Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-05-20
HUNTING WHALES.
IT Is DESCRIBED BY ONE WHO uaen,r
DEPENDED ON BOOKS.

Old Biographies Responsible For yr.h
Misinformation-How the Big Fish To
Captured In the Pacific .na Alt,
demonstrating Situations.
The ex-hunter of big fishes told ahort
whale hunting as was whale hnnt;na
DEMONSTRATIONS" he savS is Tho
way that lanasmen who knoys, 81, aho,,t
whaling rom reading Biographies and
story books would make the hail Rn-
those who seek the whale n his daon COO
Ialr instead OF In books tell about the
sisntlng OF the prey in these words, but
Mitn an innec'lon impossible to reproduce
In PRINT, "Oh, -, b-l-o-wesl"
1T was in the old whaling barl- Ohio
Captain Ellis" said the narrator .stbat I
made my hrst whaling voyage. That was
pt,ch LII 1000: IL Is Pacific and Arctic
whaling that am speaking of.
When cruising in those waters in
search Oh whaies, a whaler always keeps
tnree men abort during the daytime. An
Queer OF 1he snip and that functionary of
whaling expedition known as the steer
er take Their places in the cro' nest, on
the main, and another lookout is sent to
inc Ioretopgallant crosstrees. All three of
the lookouts are furnished with marine
| glasses, and throughout their tour of duty
aloft they carefully scan the horizon in all
directions.
"There may be days and days, with
never cry from aloft, and then, on sud-
den, will be heard the welcome hail to the
deck OF oh, -, b-lo-wes!' The cry cleo
trifies crew as does, Sail, HOP from a
cruisers masthead when an enemy is the
quest.
1.-The captain Immediately goes aloft and
makes an examination of the spoutcr
through his glass. In the Pacific and Arc
tic waters there are two kinds of whales
that he wants and three kinds that he will
have nothing to do with. The species he
wants is the bowhead and sperm. The ones
he does not want are the flnback, hump
back and sulphur bottom. These NAV
have other names, but they are not known
by any other to whalers
1.-THE captain is enabled to tell what
manner of whale it is by the nature of its
spout. The sperm whale is distinguished
by the full, bushy sort of fountain which
it projects into the air. If the spouts are
at frequent intervals, and if the water is
thrown high in q slender Jet, the captain
says nothing that is NICE descends from
his perch, and the vessel plods along her
way.
But II the stream is low and much dis
persed there is q bracing around of yards
and clearing away of whaleboats. All
hands are called on deck, and four of the
five boats are manned and sent in pursuit
of the whale. One boat is always kept in
reserve in case of emergency, but only
enough men are kept on board to trim sail
and work ship
whales have most acute hearing and
the swish of the boat through the water,
even when propelled by silent canvas, is
often enough to brighten a whale, and then
nc is Off like q locomotive Now, as for
oars and rowlocks such as are represented
in this and most other pictures of whale
capturing exploits, that is all rank alb
surdity. The splash of an oar would send
whale to the right about before you could
get within quarter of mile of him.
They are harder to creep up upon than are
the wild deer of the forest
Therefore the noiselcss sail is used if
there is any breeze and if there is not pad
dies such as the North American Indian
Uses in propeliing his canoe are got out
and the boat pushed toward the leviathan
by cautious dips. Care is taken never to
splash water, and the men move about in
the boat in stockingcd feet.
- boat is never steered near whales
head or near his tail. A blow from his
tail would smash "a boat into kindlinr
wood, and his jaws are generally big
enough to crush a beat as easily as a nut
cracker can break q flbert. Care, there
fore, is taken to steer clear of the danger
or fpnJ, \ iE,e.,, n 4o- l.
monsters vast body.
1.-THE steerer meanwhile has taken his
station in the bow of the boat the officer
in charge being at the steering oar The
boat nears the big hulk of flcsh and when
near enough to strife the steerer hurts the
missile which he has held poised in air
and aims to strike the whale just abaft the
fin"
queried the reporter.
well, it is d gun and harpoon COM
bined. On the end of q short wooden shaft
detachable iron harpoon is fitted. On
the head of the same shaft is fitted dyna-
mite gun, pointed at the end, but not de-
tachable from the shaft Harpoon and gun
cut into the flesh at the same time. A
sharp jerk backward dctaches the harpoon,
the same time explodes the dynamite car
fridge.
IF the steerer's aim has been true. the |
crew have nothing more to do except TO |
back water quickly and watch the mon
sters dying agonies That sometimes hap
pens, but most often the whale is only mad
dened by the wound, and, plunging under |
the surface with a maelstrom swirl which |
half swamps his puny enemy, starts away
with the speed of an express.
"Then comes the excitement and the |
danger. The line which is fastened to the |
harpoon spins out SO fast that the wood |
work smokes where it rushes over the side, |
and heaven save any one who becomes en-
tangled in the zippling coils The whip
ping rings would cut man in two or am
putate leg or an arm quicker than d |
cleaver could divide an apple.
1.-The line does not pay out without re- |
sistance and enough of the whales rush |
ing gait is impaired to the boat to make |
the water foam and sputtcr as the craft |
dashes along. The steerer, Ratchet in |
hand, stands ready to cut the line should |
the whale not stop before it all runs out |
The last fathom is called the bitter end, |
and when that is reached the Ratchet falls; |
otherwise his whaleship would drag the