The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-03
ON A WHALING CRUISE
Young Druggist Who oiled Eight
Months for a Dollar.
All the Romantic Glamour of a Hunt for
'"Spouters" Fades in the Light Of
This Mans Story.

San Francisco Chronicle.
Wishing TO Iecuperate his health and go
somewhere at the same time Robert New
man Dinsmore. d young druggist of this
city, sailed away last spring in a whaler
for the cold and cherries north. Robert
returned the other day, prematurely aged
and with bright and glistening corns in
the palms of his hands. He put in eight
months of suffering. hardship and hun
ger, exposed to the dangers of the deep by
day and by night. and was paid off with
one round American dollar.
But he has been
II would rather put in those eight
months ten times over in any penitentiary
in the land than go on another blubber
excursion" Robert remarked last night
while in a reminiscent mood In a prison,
they tell me, a man is given enough 10
eat and a warm place to sleep, which is
more than he gets on a whaling ship. We
killed one whale, / got my dollar, but still
owe the vessel something like $3.50 for
things L did not get.
During those eight months there was
only one day on which we got enough to
eat. That was on the Fourth of July. The
captain being an American. sailing an
American ship. celebrated the day by
iOoStlAAlS up VII ~ dlOCl lOIS CAAOd5i y
let us enjoy one square meal. Then we
fell back on cracker scouse and some salt
meats that would come into the forecastle
itself if we whistled for ii. There may be
some that think SO, but whaling isn't what
II. is cracked up TO be. l want no more
Young Dinsmore's experience is only
that OF hundreds of young men who
yearned to Rlow the briny deep in search
of whales. The glamour impaired by pic
ture books wears off in actual contact
with the chunks of blubber, and the vic
tim would cheerfully give all he ever eX-
poets to be worth for the privilege of set
ting foot on shore again.
The druggist helped kill one whale and
is sorry for it now. Never again will he
lift a hand to AXE the life of the innocent
monsters of the deep. On March is last
the young man shipped on the brig Percy
Edwards, Captain Hallett. There were
eighteen men forward, only three of whom
had ever seen salt water. The rest were
farmers. bakers, blacksmiths, shoemakers
from the skipper and chief officer, there
was not an American in the ship, Dins-
and inteIligence' and therefore did not
fare so badly as the rest of his mates.
CATCHING a G~REENHORN.
His story of how g~reenhorns are induced
to hunt the sportive whale and get moth
ing for it is an interesting one. When told
they will probably make $1,000 in a few
months they cannot scramble aboard OF
ship quick enough. Greenhorns are pro-
ferred on account of their gullibility. 1t is
through their lack Of knowledge of the
ways of the sea that the boarding boss
gets rich, while the sailor acquires nothing
but hard knocks and some ~valuable ex2
perience.
II was shipped by Sam VIM Of No. 227
Jackson street" said Dinsmore, in telling
his story, but 1 hear he has since gone
out of business. A man paid off with
81 is not welcome at the house from whence
he shipped, but, however, L am not anxious
to return to Mr.. Winn'S place. We were
supposed to receive an advance of $50 on
the day we shipped, and the shipping agent
gave us checks for that amount.
"At least we took his word for 1t, as
we never saw the faces of the checks.
They were presented back up for our sig
natures, and then the boarding boss rushed
US off to a store to buy the outfits. Every
thing was done in a great hurry. The cap
tain wanted to sail right away, and We
must be on board that day. This gives the
boardiog master a chance to supply every
thing and prevents the crew from spending
any of the advance money themselves.
Fortunately / had a good stock of
clothes or L would have frozen to death
in the outfit with which l was sent to sea.
Here is the list of things bundled up and
sent aboard the Percy Edwards for my
use during a cruise in the Arctic ocean
and which cost me so: