Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1896-11-27
SWALLOWED BY WHALE.
MODERN ACCOUNT PARALLFLING
THE BIBLICAL STORY OF
JONAH.

e OeVenlF-tnlrQ street, New YORK
= gives information that the stor,
of the sailor James Bartley, sup
. posed to have been Eallowed b,
a whale and rescued alive, refer
t ence to what was made in Tues
. days issue Of the New Yorl
t Times, was printed in detail il
the Mercury Of South Yarmouth
England, in October 1891.
BARLEY sailed on The Star O
| the East, and is supposed to have
, met with his adventure in the
vicinity of the Falkland Islands
Mr.. Townsilend says the story is
a goood seaman's yarn, whether
one chooses to believe it or not
According to the story, which
is told in great detail, "the ship
sighted whale one morning on
her starboard quarter. Two
boats were manned, and in a
short time one was near enough
to spear the whale, which was
all unusually large one. The
fish made terrific fight. Both
boats got spears fastened in it,
and were dragged Some three
miles.
"Finally, when the whale
came to the surface, it managed
to strike one of the boats with It's
nose. The boat was upset. One
man was drowned, and another,
named James BARLEY, disappear
ed. 1t was supposed at the time
that he, too, had been drowned.
1.-The whale gave up at last
and was taken back to the side
of the ship. The crew went to
work with axes and spades 10
secure the fat. They worked all
day and a part of the night, and
resumed operations the next
forenoon. They had now reach
ed the stomach and were clean>
ing it to hoist it on deck when
they were startled to notice
something inside Of it which
gave spasnodic signs of life.
The vast pouch was hoisted
to the deck and cut open, and
inside was found the missing
sailor doubled up and uncon-
scious. He was laid out on
deck and treated to bath of sea
water, which soon revived him,
but his mind was not clear, and
he was placed in the Captains
quarters, where he remained two
weeks a raving lunatic. He was
carefully treated by the Captain
and officers of the ship, and he
finally began to get possession of
his senses. At the end of the
third week he had entirely re
covered from his shock and re-
suned his duties.
During the brief sojourn in
the whales belly Bartley's skin,
where it was exposed to the ac>
tlen of the gastric juices, under>
went a striking change. His
face and hands were bleached to
a deathly whiteness. and the skin
was wrinkled, giving the man
the appearance of having been
parbolled.
"Bartley affirmed that he could
probably have lived inside of his
house of flesh until he starved,
for he lost his senses through
fright, and not through lack Of
air. He says that he remembers
the sensation Of being lifted into
the air by the nose of the whale
and of falling into the water.
Then there was fearful rushing
sound. which he believed to be
the beating of the water by the
whales tail Then he was en-
conpassed by a fearful darkness,
and he telt himself slipping
along a smooth passage OF some
sort that seemed to move and
carry him forward.
THIS sensation lasted but an
instant Then he felt that he
had more room. He telt about
him, and his hands came in con-
tact with yielding, Shiny sub
stance that seemed to shrink
from his touch. 1t finally dawn
ed on him that he had been
swallowed by the whale, and he
was overcome with horror at the
situation. He could breathe
easily, but the heat was terrible.
1t was not of scorching, sitting
nature, but it seemed to open
the pores of his skin and draw
out his vitality.
He became very ak, and
grew sick at the ston.-. h. He
knew that there was no hope Of
escape from his strange prison.
Death stared him in the face and
he tried to look at it bravely, but
the awful quiet, the fearful dark
ness, the horrible knowledge of
his environments, and the ter
rible heat finally overcame him,
and he must have tainted, for
the next he remembered being
in the captains cabin"
The account further says:
"The health of the man does not