The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-22
WHALES LEAPS.
Gigantic Jumps Taken by These Monsters
Of the Deep.


Times.
Speaking of jumping" said an old sea-
man who had been watching some boys
playing leap-frog on the sands, "let me
ten you of the greatest jump 1 ever seen.
1t was many years ago when / was little
more than lad, but I was bow oars
man on whale boat belonging to the
ship Henry Staples. We had had rad
luck for several weeks, when one day we
sighted a big whale and two boats set
off In race to see who would get there
first. 1t was fairly smooth, what sailors
call O white cap breeze, and our boats
fairly flew over the water. Finally the
whale rose not one hundred yards away,
headed directly for us. The mate gave
orders to stop, and we sat still, expecting
that the monster would rise near us.
The harpooner stood with his iron ali
ready to throw, while we grasped our
oars nervously prepared to jump at the
word stern all that nearly always came
when whale was harpooned. Not a
word was spoken and suddenly q noun
tain of black appeared; 1t seemed to
shut or the entire horizon. Up 1t went
until / distinctly saw q seventy-foot
whale over twenty feet in the air hover
ing over us.
senses and gave the command stern ALI
just as we were ready to spring. over
board, the boat shot back several feet,
and the next second the gigantic animal
dlved into the ocean, just grazing US,
having completely passed over the boat ih
the biggest leap ever heard Of
Such gigantic jumps are rare. A sifni-
lar one was recorded by DR.. Hall, who
at the time was a midshipman on the
ship Leander. They were lying II, the
harbor of Bermuda, when all hands were
attracted by the appearance Of very
large whale that suddenly appeared m
the harbor and seemed very much
alarmed by the shallow water, founder
ing about violently. The young mid
shipman Joined boats crew that start
ed in pursuit and just as they were
about to strike, the whale disappeared,
sinking out of sight, leaving deep whril-
pool around which the boat shot. Be
fore II stopped, up came the whale, hay-
ing, in all probability, struck the bot
tom, and went into the air like rocket
$50 complete was this enormous leap"
says DR.. Han. THAT for an instant we
saw him fairly up in the air, in hori-
zontal position, at a distance OF at least
twenty perpendicular feet over our heads.
in his spring some touch of the vivaclty
with which a trout or salmon shoots out
of the water, but he fell back again In
the sea like huge log, thrown on its
broadside, and with such fIoundering
crash, as made all hands stare with as
tonishment, and the boldest held his
breath for time. Had the whale
have taken his leap one minute sooner he
would have fallen plump on the boat"
Comparatively few people have seen
a large whale, but we can imagine what
an object an animal seventy feet long
and Weighing as many TONS would make
flying through the air.
Within week Of the writing OF the
present article was drifting along the
shores Of Santa Catalina Island, Southern
California. when sixty-foot whale al
most cleared the water about thous-
and wards from the boat. l was about
to ask fhe boatman what rock 1t was
when the great head descended and tho
tail rose into the air as the monster
dived
Mr. scorsbv. the famous whale-, chron-
icles number Of incidents OF jumping