The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-30
One Stood on Its Head at
PrOvincetOwn..
Another TOwed Boat so Fast
1t Had to Be Cut Free.
Still Another Ran Away With Fish
ing Smack From the Banks.


Tucker of Beverly was in Boston the
other day, and had a good deal to say
about whales. Captain Jonathan Chase
Of the towboat Peter B. Bradley had just
brought In a dead whale which he han
picked up off Race Point, and several
specialists in whales had gathered in the
office OF John Morrison's coal wharf TO
talk 1t over. Captain Chase had just
finished telling how two humpbaoks
chased him about six miles down of
Boone Island, one on each side OF the
Bradley, and so close alongside that they
blew water all over the pilothousc when
they spouted. Captain Peter took an ex-
ira drag on his pipe, and said that speak
ing OF whales reminded him Of the time
the two big finbacks came into Prov
incetowp. 81 was lyin' in the aarbor
there" he said, sand I thought the whole
town OF Provicetown bad gone crazy.
There was more'n forty whsle3oats
hauled up on the beach, and the owners
of all OF 'em was..rushin' round like wild
men tryIn' to get men TO make up crews.
A man named Small, he got his crew
made up all but two men, and he
launched his boat and came pullin' for
me, standing up in the starn of his
poat, wavin' his arms, anc yellin' Il
want two men off o. you! / want two
men of o. your like he was crazy.
says to my mate DO you want to 60 in
there?' lie said he did, and thought I'd
take the other place myself and get what
fun there was goin'. The boat. Just
shaved longside without stoppin' and we
tum bled In aund took our stations.
"One of the whales was lyin' on the
water about cables length ahead of US,
and we made for hip. He was sound
asleep, and we ran right into him just
abaft one of his fms. The boat steerer
picked NJ his iron and showed into him,
clear down into the life-didn't seem to
me to hurry much--picked up the other
and showed that In, and then yelled out
'Starn all, and we backed of. The whale
didn't seem to Ind out that there was
anything the matter with him for q min
ute or two, and then he found out that
there was something pretty bad the mat
ter. I suppose he forgot what shoal water
he was In and he tried to sound. Well,
there amt more'n four to four and hsf
fathom in Provincetown harbor, and he
rammed his nose into the sand and stood
right up on his head with 30 or 60 foet of
tail standing up in the air like q thun-
derin' big tree. You bet we starned all
then, for we thought he was goin' to fall
over on us, and 1t would have been all
day with us II he had. He stood there
most half u minute Ii seemed, and then
down he came, and began goin' round in
a big circle, spoutin' blood by the barrel,
and 1t warn't long before he began to 90
slower, and pretty soon he lay still and
gave up the ghost. We towed him up
on the beach and wnen we came to meas
ure him he was 81 foot long, and people
came by thousands to see him.
"a man by the name of Nickerson got
hold of The other, but he didn't get his
iron into the life and the whale got away.
He sha ped his course to windvard, out
of the arbor, and the boat went down in
the wake he made till all you could see
was the heads Of the men in her, ell of
I'm hang onto the thwars like the mon
keys on pony-back you sec in the circus.
He towed 'em nine miles, and he'd have
towed the boat to pieces II they hadn't
cut the line and let him go. The boat was
Q new boat when they launched her but
he racked her so that coming back into
the harbor 1t took two men bailin' with
buckets to keep her afioat.
"Whst tow boat one of them fellers
would make, said Captain Chase, refiec-
lively. ."Put pilot house on his.back and
n couple Of bits and harness him to q
vessel 'twould beat steam all hollow"
"John Graves got all the TOWN. he
wanted" said Captain Peter sugges-
| lively. No one said anything, SO he
went on, captain John Graves Of
Mar blebead. He got towed for 80 hours
by q whale. He was cap'n Of fisherman
when It happened, and they was maxim
q trip to La Have bank. They'd just got
to the bank, and they'd got everything
down but the mains'l, and let go the
anchor. Well, sir. they hadn't run out
more'n eight or ten fathoms when there
came a yank that nigh took tho bits out
OF her. and she started. / suppose the
old craft never went so fast before or
since as she did then. There was two or
three fishermen anchored near them and
the men in 'em hung over the sides with
thoir eyes stickin' on of their heads like
boot buttons TO see 'em 60. There wasn't
q soul on board had any idea what the
matter was. Most of them were scared
| to death, and one or two Portuguese they
had in the crew begun to say their
prayers, but pretty soon the whale came
to the surface head of them, and they
saw that that they was fast To him some
how. though they couldn't see how.
"Well, 1t was late afternoon when
they let 60 the anchor. and the next
morning the whale was still . town of
'em and goin' just as fast as when he
| started. They kert the side lights up
at night, but IL cidn't do much good, for
they was goin' at such pace there wasn't
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