Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-01-12
HOW THEY KILL WHALES.
Ingenious Substitute for the Harpoon
Tonite Hombs md TOeRle Irons

hiuy tnc lcVlaJnunS OF INC
doeps Whalers who keep pace with the
times use neither the old harpoons nor
the beaEy bomb-throwing gun that sue
ceeded it. A combination of both
enters into the latter-day weapon, and
Its use requires such muscle nerve and
accurate judgment that something of
the glory and emoluments of the
ancient harpooper are once more ut
tached to the successful boathcader.
Two weapons are employed IN killing.
Whaers call the first one "darting-
gun" 1t is queer-loolling continuance,
mounted on wooden shaft from eight
to ten feet long, and bearing more re-
semblance to clumsy three-tined fork
with the tines of unequal size and
length, than anything else. The cen
trail tine is the gun, and the others are
respectively the harpoon and trigger.
But the harpoon is not called IL har-
pooh; it is "toggle-iron," a slender
iron spike some two and half feet in
length, with loop near the butt to
which the whalc-line proper is made
fast. Half dozen inches from the
point hinge is set in by rivet. When
closed for penetrating this hinge pre-
scnts sharp, cutting edge and gradual
slope that offers no impediment to the
irons movement through the blubber
Tho slightest resistance from the
rear such as pull on the line, opens
this hinge, or toggle-joint to right
angles, and the lower end of the hinge
presents a broad concave surface that
holds the iron from being withdrawn
save by tearing a path out through the
flesh equal to the length of the hinge,
some five inches. This iron pcnctrates
much deeper than any other portion of
the gun" and by it the whale is held
in leash and followed in event the
bomb fails. to do its work.
The central tine of the huge fork is
the gun proper, and queer looking
gun it is. A copper cylinder, arf inch
and an inch and half in diameter,
firmly fastened to a little square metal
box on the end of the shaft, is all that
is visibleo the mechanism, and there
is nothing to suggest gun about either
cylinder or box. There is little door
set in the box, however, and when that
is opened lock and trigger are dis
closed, which connects with the third
tine. On the inside of the box the
trigger fires an ounce of powder in the
butt Of the cylinder, and this propels
the bomb from the mouth of the cylin-
der at the same time that it ignites a
fve-second fuse leading to the chamber
of the bomb.
The bomb looks more like brass
railroad spike without head than an
implement of destruction. 1t is slightly
larger than railroad spike. however,
and is charged with tonite. 1t isusually
strong enough to create fatal commo-
ton in the interior of the largest whale
afoat ~" 'tte 4:
An. understanding Of the simple
| method of the cumbersome affair is not
q matter of difficulty. The bow is the
location of the whaler who plays the
part of the harpooner of old. His OBJ
jecti is to bury his ponderous weapon
Just back of the fin. Twenty-Five feet
is considered IL long cast but there are
q few much sought after giants who
can add ten feet to this distance with
out losing any of their accuracy of aim.
The keen toggle iron, pushed by the
weight of the other hamper, penetrates
the soft blubber to depth of four or
| five feet before it releases itself from
the loose rings used to hold it to the
head of the wooden shaft. ]
The gums" penetration amounts to
| Just sufficient to steady it before the
third tine or trigger performs its part.
This trigger is blunt iron rod of just
sufficient length to come in violent con-
| tact, end on, with the whales hide
when the copper cylinder serving as a
gun barrel is directed fairly against the
target. The pressure on the rod touches
off the trigger; this explodes the pow.
der charge and the powder charge
speeds the bomb after the toggle-iron
into the whales vitals, the five-second
fuse burning as it is dragged through
the outlying blubber
The damage up to date is trifling,
speaking from whales standpoint
i but when that explosion of tonite oc'
ours in his inner consciousness it is
usually sufficient to put any thought
of future existence out of his head MOI
always, though. The bomb may notgc
near vital spot or the fuse may not ig
mite the tonite, and there is an anxiou!
minute or two while the monster goes
below, impelled by the shock OF hit
wounds. If he comes up in furry,
rs whalemen call the death agony, wei
and good, but if there is an intelligent
yigor in his movements, betokening {
desire for revenge or escape, there il
another bomb waiting for him. This ont
is from q twenty-four-pound gun, fo
which the head killer.in the bow ha'
exchanged his darting gun. This lat
ter, by the way, is all recovered but TIN
bomb. The powder charge rids it 3
the bomb and the toggle iron and tn
gun and the trigger remain fixed to TIL
wooden shaft, which is connected will
the boat by a few fathoms Of light line
The real whale line is fast to tn
toggle-iron, buried deep in the mon
ster's fat, and it goes whirring out OF it
tub to such limitless lengths that Their
is no possibility of the whales dragging
| the boat down with him. 1t is ligh
line, but tough, and whale could toy
a boat around by it all day without fea
of it's breaking. ;t-.
The guns reserved for the finishin
bomb are of two patterns One is a
extremely heavy affair, bordering o
being young cannon, and is mounte
on a swivel in the bow, while the othe
is a large edition of the cutoff shotgun
with cushion of rubber in the stock
save the shoulder of the man who fire
it,. The bombs are o. the same chara'
ter as those used in the hand-propelle
darting-gun, but are larger and nor
symmetrical in shape, and are feathere
with rubber, arrow f..shion, to insur