The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-10-05

yield is 1862, but our VIII ale's fat wasted
badly In the heat.
Twas aloft In the foret galln crosstress
and couple of Portuguese in the main
tops. when we saw the low, white, foam
ing spout OF monster whale. Hlget
ahead, amt he. Mr.. JOSEF called out to
the Portuguese and we passed the word
down. Then the whale sounded (went
DOWN aud Pretty soon he came mp, big
and brown AS the house and right near
the ship. / slid down from the top. burn
ing two holes in my trousers and wearing
a great hole in my thumb. Our boat
usually launch from the weather side
the water was rough-but our crew were
all Vineyard men and we were out with "
rush. The ship luifed and presently
filed again to follow where the cap'n
Thought the whale was heading.
"'Don't go that way, Mr.. - said i
to the officer, who was steering; don't
you do 1t. That whale has gone over to-
ward that low island yonder. Sure
enough IL had, and we came alongside.
Just as we came up TO his fiukes he pre-
pared to sound again, ana as his great
fukes, eighteen feet across, rose In the
air. tons aud tons of water slid lazily OF
them, half filling the boat. We thought
we'd lost him, but the crest of n great
wave carried us half his length forward.
and the harpooner struck him twice in
the flank, and pumped bomb lance into
him, and the mates boat came up on the
other side. Down he went again, nrst
spouting the bloody mess we call the
life" all over the boats crew. In very
short time we hau him alongside, aud the
huke chain on. No one was hurt, yet
I've seen miserable little III een-barrel
whale knock boat all to flinders.
"Yes, it's dangerous business. II the
line isn't kept wet as it's paying out, it'll
set the boat on hre. IL a kink or knot
gets in IL in the line tub. it'll sink or
SIN ash the boat as it fouls on the logger
head. I've seen man get turn OF the
line about his leg and be dragged the
length Of the boat and out over the gun
vale like flash. The line man didn't
have time TO cut the rope. SO over the
side he went too. knife and all, and cut
the rope under three fathoms Of water
Strangely enough, the man who was
saved, tuough with broken leg and no
end oil bruises, and the man who saved
him, went over the side a long time after,
one after the other, calm water and all,
and were lost IN the most mysterious
fashion.
'Do l know Cap'n Tilton. who came
into San Francisco harbor the other day
In steam wha,er with x40O,OOO cargo,
the best on recordy OF course l do. /
used TO carry him around on my back
when he was a baby and ! a boy of l3
He's only "a, married just three weeks be-
fore he set out on two years cruise
He's a smart boy, Jimmy is; and he's
made small fortune. A captains lay
(share) would be about one-twelfth or
one fifteenth, boat captains about one
seventy-fifth and so down to "A green hand,
who'd get about one two-hundreth part.
Then the cost of food supplies and cloth
ing is pretty big. The steam whalers are
better for Arctic whaling than the old
timers, because they can go in and out
among the foes where a sailing whaler
wouldn't have room TO tack.
"No, there isn't much demand for
whale oil now. It's gone down from So
cents to about 30 l believe. 1t would
never pay To 20 for that. On the other
hand whalebone has gone up, and up, till
the price of corsets had TO be raised.
That's where the profit comes it. The
oil is only incidental. No. Jimmy won.
have to go around the norm. San Fran
cisco's his port. He'll come by rail, and
won't put TO sea again for year or SO
may be never, unless he's ambitious"