The morning call., 1894-10-23
A WHALE STORY.
The Creature Is Our
Visitor.
CONSERVATION of Clerk Foss of the
Oceanic Dock - Yachtsmen's
Woes and Frights.

In the north sea lived whale, but be
has changed quarters and come to San
Francisco Bay. He found his way through
the narrow entrance TO the harbor, but he
is like the mouse that crawled into the
wire trap, lie cannot get ont again. Be.
ing fat. saucy and "strong of tall" Mr.
Leviathan is dreaded by the fishermen
who have declared that they are in fear
and trembling of being fitpped skyward
bv the business end of the monster.
Nh. Whale made his first appearance
last Friday. He was accompanied on hi.
journey around the port By school OF
porpOises that seemed to act as his guard
of honor and escorts.
The captain of the bay scow, who drifts
in his mud-bedauDed craft between river
points and the CITY watsr front, has been
terror-stricken by the northern visitor
coming alongside of his boat and using hi
nose as at0mizer to spray salt water
over his victim, who Is half dead from
fright. The ferry-boat captains have on
several occasions nearly died from heart
disease when directly in front of their
steamers the shining exterior of the whale
attempted to cross the vessels bow. On
tue spur of the moment the huge anima
is taken for dereiict or Il steam tug.
1t is said that George A. Knight and hi.
launch, the Arrow. hava been chased by
the friendly whale up Oakland Creek as
far as Brooklyn and shallow water. The
thing tried to bite the Arrows propeller
off, missed it and nearly scalped Knight
whose hair was erected ready to be cur.
tailed.
Bruce and his yacht Rover are believed
to have been visited just at the same time
when there was a sound of revelry by
night and the mTffled pop of soda-wa tel
bottles between decks. Bruce, it is told
thought that his boat had struck rock,
went on deck and came near being a
Jonah. for directly astnrn was the terror
of the frozen pole giving him the laugh
and incidentally affording the yachtsman
an opportunity to examine bis tonsils, oil
the place where the tonsils would have
been had the whale been man enough to
grow them.
Having added nine gray hairs to Bruce's
head the whale started for the Oceanic
dock to look for Clerk Foss, who has been
running bluffs TN the public for a LONG
time and says he amt AFRAID of any man
ludb tf6u SUlIcCiol w lsc. russ
was il the act of suppressing somebody,
as is his usual custom, when a thumr
came under the dock. 1t is rumored that
the clerk thought the United States Secret
Service was after him and with one wild
whoop he disappeared just as the whale
dIved Goat Islandward and gave Foss the
goOd-by flip with his steering gear.
The excursion of politicians that went
out for a ride on the tug Fearless saw the
whale sporting just astern of them and
Thought it was the ghost of pure politics
rising only to fall again.
Antoine. the fisherman, who inveigles The
foolish crab into the net and drags for The
slippery smelt and salty shrimp, was
quietly pursuing his vocations near Poin,
Bonita, when he was nearly drowned out
by sprays of falling water that eman atnd
from the geyser-ike seat of the whales
Intelligence. He saw the moonlight re-
flsctsd on the creatures smooth back,
noticed the fsh-like tail when the visitor
disappeared, ard in the greatness of his
fear yelled that "a bigga d. surge" had
tried to show is contempt for toilers Of the
sea by expectoraling on him.
The whale leaves a wake like an ocean
steamer; and carrying no spars aloft, has
been mistaken for n smuggling craft. The
revenue cutter COrwin, she of the great
speed and Honolulu record, Is reported to
have chased the intruder from Folsom
street wharf to Mare Island and return be-
fore she discovered her mistake.
IAN emerald ring on the port bow with
an electric fountain in the setting ~
shouted the tar on watch. "Where
awsy?" inquired special agent of the
treasury. suddenly poking his nose above
the cabin compaaionway.
Then the chase began with the Corwin a
poor second, and Mr.. Whale doing a good
deal of blowing about his speed. Cap
tain Munger shouted to his engineer
Throw in gallon or two of that water
front whisky tnaI we have been using in
the lamps Hit that fat fireman amid.
ships with a ropes end, fill the boys ur
with expectation and hardtack and we
will overhaul him even II our rudder fouls
and our screw that isn't twin gets
broke"
But the whale got away and was mex,
seen attempting TO shanghai some sailor:
that went to sleep on the seawall. Then
he turned tail and headed for Sausalito
whore he Is now supposed to be waiting
his opportunity to frighten some more
yachtsmen.