The Hawaiian gazette., 1895-10-15
WHALES LEAPS.
Gigantic Jumps Taken BY These
Monsters of the peep.

"Speaking of jumping" said an old
seaman who had been watching some
boys playing leapfrog on the sands,
"let me tell you of the greatest jump
ever seen. 1t was many years ago,
when was little more than lad, but
Twas bow osrsmsn on a whsleboat
belonging to the ship Henry Staples.
We had had Dad luck for several
weeks, when one day we sighted a big
whale, and two bosts set off in q race
to see who could get there first. 1t
was fsirly smooth, what the sailors
call white-cap breeze, and our boats
/ fsirly flew over the water. Finally,
the whale rose not one hundred yards
away, heading directly for US. The
hsrpoener stood with his iron all ready
TO throw, while we grasped our oars
nervously. prepared TO jump at the
word stern ALL that nearly always
came when 8 whale was harpooned.
Not word was spoken, and suddenly
a mountain of black appeared; it
seemed to shut off the entire horizon.
Up it went until distinctly saw q
seventy-foot whale over twenty feet
III the All uONcEluS uNci U.s.
1.-The mate was the first to regain
his senses, and gave the command,
'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 bost in the biggest
leap / ever heard of.
Such gigantic jumps are rare. A
similar one was recorded by DR.. Hall,
who ST the time was 3 midshipman
on the ship Lespder. They were ly-
ing in the harbor of Bermuda, when
all hands were attracted by the APP
pesrance of very large whale that
suddenly appeared in the harbor and
seemed very much alarmed by the
shallow water, rioundering about vio-
lently. The young midshipman join
ed boats crew thst started in pur.
suit, and just as they were about TO
strike the whale disappeared, sinking
out OF sight, leaving deep whirlp pool,
around which the boat shot. Before
il stopped up came the whale, having
in sll probability struck the bottom,
and went into the air like rocket.
So complete was this enormous
lesp," says DR.. Hall, ''thst for sn in
slant We saw him fairly up in the air,
in s horizontal position, at distance
of 81 least twenty perpendicular feet
over our heads. While in his progress
upward there was in his spring some
touch of the yivscity with which
trout or salmon shoots out of the
water, but he fell back again in the
ses like 5 huge log thrown on its
brosdside, and with such s laundering
crash SIS made all hands stare with
establishment, and the boldest held
his breath for time. Had the whale
taken his leap one minute sooner he
would have fallen plump on the boat"
Comparatively few people have seen
large whale, but we can imagine
what sn object an animal seventy feet
long snd weighing SIS many tons would
make flying through the sir.
Within week of the writing Ct the
present article l was drifting along
the shores Of Santa Catalina Island,
Californis, when sixty-foot whale
almost cleared the water about s.
thousand yards from the boat. was
about TO ask the bostman what rock
il was, when the great head descended
snd the tsil rose into the air SIS the
monster diyed.
Mr.. Seorsby, the famous whaler,
chronicles s number of instances of
jumping among whales, some leaving
the water completely and rising twen-
" or more feet into the air.
Many Of the inhabitants Of the sea
sre good jumpers and some have be-
come famous. Among them should |
be mentioned the tarpon or silver |
king, s huge fish with scales that |
CLEAN like silver, which constitutes
the famous game fish Of Florida. The !
leaps of this beautiful creature are |
often astonishing. Several years ago |
steamer was rushing down the St. |
Johns river. The captain was sitting |
on the fore deck, leaning against the |
pilot house, when suddenly there rose |
in the sir beautiful shining fish four /
feet in length 1t came like an arrow
snd landed in the lap of the captain /
as neatly IS Though it had been placed |
there.
In PScific waters the tuna, an silly /
of the horse msckerel, is noted for its |
Leaps Sometimes 8 school sweeps up /
the coast, and the powerful fish, often |
weighing eight hundred pounds, are
seen in the sir in every direction. |
They sre like al arroE, turn grace /
fully five o. six feet il the sir and 1
come down, keeping the water for
acres in fosm, and, II not the great
est jumpers, they are certainly the /
most graceful OF the lespers Of the /
Times