The record-union., 1895-04-16
REAL WHALE HUNTING.
Old Biographies Responsible for
MisinfOrmation.
s'There She BIows'' Not the Cry-A
Man Called the Boat-Steerer Throws
the Harpoon, to Which Dynamite
Gun Is Fitted-The s'BiUter Ends

sougnL ana captured. Pictorial geoRra-
phies are largely responsible for misin-
formation on the subject. Down at the
Ship News Office at the Battery is one OF
these misleading books, a dog-eared.
time-worn, much-soiled, entirely dusty
and generally worthless publication,
which strayed into the Office SO long ago
that no one can tell when or whence it
came.
Many seafaring folk frequent the Ship
News office. and into it there strolled last
week one whose career as plain mer-
chant seaman, now abandoned for the
more stormy one of literature. had been
diversified with some whaling voyages
in the Pacific, The visitor turned the
leaves of the geography until he found
on one begrimed page the picture OF a
harpooner, with weapon poised, ready 10
fling at a whale, which was represented
as standing on its head and bidding deti-
ance to everything In the heavens above
and the waters beneath.
The ex-hunter of big fishes said
biographies of that sort ought TO be sup
pressed. Then he told about whale hunt
ing as was whale hunting, and re-
porter for the New York Times, who was
there, became interested.
''There-she-blows he says, is the
way that landsmen who know all about
whaling from reading biographies and
story books would make the hail. But
those who seek the whale in his deep-sea
lair instead of in books tell about the
sighting of the prey in these words, but
with an infection impossible to repro
duce in print: "Oh, -, b-l-o- wes"
''It was in the old whaling bark Ohio,
Captain Ellis" said the narrator, "that /
made my fret whaling voyage. That
was back in 1856. 1t is Pacific and Arctic
WHALING that | am SOpakinp Of
When cruising in those waters in
In search of whales whaler always
keeps three men aloft during the day
time. An officer of the ship and that
functionary of whaling expedition
known as the 'steerer' take their places
in the cro' nest, on the main, and another
lookout is sent TO the foretopgalIant
crosstrees. All three Of the lookouts are
furnished with marine glasses. and
throughout their tour of duty aloII they
carefully scan the horizon in all direc-
tions.
There may be days and days, with
never cry from aIott, and then, on a
sudden, will be heard the welcome hail
to the deck of oh, -, b-i-o-wesn The
cry electrifes the crew as does sail. hop
from cruisers masthead when an
enemy is in quest.
1.-The Captain Immediately goes aIoft
and makes an examination of the spouter
through his glass. In the Pacific and
Arctic waters there are two kinds of
whales that he wants and three kinds
that he will have nothing 10 do with.
The species ne wants is the bowhead and
sperm. The ones he does not want are
the tinback, humpback and sulphur bot
tom. These may have other names, but
they are not known by any other TO whal-
erS.
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 spouLs are
at frequent intervals, and if the water is
thrown high in a slender JET the Captain
says nothing that Is nice, descends from
his perch, and the vessel plods along her
way.
''But If the stream is low and much
dispersed, there is a 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 the ship.
1.-The boats set sail as soon as they have
showed clear of the ships side, and then
the real excitement of it all begins. 1
will tell you by and by where it ends
And l will tell you now where the main
nonsense Of this picture lies" He
pointed to the misused and despised
geography.
WALES have a most acute hearing, and
the swish Of the boat through the water,
even when propelled by silent canvas, is
often enough to frighten a whale, and
then he is of like a locomotive. Now, as
for oars and rowlocks, such as are repre-
sented in this and most other pictures OF
whale-capLuring exploits, this is all rank
absurdity. The splash of an oar would
send q whale to the right about before
you could get within quarter of i mile
of him. They are harder TO creep upon
than are the wild deer of the forest
Therefore, the noiseless sail is used If
there is any breeze, and if there is not,
paddles such as the North American In
dian uses in propelling his canoe are got
out and the boat pushed toward the
leviathan by cautious dips. Care is
taken never 10 spash water, and the men
move about in the boat with stockinged
feet
"a boat is meyer steered near a whales
head or near his tail a blow from his
tail would smash a boat into kindling
wood and his jaws are generally big
enough to crush boat as easily as a nut
cracker would break a hlbert. Care,
therefore, Is taken to steer clear OF the
dangerous extremities, and to sneak
alongside the monsters vast body.
''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 flesh, and
when near enough TO strike the steerer
hurls the missile which he has held
poised in air, and aims to strike the whale
Just abait the fin."
"The harpoon you are speaking Of,
queried the reporter.
"Well, il is a gun and a harpoon com
bined. On the end of a short wooden
shaft detachable iron harpoon is fitted
On the head of the same shaft IA fitted a
dynamite gun, pointed at the end, but
not detachable from the shaft. Harpoon
and gun cut into the flesh at the same
time. a sharp jerk back ward detaches
the harpoon, which remains fast in tho
whale, and at the same time expiodes the
dynamite cartridge.
''If the steerer's aim has been true the
crew have nothing more to do except to
back water quickly and watch the mon
ster's dying agonies. That sometimes
happens, but most often the whale is ONLY
maddened by the wound, and plunging
under the surface with a naeIstrom 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
woodwork smokes where it rushes over
the side, and heaven save any one who
becomes entangled In the tipping coils!
The whipping rings would cut man IN
two or amputate a leg or an arm quick or
than a 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 sputter as the craft
dashes along. The steerer, hatchet in hand,
stands ready TO cut the line should the
whale not stop before 1t all runs out. The
last fathom is called the bitter end and