Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-10-17

/ us tOE some little Time anu htpl 81 htdi
that didn't dare to put an iron into her.
FINALLY she backed off short distance
and let drive lance which took effect.
She struck savagely with her tail hitting
me on my left leg and knocking me into
the bottom of the boat. Then she started
off and ran about thirty fathoms and then
| turned and came head on smashing to-
ward the boat. / stood by with
lance and pokng it against the end of
her nose / pushed the boat one side and
drove the lance into her again. She ran
away again about the same distance as
before and had nearly returned to us
when she died. WI hen we opened that
whale we found that both lances had
gone through the heart.
"fFow do account for it? Well, ] have
frequently seen whales live several min
utes after being pierced through the
heart a whale viii go as long as there
is any breath in his body"
AN EXrERT WITH THE HARPooN.
Capt Bickford in his whaling days was
an expert with the lance and harpoon. He
has harpooned many a whale at distance
of thirty-five feet with deadly effect. The
lance he could hurl and kill twice that
distance. He stood six feet in his stock
iugs and with his long arms had a great
advantage over other men in throwing
the harpoon. He has often tested his
skill in this with Ne" Bedford men, and
was never beaten. The usual length of
the lance warp is ten fathoms
Once" he said, ~ hung up a whale by
the tail at thirty feet with a harpoon and
at sixty feet | drove lance through
his heart That was on the German
banks and the whale was killed after a
most exciting encounter. The whale
measur tortyfive feet and made just
a barrel OF oil TO the foot. | gave the
carcass OF this whale to man by the
name OF Brown, who took the bones
all apart and bleached them. After
wards he put them together, mark
ing each, and had the frame on exhibition
throughout the United States. =
At this point Capt. Biekford told the
writer about a capture he made one time
on the Schoodic ridges. Il was fin
back much larger than his vessel. He
measured ninety-siX feet and only made
twenty barrels Of oil. THAT whale,
said he "turned out TO be a regular racer.
We chased him all one day from the
Schoodic ridges to the German banks.
1t was long after dark before he breat he'd
his last.
1T was with this whale that | played a
Joke on some Of my men who prided
themselves on their courage and pluck.
1t was after the whale was dead. We
were all hungry and much fatigued by
the chase, and when my vessel came up
that night, we left the whale short dis
lance away and went on board for food
and water Darkness came on and the
whale, rs my men believed, was not vet
dead, but in fighting condition, After
we had taken our meal called for volun-
tcers o go in pursuit OF the whale. Only
four out OF the crew consented to go with
me As | stepped on deck the man on
lookout a superstitious sort OF fellow,
said Captain, do you believe in ghosts
mo | answered, Why do you ask
because | Jest heard three awful groans
out there on the water | looked
and saw the whale in the blade OF the
Nv volunteers jumped into the boat and
we were soon near the whale. | could
hear the hearts Of my men beating IN
their brave bosoms. \ fight with IS hale
after dark didn't exactly suit them. As
We approached | threw harpoon into
him and at that moment the sea rolled
him over and his huge tail came switch
ing over through the water with terri
Idle splash. stern alln cried, and you
ought 10 have seen those men snatch the
oar. and pull for the vessel! In less time
than it takes me to tell YOU We were
alongside my vessel. The whale was
stone dead, but none OF the boys knew
it,
KNOCKED OVERHEARD.
WAS you ever knocked overheard by
whale?' the writer inquired
"0h. yes once in particular, 1t was on
the outer ridge, about fifty miles off Mt.
Desert. We had made fast to Il " hale
and he was spouting blood. You know
When whale spouts blood he doesn t feel
particularly healthy. This whale kept
sounding, going down about twenty
fathoms / WAS in the bow OF the boat
holding the rope which We had fastened
around he end OF his tail. would hold
turn round a small pin in the bow. Well,
as was SO holding the rope, pretty soon
the " hale turned his hukes all of a sud
den and we'll, just went up in the air,
But / held onto that rope for dear life,
and came down and went down twenty
fathoms with that whale. let 90, how
ever. md came up short distance away.
called out to my men MOTTO cut the
rome which held the whale, but in Their