Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-09
A MODERN JONAH.

later at Atlanta. c. B. H.
A MODERN JONAH.
-
French Scientist's Comment on the
Story of an English Sailor.
The Journal des Debats of Paris has be-
come convinced that the experience Of the
prophet Jonah in the belly Of a whale has
been duplicated by an adventure that re-
Gently befell Jas. BARLEY, an English sea-
man, one Of the crew of the whaler Star
of the East. M. Henri de Parville, the
scientific editor of the Journal des Debats,
is man who is accustomed to weighing
evidence with painstaklng care and Of
reaching conclusions only when they have
been approached with the utmost conserv-
atisnl.
Says NJ de Parville: II have already had
cause to remark in these columns that
gigantic stomachs over two meters in di-
ameter have been found in whales of thir-
teen meters in length The whale belong
ing to the Prince OF Monaco which died the
other day, was found to have in its intes-
tines many hundred kilogrammes of fishes
in various stages of decomposition. Even
Goliath in his time could not have weighed
more than that, to say nothing of JONAH"
The scientific editor Of the Journal DIES
Debats, having carefully considered the de-
tails OF the following story, remarks that
The accounts given by the captain and the
crew of the English whaler are worthy of
belief. There are many cases reported
where whales in the fury of their dying
agony have swallowed human beings, but
this Is the first modern case where the vic
tim has come forth safe and sound.
AFTER this modern illustration, l end by
belevlng that Jonah really did come out
from the belly of the whale alive"
The story, which has received the sup
port of one of the most careful and pains
taking scientists in Europe, is as follows:
On the 10Th of August, 1895. the man in
the crows nest at the masthead of the
fnr Of fhn
sperm whales. The steamer Immediately
gave chase and soon came within half a
mile or one of them, a huge male. Two
boats, fully equipped in the usual way,
were lowered and rowed toward the ami
NAL. James Bartleys boat was the nearer
and from Its bow was fired bomb lance,
Which struck the whale in vital part. The
sailors backed water with all their might,
but were not quick enough, for the monster
IN the agony OF the furry" seized the
boat in his jaws, smashing it like kindling
wood
The sailors leaped into the water in all
directions James BARLEY, who had been
steering the boat, was thrown up with the
STERN which for the moment was almost
perpendicular His comrades in the other
boat saw him leap, but unfortunately on
the instant the whale threw himself for
ward, and the luckless seaman, in falling
struck within the ponderous jaws, which
Immediately closed over him.
The men in the water We're picked up by
the other boat, and the whale was in due
time killed and brought alongside the
steamer and work was begun removing
the blubber. A day and night were COLI
sumed in the operation. Finally they OPEN
ed the stomach There, to their great as
constituent. they found BARLEY peacefully
reclining, as in a bath tub. He was un-
conscious, but still living. He had been in
the whales stomach for nearly thirty-six
hours.
They hauled him out, laid him upon the
deck, and began to rub his limbs, which
were purple and besmeared with the blood
of his late host. They give him brandy to
drink, and at length he recovered con-
seriousness, but his reason was gone. For
three weeks he remained In this condition,
raving about the deck and calling upon
heaven to save him from the horrible fur
mace in which he imagined himself being
consumed. After while all Authorizations
wore away and he had lucid intervals, and
then his recovery became permanent. Nat
urally, the first question that his comrades
asked him were what had been his emo
tons and Impressions while in the stomach
of the whale.
II remember very WELL" he said, from
the moment that 1 jumped from the boat
and felt my feet strike some soft sub
stance. l looked up and saw big rib
bed canopy of light pink and white de-
scending over me, and the next moment 1
felt myself drawn downward, feet first,
and realized that l was being swallowed by
whale. | was drawn lower and lower;
wall Of soft flesh surrounded me and hem
med me in on every side, yet the pressure
was not painful and the flesh easily gave
way like soft India rubber before my
slightest movement.
Suddenly l found myself in a sack much
larger than my body, but completely dark.
1 felt about me, and my hand came in con-
tact with several fishes, some of which
seemed to still be alive, for they squirmed
il my fingers and slipped back to my feet.
Soon l felt a great pain in my head, and
my breathing became more difficult; at the
same time felt terrible heat; 1t seemed
to consume me- growing hotter and hotter;
my eyes became Goals of fire in my head,
and l believed every moment that l was
going to be broiled alive.
.The horrible thought that was going to
perish in the belly of a whale tormentei
time the awful silence Of the terrible prison
weighed me down. l tried to rise, to move
my arms and legs, to cry out. All action
was now impossible, but my brain seemed
abnormally clear, and with 4 full COM
prehension of my awful fate, finally lest
consciousness.
The truth of this extraordinary adyen-
ture is vouched for by the sailors and the
captain of the Star of the East. 1t appears
that James BARLEY is a man about thirty
five years of age, of strong physique and
wonderful powers Of endurance, as have
been attested by many incidents in the
voyage just ended. Since the steamer has
been in Liverpool BARLEY has on two or
three occasions, suffered from the old hal
lucination and has imagined he was being
consumed by a fiery furnace. 1t became
necessary to send him to hospital in Lon
don.
His general health seems good, but his
skin still retains peculiar blush tinSe,
which seems indelible. and which was
doubtless caused by the action of the
Nn< nn. F,p