The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-03
THIS WHALE WAS A RACER.
She Drew the Boat Under and the
Men Had To Get out and Swim.

From the Boston Daily Globe
Provlncetown, July 23.-Wil Taylor. son
of Capt. Thomas S. Taylor of the whaling
schooner Rising Sun OF this port. arrived
home yesterday. having left that craft on
Hatteras ground few days ago with $50
barrels of sperm Oh below matches, taken
since leaving home. March 80. Mr.. Taylor
went on this cruise for the benefit Of his
health, which had been undermined by
close application TO his desk In a Boston
office. He tells OF one exciting incident Of
the voyage. by which a boats crew mar
rowly escaped death. HIS story Is as fol-
lows;
July S. we raised a school OF whales
bound across our course and going fast
20 windward. The mates boat got away
speedily in chase, and with oars and sail
attempted to overtake the herd. The cap
tain's boat followed, and we. hoping to
cut In ahead OF the herd and believing
that a sail would assist, started to get the
mast in its step. Before this could be ac-
COmpished we met a big COW whale
squarely head on. and an iron was soclSed
I'm on the instant. The whale proved a live
ly one and full OF fight, and going in an
opposite direction to our course tore the
whale line from the bow chock and swept
IL aft.
but fortunately the line caught and
held under cleat on the bow, or II would
have cleared that side OF the boat OF
everything above the rail-. Inc pOdl WIS
whlrled around. boat tow at an angle. She
began to move furiously through the wa
ter. with the men hurriedly striving 10
prize the line into place They were un-
able to accomplish this, and the boat be-
gan to careen and show symptoms OF
swapping. One man lost his head and
jumped overheard but was Immediately
seized by my father and hauled In.
THE first tub OF line ran out over the
bow at lightning speed while all this was
going on. and with equal rapidity the line
from the other tub began to follow suit.
But suddenly II snarled in the tub. and
nearly the whole bunch came out at once
and buzzed forward, striking with a thud
| and catching solidly somewhere forward.
| The whirling mass OF line narrowly escap-
ed catching our men as II passed across
| the thwarts. and did catch "a paddle, which
| it whirled forward amid the ruck as II t.
| complicate matters.
while the captain was rescung the
| man overheard the turns came on the
| loggerhead, and but half dozen coils re-
manned in the tub
'aThe captain seized the line to take new
/ turns, but at that instant the boat went
| down head first. The captain was washed
| over the stern, and as he went snatched
at the long steering oar but It passed
| through his hands and out of sight under
| water.
II chung to the boat until found she
was going well down, then let 60 but
went so deep that / swallowed lots OF
water before l shot upward to the sur
| face
"When 1 came to the top Of the water !
| found all the crew swimming around with
only one oar to support the entire num-
/ Der. My father can't swim a stroke. but
/ he had on a jacket which can be inflated
| with air, and he did very we'll by It's aid
I'VE kept up for a while, when all at
| once the boat came to the surface. The
| line had parted and the whale had gone
| clear.
1--WE chung to the boat until the mates
| boat came TO our assistance and picked us
| up We had been In the water about fif-
| teen minutes and had had SUFFICIENT whal-
| ing for that day. Nothing was seen Of thai
| whale afterWard."