Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1895-11-02
.,oANr,c LrArs or WHALES.
Ftonsicrs q the Deer Sometimes Dis
play Astonishing AgtiIty,

Speaking Of jumping, said an
old soauau who had been watch
ing some boys playing leup-irog
On the sands, let me tell you OF
the greatest jump ever seen. II
was many years ago when ] WIS
little more than lad, but | WIS
'hen oarsman on a whale boat be-
longing to the ship Henry Staples.
We had had bad Iucs for sovora'
weeks hon one day we sighted a
big whale and two boats set IF in
a race t. see who would get there
FIRST. 1t was fairly smooth. what
the sailors call a white cap breczr,
and our boats fairly flew over the
water. Finally the whale rosc not
100 yards away, headed directly
for us. The mate gave orders to
stop, and we sat still, expecting
that the MOI ster would rise near
rs. The har2ooner stood with
his iron already to throw, wnie
we grasped our oars nervously
prepared to jump at the word
stern ALL, that nearly always
came when whale was harpoon-
ed. Not a word was spoken and
suddenly mountain OF black ap-
peared; it seemed to shut off the
entire horizon. Up it went until
I d s.i city saw Il seventy foot
whale over twenty feet in the air
hovering over us.
The mate was the first to re-
gain his senses and gave the com
mand stern all just as we were
ready to spring overheard; the
boat shot back several feet, and
the next second the gigantic
animal dived into the ocean Just
grazing us, having completely |
passed over the boat in the biggest
1eap j ever heard Of"
Such gigantic jumps are rare.
A similar one was recorded by DR.. |
Hall, who ut the time was a mid |
s5hipman on the ship Leander.
They were Iying in the harbor of
Bermuda, when all hands were
attracted by the appearance of II
very large whale that suddenly
appeared in the harbor, and seem
ed very much alarmed by the shal-
}ow water, foundering about vic
iently. The young midshipman
Joined boats crew that started |
IN pursuit, and just as they were
about to strike, the whale disap-
peared, sinking out of sight, leav-
ing a deep whirlpool round which |
the boat shot. Before it stopped,
up came the whale, having
An all probability struck the
bottom, and went into the
air like rocket. $50 COM
plete was this enormous leap"
says DR.. Hail. that for an in
slant we saw h m fairly up in the
air, in horiz ntal position, at a
distance of at least twenty per-
pendicular feet over our heads. |
While in this progress upward
there was in isspring some touch
of the vivacity with which u
trout or salmon shoots out of the
water, but he fell back again in
the sea like huge log, thrown Oh
its broadside, and with such
thundering crash as made all
mands stare with astonshment,
and the boldest held his breatn
for a time. Had the whale 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 All object an animaI
seventy feet long and weighing as
many tons would make flying
Ahrough the air. Within a week
of the writing of the present arti-
scle l was drifting alongthe shores
of Santa Catalina island, Southern
California, when sixty-foot
whale almost cleared the water
about 1000 yards from the boat.
l was about TO ask the boutman
what rock it was when the great
head descended and the tail rose
anto the air as the monster dived.
Mr.. Scorsby, the famous whaler,
chronicles a number of instances
of jumping among whales, some
leaving the water completely and
rising twenty or more feet into
a.he air.
Many of the inhabitants Of the
sea are good jumpers and some