New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-26
'OFF-SHORE" WHALING.
"CAP'N JOsH's" EXPLOITS AT AMAGAN-
SETT AND ELSEWHERE.
SOME HARD TUssLEs WITH MARINE MONSTERS
AND SOME HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES.


AND SOME HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES.
Amagansett Long Island. July 25.--Captan Josh
lives In a pretty two-story frame house in the midst
OF meadows and lands on me main street Of
AmaCansstt He is a man Of stalwart build with
white hair and Whiskers framing 4 rudy and bsnev
oent face AS leader of the Amagansett off-shore
whaling crews Captain Josh Is famed far and wide
for his skill in giving the whale its death thrust.
Five boats crews of six each make UP the
present whaling squadron Of Amagansett. Formerly
the crews were rivals: but the Of consolidation
came and now they pull together. In low, snug
boathouse on the beach they have three whaleboats
with two hand ances. bomb lance. two or three
gigs" (harpoons). tub line of fifty fathoms In
tub sails and OF for each boat. Everybody
in Amagansett keeps a sharp lookout for whales OIL
shore for there Is a reward Of onehaf OF share In
a capture to the first dlscoverer. ard rs whale
often nets 5000 it is worth the casting OF an eye to
seaward occasionally.
When one Is sighted the 'weft." small white nag.
is di-rlayed from Captain Gabes garnet window. and
the crews start in mad rush for the oathouse.
with the whole adult population streaming behind.
eager TO witness the chase. The boats are quickly
launched through the surf. and each man leaps 10
his appointed place First in the bow Is the har-
poon oar next 10 him the bow oar then the mid
ship oar then follow the quarter oar and the lead
ing oar the latter giving the stroke TO the crew IN
the stern sits the captain with the long steering oar.
and puts the boat upon the whale.
The harpoon oarsman then rises and hurls his har-
poon with the tub line attached into the black mass
before him The whale carts away like the wind.
towing the boat behind. the captain changes place
with the harpoon oar. lance in hand. ana srimly
waits until the whale stops. and the boat can be
pulled up on him This done he thrusts his lance
down behind the shoulder into he heart. often kill
ting the huge beast without a struggle.
HIS NARROwEsT ESCAPE.
.Wha; was your narrowest escape from n whale.
Captain JOSH" the rugged mariner was asked.
1T was loose whale off EasthamDton. We had
made fast 10 his mate and had the bow, r'ady to
lance when suddenly the free one whlsk'd MS
fulses ND from beneath ?nd shaved of The bow Of
our boat between me and the bowman as clean As
you'd cut slice from loaf with breadkn1le
Nobody saw anything feit anything except a
slight lar but there WAS the boat cut in two
,eapsd back every crowded in,o the stern
which KEEP, the bow 10 till the r-cond boat could
come alongside and take ia off. Then We kIiei
both whales. the was fast 10 and the loose
one but that one sunk and We didn't ct him tih
next day.
ct had another close shave the day We took me
big whale that was on exhibition in Fulton Market
Killed him with one throw OF the lance but m his
diving furry he preached and one OF his hukes
struck the lance head that projected about four
inches over The bow and doubled it up as though II
had been sheet metal Two foot more a.'cr a mo
NJ e-rass - 1bsrt Fl payne o. Sa= Harbor. ana he
had II towed to New-iork and exhibited. he pa'd
Nv si BrSsher Gabe had the narrowest chance Of all
We struck a whale one afternoon just of the bar
CAB. mus have been Gaming over, for the beas;'s
e,ilIes cane M ana struck him without hitting the
t noa fe ana aboVe the lGrace He struck the water
thirty feet away; like log ard Lax tn'rf Yi mo
I never expected 10 Gabe around again. and ne
aint fairly 1t yet though 1t happened two
Ca9tafn Josh sailed several voyages In the Arctic
and North Pacific, and considers me off-shore whac
me,,e. In his "reminiscences he Is disposed 10 wan
Il was out ali night once" he said "in fos
among ice foes towing a whale The fog settled
the ship lay That was bad night You've got no
idea Of unearthly chill OF the big masses or Ice
raj midnight sun. Toward morning We got thirsty.
and on great Ice pack one or the men said ne
though n s was ,Sere was ,a lake o. clear
water. We not only quenched our thirst. but hHed
the ships casks next day.
THE TUssI.E WITH THE MONTAUK WHALE
.Capn Josh amt done justice the subject" said
one of the whaleboats crew 10 wnom the captains
tatement repeated
He didn't tell you oout tussie with the Mon
tauk whale Why there's men would have given
$500 to have seen it from the cliffs. Capn Josh was
boat header. Capn Gabe had the tron whale bowed
Spring. bo,~' spring yeNed cap'n Josh Capn
Gable got The iron in then fust We kncwcd the boa,
SllG right up on the DFWe iou S'', 10y
pected he'd bow down his back wncn the iron Ssruck
him. but stead o. that he arched T. Vel % ", a
ancei there a minute and then slid OF, shlppn's
about two barrels OF water. Gad' That whac Wa
fighter from way back He ran out a NUE. 'he"
turned and headed ihshore. .,. -,,,r
pull me up boys; pull me up! shour H.
Josh standing in the bow. his lance polSF"' "''
white hair noaiin out behind <,. ,.h.ia
There's somethin' about Capn JOSH alter "ilase
that acts like an electric battery on YOU MS Ne'.c
snnrds On. rke a bucie and thrills you down 10
Your boots We put the boa; up TO the whale ana
an:n Josh Ia n,si him Two other boats was fast al
tn s.me time their cap'ns thrustng every Snance
thew rot ON shore you could a seen nothin' but
suds and blood 81. ...a