Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-06-05


vinced that the experience of the
prophet Jonah in the belly OF a whale
has been duplicated by an adventure
that recently befell James BARLEY, ar
English seaman, one of the crew Ol
the whaler Star of the East. NJ. Henri
de Parville, the scientific editor OF the
Journal des Debats, is a man who il
accustomed to weighing evidence with
painstaking care and Of reaching con-
clusions only when they have been
approached with the utmost conserv-
atism.
Says NJ. de Parville: al have al
ready had cause to remark in these
columns that gigantic stomachs over
two metres in diameter have been
found in whales of thirteen metres in
length. The whale belonging to the
Prince of Monaco which died the other
day was found to have in its intestines
many hundred kilogrammes OF fishes
in various stages Of decomposition.
Even Goliah in his time could not
have weighed more than that, to say
nothing of JONAH.
The scientific editor of the Journal
des Debats, having carefully considered
the details of the following story, re-
marks that the accounts given "by
the crew of the English whaler are
worthy of belief. There are many
cases where whales in the fury of their
dying agony have swallowed human
beings, but this is the first modern
case where the victim has come forth
safe and sound" "After
this modern illustration end by be-
lieving that Jonah really did come
out from the whale alive"
The story which has received the
support OF one OF the most careful and
painstakfng scientists in Europe is as
follows: On the 25th of August,
1895, the man in the "crow's nest" at
the masthead of the Star of the East
sighted two enormous sperm whales.
The steamer Immediately gave chase
and soon came within half q mile OF
one OF them, huge male. Two boats.
fully equipped in the usual way, we're
lowered and rowed towards the ami
NAL. James Bartlet's boat was the
nearer, and from its bow was fired q
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 kind
ling 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 mo-
ment was almost perpendicular. His
comrades in the other boat saw him
leap, but, unfortunately, on the in
stant the whale threw himself forward,
and the luckless seaman in falling
struck within the ponderous jaws,
which Immediately closed over him.
The men in the water were 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 q night were consumed in the op-
GRAFTON. Finally they opened the
stomach. There, to their great as
tonishment they found BARLEY peace
fully reclining as in a bathtub. He
was unconscious, 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 begun to rub his limbs,
which were purple and besmeared
with the blood of his late host. They
gave him brandy to drink and At
length he regained consciousness, 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
furnace in which he imagined himself
being consumed. After . while all
hallucinations wore away and he had
lucid intervals, and then his recovery
became permanent. Naturally, the
first questions that his comrades asked
him were what had been his emotions
and impressions while in the stomach
of the whale.
al remember very WE'LL" he said,
"from the moment that jumped
from the boat and felt my feet strike
some soft substance. looked up and
saw big.ribbed canopy Of light pink
and white descending over me, and
the next moment 1 felt myself draw
downward feet first, and 1 realized
that l was being swallowed by a
whale. l was drawn lower and lower ;
. wall of soft flesh surrounded me and
hemmed 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.