Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-12-14
THE WHALE WAS DESPERATE,
Narrow Escape of Barkentinc from
Lcviatbuu.

marrow Escape of a Barkcutinc from
a Lcviathan.
The yarn spinncrs are telling q whale
story on the water front which proves
that the steam schooner Sunol of local
fame Is not the only vessel that has col.
liosd with whale. There Is rumor ey.
,ant that the ninefathom buoy Is not so
intact IN 1t used to be. but that does OF
deter Jack from telling an odd story
OF the accident that befcll the good
b2rkentine Handa Isle. which arrived
VI Sydney on Sept. 2. while the crew Of
The steamer Alameda were looking for
d Jolly good time ashore. The Handa
isle dropped into sydney Harbcr In
tow Of the tug Hope. her port side ban.
daged up and trifie compressed at the
bilge. The barkentine was leaking,
and badly. too. and her skipper said
that had the vessel been laden with
coal instead Of lumber she would have
taken a dive to the abysmal depths Of
Davy Jones mysterious locker.
1t was ON Saturday afternoon. ut
about l o'clock, while the Handa 1slc
was hauling away from Mercury lar.
Dor, with a fair northwest breeze
Gstern. when two whales were observ.
ed putting few points to port One
was an ugly looking ''bull." with n nose
like the bow Of river barge. lie was
about sixty feet long and us full Of
sport rs q 2-ycar-old colt. According
TO the story Of the skipper of the Handa
Isle, the whales started to cross the
vessels bow. when It suddenly seemed
TO occur to the bull that the isle was
looking for trouble and that he had bet.
ter give battle. When about cables
length from the ship he made n swim Mt
her full tilt. and before the barkcntine's
crew could grab something solid to
hold on to the leviathan struck the
craft amidships and the conclusion was
Ike that Of submarine earthquake.
Though the Handa Isle Is a vessel Of
?O tons ana was loaded with 100000
feet of lumber. she trembled from truck
to Keel and shook like dying sea mon.
ster.
The other whale dove under the keel,
ana was not seen again. but the bulls
nose must have been rendered very
sore, for the poor fellow drew away In
dazed condition. and the sea turned
crimson from his blood. Suddenly his
tall went up and his head went down
and that was the last seen of him. The
skipper Of the Handa Isle made nm
investigation Of the ships well, and or
sounding found that his ship wns leak.
Ing at the rate Of about one foot per
hour. He called all hands to the pumps
ana remarked that had the other whale
struck the keel too the craft would
surely have gone to the bottom. 1t was
discovered on examination that the yes.
sci had large dent In her side, though
her timbers are the strongest. The cap.
tain gave orders to jettison part of tho
deck load. SO as to lift the damaged
part above the water line. The pumps
were kept going while the lumber was
thrown overheard. The jcttisoning Of
the deck load did not do much good, for
the crew had to remain ut the pumps
all night. A breeze sprang up and sail
had to be shortened, for the leak gain.
ed on the bumpers. Finally tho skip.
per clewed up and went to work to
cover the damaged sides with some
hides that he had In Ills cargo. and by
ingenious labor he managed to partly
stop the inflow Of water.
The tug Hope sighted the Handa Isle
on Sydney on Sept. 1. flying signals Of
distress. and took her In tow. The build.
ers OF the vessel. Bigelow & Co., Of
Auckland. have written to this city
stating that In their belief the yarn
spun by the Isles skipper IL gospel
truth,-SQn EranclsCo Ru1lotin