The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-04-06

W
possibly making Is or 20 miles an hour.
At times the whale darts forward short
distance, then disappears for two or three
minutes, possibly for hours, but generally
in five or ten minutes he is sighted again
unless, by rushing under the ice, he
forces his captors to drop their line. As
each boat is provided with but 400
fathoms Of line, it is necessary in the
event Of a "dve" for the other boats to
hurry alongside of the head boat and at.
tach their line as rapidly as it is played
out.
The chances are even that upon receiv-
ing the first harpoon, which is provided
with an explosive bomb, that the whale
will give up the ghost in very few
minutes. Should he fail to meet the ex.
pectations of his pursuers on the first
explosion, second gun or bomb, dubbed
shoulder gun, is utilized. 1t is loaded
with lance-shaped bomb 10 inches in
length and charged with toenite, and as
ho ioiNC 10 tiiub VI IL 10,
il properly aimed, entirely reliable.
Once the whale is captured he is lowed
alongside the vessel, graphing hooks are
inserted into his sides, the head, which
contains the bone, is cut off, and the
work Of removing the skin or blubber is
begun. This operation usually lasts
about two hours.
The head and the blubber is taken on
deck by means Of hosting gear, the
latter is then placed in the tripots, from
the former the bone is extracted, and the
carcass is dropped back into the sea.
An average bowhead whale will yield
about 800 pounds of bone worth s. per
pound, and 100 barrels OF oil worth forty
cents per gallon, or, in round figures, a
total value OF about $1,000.
The course Of the whale (uutil the
middle Of September or the first OF Octe-
ber) is continuously north and in the edge
of the icebergs, and as the months OF
July and August are extremely foggy and
in September the strong south winds
blow the ships and icebergs recklessly
about, as may well be presumed, the life
of the navigator is not entirely happy
one, nor devoid OF danger. During the
past season three whalers were entirely
destroyed. The John D. West was burned
while engaged in winter cruising off Hon
olulu; the Tamerlane met her fate on the
reefs OF Harlan islands, and the Helen
Mar was crushed in the ice in the Arctic
seas. There was no loss OF life on the
John ID. West or the Tamerlane, but
when the Helen Mar was caught between
two towering icebergs she crushed like an
eggshell, and the rough sea and the dark
ness made escape almost impossible
Thirty-four men sank beneath the icy
waters or were crushed in the ships head
only five Of the entire crew escaping. The
survivors had terrible experience. With
clothes dripping wet they clambered or q
piece OF floating ice, and while the ther.
mometer stood two degrees below zero
and the wind dashed the water into foam
for forty hours they froze and rode and
rode and frozc. Finally they were sighted
by the Area, and on being picked up four
were found to be alive, badly frozen, the
other had died hours before, yet he sai
bolt upright with his hand gripped in q
crevice of his crystal craft.
Toward the latter part of September
the whaling fleet begins cruising south
ward, accompanying the whales and The
ice unless the weather gives promise of q
"freeze-up," in which event the remain
ing days are spent about the Boring SCI
pursuing the Right whale until approach
ing November warns the fleet to go souti
and home.
After unloading the seasons catch many
OF the ships spend the winter in the vi
cinity of the Hawaiian islands fishing 70
sperm whale, but the masters, in tn,
main, spend their winters on the Atlantic
coast.