The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-01-11
LIKE A LION.
A COASTER CAPTAINS STORY OF A
REMARKABLE WHALE.

u Didn's -Bls~.- but n. Roar Wa some
thing Avfai-It WI. Eighty Feet In
L<sgsh and Had Queer Looking Head.
Tried TO swamp the Schooner.
mo-" said Captain J. A. Crossmsn
Of South Portland. 1--WE didn't encoun-
ter the sea serpent. bat we had strange
experience with a whale. and don'i
believe anybody ever had the like be-
fore I've been at sea, man aud boy,
since i was YEAR, old. and i never saw
the like Of rbe whale we encountered
never saw . whale before that didn't
blow. but the one We met didn't. but il
gave roar that was awful .
II sounded like the lions in Central
park. New York. " said Miss Houston,
who was one Of the party that had the
strange encounter.
lit certainly was more like the roar
Of lion than anything else can think
Of" said Captain Crossman.
The schooner Grace Webster, Captain
Crossman, was ON her way from New
York 20 Portland with ala tons Of coal
Besides the captain and crew Mrs Cross
man, her daughter and Miss Houston
We're On board
The schooner was about ten miles of
Wood island and making good Roadway
under full sail, the mate, Merrill Cross-
man, AZ the wheel, when there was "a
sudden connection ahead, and the great
head shot up into the air and was on a
level with the deck.
One Of the crew first sighted tho
strange creature and called Captain
Crossman. and in a moment all ON
board but the man at the wheel Were
looking at the strange sight They saw
before them an enormous head, one
mass Of great lunches, through which
the wicked looking eyes Of the creature
cleaned They expected the whale, if
such. would elbow, T" but il did not then
or after. Once a narrow thread Of what
looked like steam shot up, but not q
drop OF water was sent into the air. As
they looked at the creature IL reared
savagely, and then drew close mp 70 the
side OF the schooner, giving them ample
time 20 observe the head, and all agree
that IL was very broad; that il tapered
almost TO point, and that il was not
very thick through the thickest part
The creature was about 20 20 so feet in
length and had a very broad tail. very
different from that Of an ordinary
whale in fact, at the time there were
three or four whales in sight, and they
had no difficulty in noting the points Of
difference between them and the stran-
ger.
The great creature went down head
first and then made series Of attempts
TO strike the side Of the schooner with
its tail II did not succeed and SWAN
around them, roaring loudly, in evident |
anger. Then IL went down and under /
the schooner
Captain CrossmaD. who had watched /
Tor this movement. gave orders 20 be
'eady 10 lower the boat, fearing that the
whale might come up under them and
freak them in two. II was very fortu-
late that they were not forced 70 lower
heir boat, as il proved later TO be leak
ng and would not have carried half
heir number safely 20 land.
For more than an honr the whalesaas Y
- &c., bic -seens1at'c perform 4
y. memperHDllig on It's head. with its
cre.. waving in the air most Of the time
IL seemed bent on hitting the schooner,
and II took the beet Of good seamanship |
70 prevent an encounter.
AT last the whale seemed 10 get tired
On what had been fun al first, and IL
headed for the westward
Captain Gresham is Of the oninjon
that this strange whale must have been
mistaken for sea serpent many ti,nes
Seen but a short distance off, the head
would look more like that Of a great
serpent than Of whale.
The creature, while making its long
and repeated attempts TO hit the schoon.
en- continued its roaring when above
water. II would scrape against - side
OF the schooner and then would draw
OH, seem 10 be calculating the distance.
and then strike. The schooner was kent
on at the right moment, and the crea.
ture missed the vessel every time I,
was an odd experience. and for a time
there was something closely resembling
a panic. the women being badly fright. |
ened.
Miss Houston said that the sigh. of
that great mass standing almost upright
IN midocean was something not 10 be
forgotten. Captain Gresham is uncer.
tain whether the whale is a natural /!
lighter or whether it was frightened |
when II came up out Of the water, and |
as result Of its confusion made the re.
peated attempts TO sink the schooner.
One OF the crew hit it with bolt, and |
many times Captain Crossman said he
could have hit it with board from the
deck He did not venture 20 do ANYTHING
70 further arouse its anger and let 1t 90 |
IN peace Portland (Me Press.