The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-10-23
AFTER A WHALE.
Survivors ofan Almost Extinct Ia
dustry on Long Island.
excitement Following the Cry
OF There She Blows"


quite an extinct industry Sag Har-
Dor has lost it prestige in this respect
but Amagansett has succeeded TO the
honor Of being the whaling headquar.
tera Of Long Island. There the prim-
tive conditions Of the old.Iashioned
industry prevail TO a greater extent
than elsewhere, and whaling captains
OF the old school live aud die in that
quiet hamlet as they did Of yoro in
New London and Sag Harbor.
Down by the shore at either end Of
the village Of Amagansett stands a tall
flagstaff, with a rude shanty con.
structed in rambling fashion at the
base. 1t Is rarely that any flag floats
from these poles, and yet every day
the inhabitants glance a dozen times
at them, hoping to see the huitering
folds flung ont to the sea breeze. The
stranger may inquire the meaning OF
the hagless poles, or couclude natnr-
ally that they belong to the signal SER
vice corps OF the Weather Bureau and
give no further thought to the matter.
But if he happens upon tho beach
on some eventful day when the Gags
are flying he will witness a rare scene.
Everybody goes mad with excitement.
Men, women and children rush out OF
their houses down to the waters edge,
shouting and Resticulating wildly.
The flag is simply the sign that a
whale has been sighted off shore. The
excitement that follows is due not
only to the prospective profits, but to
the eager anticipation OF sport. Every
old seaman of Amugansett loves whal-
ing. The passion is born in the
blood through long line ofancestors
who followed the sea as captains and
mates of whale-boats The modern
changes in the methods Of whaling
and the comparative scarcity Of whales
off the Long Island shore have in
duced the old-time whalers to adopt
other means of support, but when the
news that a whale is off shore travels
from mouth to mouth, there is a sud
den suspension of ordinary business
The blood OF the whaler asserts itself
at the familiar cry, "There she blows
There she blows"
j Gu the beach about midway between
the two fagstaffs a small frame build
ing is erected, and towards this struc-
ture most OF tho men hurry when the
warning flag futters in the breeze.
It is the work of only few minutes
to fling open the doors of the old
building and bring forth five whale"
boats, fully equipped for launching.
It takes six men to boat, but will
ing hands of friends multiply this
number two-fold. But when the boat
finally glides into the surf all but the
crew step back and regretfully stay
on the beach while the more favored
oarsmen pull for dear life towards the
whale. The captain stands in the
stern of the craft while the men row
with powerful strokes through the
sea. The chase is often a long one,
and the men are not hardened by con-
slant practice as in the days of their
youth.
The whales caught off Amagansett
are what are called right or COW
whales. They frequently float calmly
upou the surface of the ocean until
fine wbalers stab them with the har-
noon. but at other times they lead
their pursuers chase out to sea. The
leading boat approaches the monster
in the rear, and when close enough
the captain gives the order to strike.
The harpooner with a sweep Of the
arm plunges his weapon straight at
the neck. At the same time the
mate thrusts lance under
the fin so deep that it often
touches the heart or lungs When
the men can get close enough the bomb
lance is sunk into the huge mountain
of flesh, and as its brass cylinder con
4ains powerful explosives that 60 of
inside. the whale it generally finishes
the business. Usually the dead fish
floats on the surface and the whaleri