The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-07
REAL WHALE HUNTING
OLD BIOGRAPHIES RESPONSIBLE
FOR MUCH INSTRUMENTATION.
A Man Called the BOat-Steerer Throws
Gun Is Fitted-The 'sBftter End"

New York Times.
Generally speaking it is safe to assert
that there is much Misrepresentation about
the way in which whales are sought for
and captured. Pictorial Biographies are
largely responsible for misinformation on
the subject. Down at the Ship News Office
at the Battery is of these misleading
books, a dog-eared, time-worn, much-soiled,
entirely dusty and generally worthless pub
LEGATION, which strayed into the Office
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 a plain merchant
seaman, now abandoned for the more
stormy of literature, had been diversi-
fed with some whaling voyages in the Pa
cific. The visitor turned the leaves of the
geography until he found on one begrimed
page the picture of a harpooner, with weap-
on poised, ready for fling at a. whale
which represented as standing on it's
head and bidding defiance to everything in
the heavens above and the waters beneath
The ex-hunter of big fishes said geogra-
phieS of that sort ought to be suppressed
Then he told about whale hunting as was
whale hunting, and a reporter for the New
York Times who was there, became inter-
ested.
''There-she-blow he says. is the way
that landsmen who know all about whal-
ing 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 reproduce in print: "Oh, -,
b-l-o-wes!'
1T was in the old whaling, bark Ohio,
Captain Ellis, said the narrator, that I
made my first whaling voyage That was
back in 1885, 1t is Pacific and Arctic whal-
ing that l am speaking of.
when cruising in those waters in search
of whales, a whaler always keeps three
men aloft during the daytime. An officer
of the ship and that functionary of a
whaling expedition known as the 'steerer'
take their places in the cro'nest. on the
foretopgallant crosstrees. Ali three of the the
1ookouts are furnished with marine glasses,
and throughout their tour of duty aIoft
they carefully scan the horizon in all di-
rectionS.
SIGHTING A WHALE
There may be days and days, with never
cry from aloft, and then, on a sudden,
will be heard the welcome hail to the deck
of oh, 49,, b-l-o-wes! The cry ,electrifies
a. crew as does Sail. hov from cruisers
masthead when an enemy is the quest
THE captain Immediately goes aloft 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 to dc with, The species he wants
is the bowhead and sperm. The ones he
and sulphur bottom. These may have other
names but they are not known by any
other TO wha1ers.
'"The captain is enabled to tell what man
ner 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. II the lspouts are at
thrown high in a. slender, jet, the captain
says nothing that is nice, aescends from his
But. if the stream is low and much dis
persed, there is bracing around of yards
hands called deck, and four of the
five boats are manned and sent in pursuit
reserve in case of emergency. but only
enough men kept on board to trim sail and
work ship.
'@rhe boats set sail as soon as they
have showed clear of the ships side and
then the real excitement of it all begins.
And VIII tell You now where the main
nonsense of this picture lies He pointed
hsve most aeafe
the Swash of the boat through the water,
| even when propelled by silent canvas. is
| often enough to frighten whale and then
he is off like a locomotive. Now, for
oars and rowlocks such as are represented
| in this and most other pictures of whales
| capturing exploits. that is all rank absurd
| ity. The splash of an oar would send a
| get within quarter of mile of him. They
are are, harder to creep up upon than are the
Therefore. the noiseIess sail is used il
there is any breeze and if there is not, pad
/ tiSo SuSi dS the l>OTtn <AInef1cdu 1Uuidti
! uses in propelling 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 stockinged feet
| "A boat is never steered whale .
| head or near his tail. A blow from his tail
would smash boat into kindling wood and
| his jaws are generally big enough to crush
| boat as easily as nut cracker can break
| a filberf. 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 abaft the
| fin"
WHEN THE FUN BEGINS.
1.-THE harpoon you speaking or
| queried the reporter.
well. it is a. gun and q harpoon CONF
bincd. On the end OF short wooden shaft
| detachable iron harpoon Is fitted. On the
head 1of Fine tame shaft is fitted a dynamite
gun buirfs 1f<tSthe end, but not detafhNhle