the look
out sighted a whale about three
miles way on the stnrboasd
quarter. Two boats were manned.
In a short time one OF the boats WAS near
enough to enable the harpooner to send a
spear into the whale, which proved to be an
exceedingly large one. With the shaft in
it's side. the animal sounded and then sped
away, dragging tho boat after him with ter
ribls speed. He swan straight away about
fiys miles. when he turned and came back
almost directly towards the spot where
he had been harpooned. The second boat
waited for him, and when but u short dis
lance away from it he rose to the surface.
AS soon as his back showed above the sur
face OF the water the harpooner in the Soc
ond boat drove another spear into aim.
The spear apparently crazed the whale; for
it threahed about fearfully, and it was
feared that tho boats would be swamped
and the crews drowned.
Finally the whale swan away dragging
the two boats after him. He went about
whereabouts could not be exactly told.
The lines attached to the harpoons vera
slack, and the harpooners began slowly
to drag them in and coil them in the
tubs. Az soon az they were tautened
.he whale arose TO the surface
end 1.a0f ahNnf with Era {oi! IN +kn
maddest fashion. The boat attempted to
get beyond the reach of the animal, which
was apparently in its death agonies, and one
of them succeeded, but the other was loss
fortunate. Ihe whale struck it with his
nose and upset 1T. The men were thrown
into the water, and before tho crow Of the
other boat could pick them up one man
was drowned and james BARLEY had dis
appeared.
When the whale became quiet from e1-
haustion the waters were searched for
BARLEY; but he could not be found, and,
under the impression that he had been
struck by the whales tail and sunk to the
bottom, the survivors rowed back to the
ship. The whale was dead. and in a few
hours the great body was lying BY the ships
spades cutting through the flesh to secure
the fat. They worked all day and a part of
the night. They esumed operations the
next forenoon, and was soon down to the
stomach. which was to be hoisted to the
deck. The workmen were startled while
laboring to clear it and to fasten the chain
about it, to discover something doubled up
in it that gave spasmodlc signs Of life. The
vast pouch was hoisted to the deck and cut
open. and inside was found the missing
sailor, doubled up and unconscious. He
was laid out on the deck and treated to u
bath of sea water, which soon revived him;
but his mind was not clear. and he was
placed in the captains quarters, where he
remained for 8 fortnight a raving lunatic.
He was carefully treated by the captain and
officers of the ship, and he finally began to
get possession of his senses.
AT the end of the third week he had en-
tirely recovered from the shock and resumed
his duties. During the brief ~sojourn in the
whales belly Bartley's skin, where it was
exposed to the action OF the gastric juices.
underwent a striking change. His face and
hands were bleached to - deathly Wilderness
and the skin was wrinkled. giving the man
the appearance of having been parboiled.
BARLEY aft, ms that he would probably have
lived inside his house of flesh until he
starved, for he lost his senses through fright
and not through lack of air. He saws that
he remembers the sensation of being lifted
into the air by the nose of the whale and Of
falling into the water; then there was a
fearful rushing sound. which he believed to
be the beating of the water by the whales
tail; then he was ~sncompaaBed by a fearful
darkness, and he felt himself slipping along
a smooth passage Of some sort that seemed
to move and carry him forward. This SEN
sation lasted but an instant, then he felt
that he had more room. He felt about him,
and his hands came in contact with q yield
ing Shiny substance that seemed to shrink
from his touch.
1t finally duwned upon him that he had
been swallowed by the whale. ard he was
overcome with horror at the situation. He
could breathe easily. but the heat was ter
{ I'M 4 WOO YoNf AT a IG0nVani1r Iy
nature, hut it seemed to open the pore s OF
his skin and to dtnW out his vitality. He
became very weak and grew sick at the
stomach. lie knew that there was no hops
of escape frotA his strange prison. Death
stare ed him in the face, and he tried to look
at it bravely; bat the awful quiet, the fear
full darkness. the horrible knowledge of his
environments and the terrible heat finally
overcame him, and he must have tainted,
for the next he remembered was being in
the captuinss cabin.
BARLEY is not : man of II timid nature,
but he says that it was many weeks before
he could pass Il night without having his
sleep disturbed with narrowing dreams of
angry whales and the horrors of his fearful
prison. The skin on the fnce and hands OF
Bartlev has never recovered its natural ap-
pearance. 1t il yellow snd rink!ed and
looks like old parchment. Tho health of
the man does not seem to hAvo been affected
by his terrible experience; he is in splendid
spirits, and apparently fully enjoys all tho
blessings of life that come in his way. The
whaling captains say that they never knew
II parallel case to this before. They say
that it frequently occurs that mon are
swallowed by whales who become infuriatea
by tho pain OF the harpoon and attack tho
boats; but they have never known Il man to
go through the ordeal that BH.tley did and
come out alive.
Advantages OF an IntercontinentMl Road.
1t appears induhitable that whoever
holds commercial supremacy, and control
of routes of transportation i'll Colombia
and Ecuador. will be master of tho situa-
tion i'll South America from Chilli and
and BOLIVIA rs far rs the Caribbean sea,
writes Courtenay De kalb, in the Forum.
In consideration of the ultimate gain to
US, every railroad project in the line of the
Andean AXIS III South AmcrieA deserves 10