The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-30
A WHALER'S YARNS.
Facts About a Once Flourish
ing Industry.
HUNTING THE LEviaTHAks.
How Sperm whaling Was Conducsed
I'm the Good Ola Nantucket
Days or the Past

.p<ss Whale or stove boz;"--old whal-
ing motto.
An American ~hzaer was ire hrss yes
sci 10 display the stars ard stripes "a
a. Engissh port. Shorty after ne SIT
IN. OF the treaty OF r@2cs ~ pEsls. rep
@eron4- q ,1ss. hv -sste1 Great Hrsfaaa
...nowta4gsa the Independence or fas
Tinted States, the ship Bedford returned
20 Nantucket from = waslnx yST2gs me
vas Immediately dispatched 10 L0neoh
with cargo o. 5ss
THE r.onacg Day E~ws ~ The rrne-
an al eepy q ssf.cls - stsIi exe5nt IN the
archives % the New Bedford Wasismsrs
zociet.--eontnlref the so.sswing note
worthy paragraph
.-ras sf,.p B~as0rd. Capt. .eosrs. BE-
ionging % MASSACHUSETTS,. arrived ~ 'ss
Dowu- 81 the ~ % February. psssse
(;raveaerd the an, and was reported a.
che custom hotr~e the 9Th Sn- vas neE
ssta~nt regular entry uniH sonse CONSUL
faflon had taken place between ne ON
yugsxoners OF me egsfo u1s ard fhs iofas
OF council or account or the many as
Of parliament yet IN force sEsinst ms
rsbels In America Ene ~ loaded with ~
butts or whsle Oh. r. American 5aht
manned wholly by American scamen,
wears fbo rebel colorx. and bsso-gs 70 fns
Island or Nantucket III A-sz ssenitses>-
This IL the first vessei which disp'syea me
shsrteen ~ebeIiso8s stripes % America N
snv p~ffish port The ves-si Hes a.
1for.ley6ovn. little below the tower.
and = intended Immediately 70 return to
New England"
There Il tradition among whalensn
that one OF the Eedforh's crew was =
hunehhack An English sailor. meeting
him. strsclx him on the huSeh and asked
eoarseiy:
ssrIeln Jack what have you 20; therev
..T,s,uker Hill ana be ID 20 you."
VAS The prompt reply os the scion OF New
Eneiand's soil.
The Decline OF Whaling.
Sperm whaling a. the present time mas
dyIndied 10 Insignifcanee. u ls almost
thing 81 the past In former years voy-
aeea in pursuit OF ,he crtaeean we're made
"a all paris OF the globe. Hundreds OF isl-
ands In the Pacific we're discovered ana
chartered By the early whaismen whose
cruises often led them Into waters never
before visited by civilized nations, and
among islands inhabited by hfFes tavages.
4 sperm whaling voyage generally lasted
from three 10 four years In the larger yes
eels New Bedford. Mass. always formed
a. main center for atting out vessels
<1r the perilons venture. though various
other New England ports contributed TO
the number. Nantucket employed quito
4 large feet at one time. while some or
fhe old b,uf,ber hunters halted from Ed
eaYtown. sIartha's Vineyard. Westport,
Falmouth and Provincetown. and a few
from New London and other Connecticut
ports.
with the exception OF the officers. boat
efeerers and few trained sailors. yes
SEES employed reen hands. procurahie 10
better advantage for the owners through
the medium OF the outfitters-"s sharks. as
they were called. They we're nothing else
than land sharks. who would ship anybody
coming along on q lay decided on be-
sween themselves and the owHafs. the lat
fer allowing tho outfitters certain sum
Of advance money for each man shipped.
This was generally 500 for the foremost
hands for which an OUTFIT for the voyage
Was supplied. In this way vessel would
Some Zines sail with very miscellaneous
sanixturs OF humanity. Involving many
different trades and nationaiites. j once
easlef from New Bedford on four years
cruise IN the rWrine when We had among
our crew broksn-down Methodist
preacher two Western cowboys. tailor.
matchmaker. copparsmlth. several farmers
and goodness knows what other branches
of Industry there may have been repre-
sentea among the twenty-five men who
lived together in the forscastis HnG we're
20 he trained for sailors Strange as IL
may appear. The parson was one OF the
first 20 adapt himself 10 his new mode OF
life. When chafYed by some Of he veier-
ans aboard and jocuiAr!y questioned
whether he was any hand a. climbing
po.eH he answered pleasantly mat ne
would astonish them "oHe OF those nns
mornings by fsing up on THAI upper. cross
sfiek." meaning tho main royal yard. ana
sure enough. IN very short time he vas
as smart a. the next. cogld furi the royal
IN n "xhtfYv" and nall sn saT fourteen
feet iore like regatta chap" "a the
mate 70 whose boat ~ belonged expressed
n, Many pfanks and iakes mere perne-
fratcd on sns unsaspeoting "grecuies
starting on their frst voyage. especially
BY the sharks wssn making up the out
6ts of their prey II ssS their object. %
course. 10 run I'D the Dill allowed hy tho
owners 10 tn very llnait and after pathng
c,oshes boots. shoeT. tobacco. matches
ana other requisite. into the future rnsr-
sners' "donkexS'' tsea chests. hey would
a6a a lantern. umbrella eoottack.
s~versi boxes cf rapsr collars. carpet
siippsrs ana other like articles smliinsly
sxnla.rimx the while 10 the psrpiesed
..sreenies'' the ps.fnlnes. 90 ne garapher-
ra,.a We'll now." :hev would -sy. pa
per rns.ar- and a nice g~lr % slippers you
eare,y must tske NTH you. 50 IS - -
aa.e % rppesr teconty az The wheel On
Sunday mornings. fer the captain IA, bis
wife ABOARD An umbrella - ore OF thu
rness tsiugs xong when you sre on the
.Aafaat on a ~aua'iy niga, IN the dol~
orssls. where heavy rain .nd the uaurky
atmoaaEey. would soon rot yout o1shin>
sou will appreciate is comfort A Ian
Tern you wilt fra vary hand ~Aea going
aioff on = dark night % stow the gan
fnpxa1."
There was always plenty % musical
.a.ent 10 Ne found aboaTd a whaler, AMI
uaaY eaptalns being accompanied by their
wives and families. whicn made THESE ioas
Vevaxex more cheerful. "Fsmu *" vas
frroesrtiv !aanlgea Ia. To gam" means
% rasxln: The word appears IN every Old
whslet's ioEboak,
~ raaet not ~ supposed. however. that
xatnftfnE merely meant sptnnt0E arms
~ Ire cabin and forrcastle T9 the ola
vhsfeenRrt AZ BAD "a dyeper meaning
when they met On the hisA seas ;hey
would "lay So" sometimes Tor whole
sav aad Gar into the night: captains oSIt-
rer. ana crews woala exchange visits.
letters from and faT haue De t@iiveret.
ard the story ~ tee success % the voyage
.ei9 reastinx and merry making NenlA
~ ,aaalxea IN or these occasions "hisa
xVaa of;eN unexpectedly cnt Shnrt ev tie
,e,,ss.sts at shc Tnastheads suddenly s'ng-
trs cat the STIRRING;
".rhere sh' hlovs Allows. blows"
.,s:as no boats reaav. beer a Harl''--
renls ting cor tire sharN COMMAND, fo3-
,av-sa hv a senefa stampede. &. Ms
whna rsmmiax thai ! Hgst heard tae
ooe.,ssss~ aheat the ola Nantuckes - .rner
Vic n~sf~a hin,seif ca BIS Thorough knsWi-
.sxn ~ 10 sshNfsaa coast pretend @g -
~ a.wavs able - ascertain exactly tAs
very %oet ~ his NAereaeosits tF ricans
~ casting the lead and eNsrnUl0 tae
syessance brought up fyor' tee hosiem in
ne .eun.' 81 re- ie&t oue UHsc. Nasis
eosnsax home com lcns te<ase. IS
crew. 81 cor ianctica via ths cuitsT@,
.sssa "a p0t a seh 81 alf1. When nrar.rg
,he nlA familiar shore % 'Netr rsttFe Sc.
sess a.