Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-19
PORPOISE HUNTERS.
DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF Sc.
CURING MATCHMAKER OIL.

A Delicate Lubricator, but Men Take Their
Lives In Their Hands to Get It-How
Sharks Crowd In at the Death Of . Por-
poise--Told by an Eyewitness.
What do you suppose this oil am
using comes froms' asked the watchmak-
or. This oil comes from the jaw of the
porpoise they catch in the bay of Fundy
and other places on the coast Of Maine. l
say they catch the porpoises, but that
isn't exactly the fact, for they don't catch
them any more than the hunter catches
the deer he goes out to bag. They hunt the
porpoises and shoot them, and immense
fellows they are, sometimes weighing 300
pounds Hunting porpoises in the bay of
Fundy know from experience is dectd-
cdly dangerous business, bat a great many
people get their living by it along the
coast. The most expert porpoise hunters
are the remnants of that ancient tribe OF
Indians, the Passamaquoddies. They usu-
ally camp on Indian beach, bordering on
the bay of Fundy, and there is good
.prinkling of whites among them too. 1
took winter trip once along the coast OF
Maine. and at Indian beach Isoon noticed
that there were q great many men, old and
young, both among the Indians and the
white men, who had but one arm or one
nrm and half while hands and parts or
hands and fingers were missing ON others.
/ finally asked native what was the
cause of tho lack or loss of those missing
members.
% Sharksp was his grim reply.
''By further questioning | learned that
very frequently when porpoise IS shot
on the hunting grounds off the coast It's
death struggles will not be over before the
water all around the hunters boat VIII
bristle with the bayonetlike back fins OF
sharks that have suddenly come from the
depths to gulp in the blood that flows CO.
piously from the stricken porpoise. 1t is
seldom that sharks will bite at the carcass
Of a porpoise, but they will follow it to
the boat as the hunters pull it in, and If
the latter are not wary will with one snap
of their terrible jaws take off an arm at
tho elbow, or at least hand.
II was not anxious to see any one have
an arm taken off, but did want to see
porpoise killed and watch the array of
sharks that they said was almost inyari-
ably in at the death. hired couple Of
big Indians to take me with them on
days hunt. Sometimes these Indians Will
not &c out for days no matter how fine
the weather is, but loaf and lay around
like lazy pigs. But when they do make
up their minds to go out there Is no
weather too rough to stop them. They
launch their boats at all risks and make
start for the hunting grounds, whether
they ever reach them or not. 1t is by no
means an unheard of thing for boat to
start out in tempestuous weather and for
neither boat nor hunters to BIO heard OF
again unless by chance the waves wash
them ashore Two men go in a boat, but
as tho boats are made large enough to
fetch back two or three porpoises, weigh
ing from 200 to 300 pounds, there Is room
enough for third person If he is anxious
to take the risk and share the hardships.
1.-The morning / made the third occu-
pant of the boat / speak Of was sunny and
calm, but It was March, and the Indians
told me squarely that it might blow great
guns before we could hope to get back.
But l was resolved to go, and so L did.
No one will ever know how prayed few
hours later to be safe back on the beach.
"On the way out to the porpoise grounds
the Indians told me that it took years to
make an expert porpoise hunter out OF a
beginner, and that they put their boys to
the task as soon as they were large enough
and strong enough. Each Indian had a
heavy gun, with barrel at least a foot
longer than an ordinary gun. The boro
was smooth and very large They put in
charges of powder that it seemed to mo
were heavy enough to load a cannon and
rammod on top of them handful of dou-
BILE Il shot.
"We went out two miles, and long be-
fore we got TO the place we were headed
for we could hear the porpoises blowing
like steam whistles. On clear days the
sound is easily heard on the beach.
stiff oroaster was coming up, and as the
hunters picked out a porpoise and were
stealing upon it the wind was a gale. The
higher the waves rolled the more tho por-
poiscs seemed TO enjoy themselves, and the
gale didn't seem to worry the Indians
bit A big porpoise raised on the crest of
u wave short distance away, and tre-
mendous report shook the boat. One of the
Indians had discharged his gun. The wave
brought tho porpoiso and crimson tide
almost against the boat, and here and
there, all around it, long black blades
darted to end fro above the surface.
They didn't need to tell me what they
were. for l knew. They were the black
fins of sharks, u dozen at least of which
were playing about in that porpoise's blood
and drinking it. The Indians, apparently
paying no more attention to the sharss
than if they had been bits of floating wood,
proceeded to land their prize. The one In
dian had reached out for the dorsal fir
when sawa flash in the water on tho
other side. With a sharp cry the Indian
ierked back his hand and blood trickled
from cash ON its back
"' Shark closet he said, with no more
sign Of emotion than wooden Indian, and
he wiped the blood ON his blouse. Waiting
for favorable roll of the waves, which
were rolling alarmingly high now, the In
dian unconcernedly reached for the fin
again, got it, and the porpoise was raised
in the boat
1.-THE Indians take all this risk the year
round to get the oil the porpoises yield,
the average yield being three gallons Of
blubber oil to porpoise, which they sell
for 90 cents gallon. 1t is tried out in the
old fashioned soap kettles on the beach.
The jaw oil is obtained by hanging the