Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1896-01-28


thing Awfui--r was Eighty rect IN
Length and had Queer Looking Head.
Tried 20 swamp the Schooner.
No, said Captain ,. A. Crossman
Of South Portland. Eve didn't enooun-
ter the sea serpent. but we had asfrange
experience with a whale, and I don't
believe anybody ever had the like be-
fore. I've been at sea. man and boy,
since ] was Q years old, and never saw
tho like Of tho whale we encountered. ]
never saw whale before that didn't
blow, but the one we met didn't, but 4
geve a roar that was awful 4"
1T sounded like the lions in Central
park, New York, said Miss Houston,
who was one of the party that had the
strange encounter.
Il certainly was more like the roar
Of q lion than anything else I can think
Of, said Captain Crossman.
The schooner Grace Webster. Captain
Crossman, was ON her way from New
York to Portland with Ala tons Of coal.
Besides thecaptain and crew Mrs. Cross.
man, her daughter and Miss Houston
were on board.
The schooner was about ten miles OF
Wood island and making good Roadway
under full sail, the mate, Merrill Cross
man. OF the wheel, when there was a
sudden commotion ahead, and the great
head shot up into the air and was ON q
level with the deck.
One Of the crew first sighted the
strange creature and called Captain
Crossman, and IN q 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 bunohes, through which
the wicked looking eyes of the creature
cleaned. They expected the whale, if
such, would blow, but II did not then
on after Once a narrow thread Of what
looked like steam shot mp, bat not
drop OF water was sent into tho air As
they looked at the creature IL roared
savagely, and then drew close up to the
side Of the schooner, giving them ample
time to observe the head, and all agree
that it was very broad that It tapered
almost to a point, and that It was not
very thick through the thiokest part.
The Great re was about 75 to 80 feet in
length and had 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 a series of attempts
10 strike the side Of the schooner with
its tail It did not succeed and swan
around them, roaring loudly, In evident
anger. Then II went down and under
the schooner.
Captain Crossman, who had watched
for this movement. gave orders TO be
ready to lower the boat, fearing that the
whale might come up under them and
break them ia two. It was very fortu-
nate that they were not forced TO lower
their boat, as it proved later to be leak
ing and would not have carried half
their number safely to land.
For more than an hour the whale con-
tinued itsremarlzable acrobatic perform
anco, standing ON its head, with its
tail waving in the air most Of the time.
Il seemed bent on hitting the schooner,
and Il took the best Of good seamanship
to prevent an encounter
At last the whale seemed to get tired
Of what had been fun at first, and It
headed for the westward.
+ Captain CrossmaH is Of the opinion
that this strange whale must have been
mistaken for a sea serpent many times.
Seen but a short distance OFF. the head
would look more like that Of 4 great
serpent than Of a whale.
The creature, while making its long
and repeated attempts to hit the sohoon-
OF, continued It's roaring when above
water. It would scrape against the side
Of the schooner and then would draw
on, seem to be calculating the distance,
and then strike. The schooner was kept
of at the right moment, and the crea-
ture missed the vessel every time. II
was an odd experience, and for a time
there was something closely resembling
panic, the women being badly fright
ened-
Mss Houston said that the sight Of
that great mass standing almost upright
in midocoan was something not 70 bo
forgotten. Captain Crosamnn Is Uncor-
tain whether the whale is a natural
fighter or whether IL was frightened
when Il came up out OF the water. aud
az result Of its confusion made the ro-
peated attempts to sink the schooner.
One Of tho crew hit II with a bolt. and
many times Captain Crossnan said be
could have hit it with a board from the
deck. He did not venture to do anything
to further arouse ita anger and lot It 30
in peace. Portland (Me. Press.