The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
PACIFIC WHALE HUNTING.
A LIVELY LIFE FOR srhL-
U6RT HEN OF MONTEREY.

SHARP, Fast Work when tho strike IL
Made, and Sometimes Mighty hangar.
ous-Skim aud STEADY Nerves Reau,red-
Plenty 20 DO After the XIII L. Made.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
II variety BIO the spice OF life, who has 80 spioy
n life rs the Monterey whaler2 Weeks Of weary
watching are followed by hours OF keenest eI.
itemon extreme peril, and bloody encounter.
Periods OF lazy loafnR In enforced idleness sue.
coed days Of fierce toll at the oar or around
the lcry furnace where boils the blubber.
While times there arc whom sea boots and oil
skins are laid aside and our weather-beaten
whaler foots 1t In the fandanGo with the prettI-
est girl in Monterey, last week. however,. he
WINS dancing attendance continually on the
whales. "Humpbacks" were in the bay. The
lookout on the Government reservation, where
our whaler 10 wont to sit perched In a little
wooden crows nest, securing the ocean blue
with his telescope, has been forsaken OF late, for
all hands have taken to the boats and are out at
early dawn awaiting developments close at
hand. The vicinity Of Lovers Point, Pacific
Grove, is a favorite lurking place for the two
big blue whale boats as soon as there i.light
enough to see through the morning mists. Each
boat is manned by four strapping fellows, en-
dowed with plenty of nerve MS well as muscle,
for a battlc-royal with q sixty-foot whale ID APT
to demand all there is in sight of both. Skill
and experience also must be on board, "a one
wrong move Is amply sufficient to wreck
the boat and lose the quarry. A Por-
tuguese of immense physique, Capt. joss
s snvs the other. Each is provided with .
harpoon gun. bombs. aud plenty OF line fastened
to the %harpoon. Each knows well how TO handle
his weapons. for not only do bombs and har-
poems cost money. and must not be fired reck-
iessly. but a bad aim may be the means Of losing
whale two or three weeks IL is far from Booth-
ing to lose him by n misplaced bomb.
great distance but for their habit Of spouting.
"This gives them away ne Speaker Reed says
thr %Uss u 80 in mann aSe U air many re feet 'e high shows shows
white against the dark waves. and can be
seen ,b whs sRr. the rS Mhs,ei ti, rss l ,n'!'s weeks distant ont.
afforded notable sport right In sight of Pacific
Grove. AT early dawn two whales were spied
%spouting back OF the Hopkins Laboratory. and
the boats were soon in full chase. but after q
two hours cruise the prey was lost to sight, to
IN the rear OF the boats. This time more EN-
cient watch was kept. One boat remained of
town. so. whether the whales turned east or
west. one boat might get a chance to use its
cow and a big calf. Alter some man9uvrinS
Capt. Pedro got near enough TO shoot his har-
pooh into the cali; for calves yield more oil than
Sulking there a few minutes. the sting of the
barbed iron soon maddened her into action, and
of she rushed for the open sea; Now, bravo
whaiemen. show your nerve! Play your game
well as she tears. enraged. through the ocean.
your boat dying after her at the speed OF a race
horse! See the water parting in sheets from the
blue boats bows and the spray dashing over her
crew. Watch the gallant steersman as with
strong arm he handles his long sweep. responsive
to every turn OF the furious whale towing and
t AEsy e To. .Re q north las G she d i've y then d Hneies
and comes back almost to Lovers Point,
where eager spectators crowd. To and fro.
PUSHES, she frequently drags the inseparable
boat. Three times she rises near enough. for
Cant MI ~. IN "a n tina Natn hnFph nv
times the luckles> gun misses tre. And now,
after miles OF tremen .ous-paced meanderinga,
til the boat becomes a mere speck and sinks out
OF sight in the dim distance, ere evening to re-
had been added 10 the seasons take. Four
miles off shore a buoy is fastened to tho
s sbout for 1snetslt E %@sT' enough as sank ga. is IS
generated in the tn.sstines to make the
historic spot where the old Monterey Whaling
Company butchered SO many whales that that
gahten). as big. as an aibatross. found it to his
interest to migrate from his haunts in the
Monterey Bay. The whslery' now W boasts a'N four
try pots. each capable of holding FIVE and q half
contain the raw b!ubber. To these must DO
added a vast array OF tubs. strainers. stretchers,
'1 Ths h spnsssi a' eess IS S"e es saop snd tho large
bombs charged with one and %one-haif pounds Of
poTSd ,H.i about So; while What they "yn hin5m so I,
three strands. each strand of twelve threads,
specially twisted for whaling purposes., New
Bedford line has thirteen threads. Each boat
carries 100 fathoms. Two swivel guns are
mounted on each boat for the discharge OF both
carried to fire smaller bomb on occasion. Tho
only buildings at the wha!ery are a small house,
reDaua. or brush shed. under which the huge
hogsheads OF oil are rolled to protect them from
gently shelving sandy beach completes the outfit.
Whales are usually anchored near this wind
lsssj cd anu ur al Al .h near nri the n ,H p snas as 81 m nsSt be- aH Mb ase
the water recedes tbs work OF cutting OF the
eInhber oegins, Those who have never seen
and thickest piece of fat pork they ever saw.
with a shiny black skin instead Of q scalded
or hard enough, for blubber i, as much as eight
inches thick and almost as solid as n rock. The
cutting SHADES are kept very sharp. and even
then II is hard work for strong men to strip it
from the huge carcass in heavy chunks and toss
1t, bv means of a hook fastened to a long pole.
on to the stretchers, which. as soon as loaded,
two men carry up,e plane 10 the olnbber watts:
adheres to II. and is passed on to the try pots,
being boiled IL primitive style till all the oil
easily o o. is fried lied out; and It Is then put
batch Of bluboer. Oil Is also obtained from tho
tongue when the whale is fat. sixty barrels OF
oil. each of thirty-one and one-half gallons, arc
sometimes had from a single whale. Whale
bone, to the extent OF 800 pounds OF merchan-
cash receipts. 1t being worth 10 cents per pound
in the rough state. II varies in length from q
iuCTc uTlsllD luB u lt" uCilcs IouR IN Inc
front OF the mouth TO heavy pieces four inches
wide and four feet long at the back. the slabs
ranging one-thild of an inch apart the whole
length of The jaw.
The prevailing color OF the whales skin is .
glossy. greasy black, ard its surface In parts 10
curiousiy. huted. and in others covered with
bosses or incrnsted with barnacles. Sometimes
the inns are white. curiously marked with black
streaks and figures and blotche-. One most un-
expected figure resembling "a bicycle was go
striking that II. A. Greene had IT cut out and
preserved. intending 10 present Il To some
museum as a novelty In birthnnrks. The in
from which il was cut measured fifteen feet.
After the blubber is all removed and the
whalebone cut out, tine carcass - towed away
to sea Mt the next high tide and left to tho ten.
der mercies OF the tiocks OF the sea birds and
shoals of fishes; As these dispose of tho parts
which give II huoyRncy, tho bones sink TO the
bottom. and n great deal OF valuable fertilizing
material is lost to the State. Very much
more oil could be had from the carcass
were the whalers here able to use luore
economic methods, and many tons OF nj.
trogenous anu phosphate manure could
be also made available. This seasons
work has been largely experimental. no whaling
having been done here for several years. II Is
hoped IT will be Sd successful as To warrant its
~ - IA "a a nn.. Co.. Ian a r..t ,aala A..rN Nnaai-