The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-26
THE MODERN JONAH.
STORY OF AN ENGLISH SAILOR SWAL-
LOWED BY A WHALE.

The Account Bears Some Resemblance to |
That In the Bible, Though James Bart
ley Was Not So Long In the Whales
Belly as Jonah Was.
John Townshend Of 800 West Seventy
third street gives information that the
story Of the sailor, James BARLEY, sup
posed to have been swallowed by whale
and rescued alive, was printed in detail
in The Mercury of South Yarmouth,
England, in October, 1891.
BARLEY sailed on the Star Of the East
and is supposed to have met with his
adventure in the vicinity Of the Falk-
land islands. Mr.. Townshend says the
story is good seaman's yarn, whether
one chooses 20 believe it or not
According TO the story, which is told
in great detail, "the ship sighted
whale one morning on her starboard
| quarter. Two boats were manned, and
| in short time one was near enough to
| spear the whale, which was an unusu-
| ally large one. The fish made terrific
| fight. Both boats got spears fastened i'll
it and were dragged some three miles.
| FINALLY, when the whale came to
the surface, it managed to strike one of
the boats with its nose. The boat was
upset. One man was drowned, and an
other, named James BARLEY, disappear
ed. 1t was supposed at the time that he,
too, had been drowned.
"The whale gave up at last and was
taken back to the side of the ship. The
crew went to work with axes and spades
to secure the fat. They worked all day
and part Of the night and resumed
operations the next forenoon. They had
now reached the stomach and were
clearing it to hoist it Oh deck when
they were startled to notice something
inside of it which gave spasmodic signs
Of life.
"The vast pouch was hoisted to the
deck and cut open, and inside was found
the missing sailor, doubled up and UNI
conscious.
"He was laid out on deck and treated
to bath Of sea water, which soon re-
vived him, but lis mind was not clear,
and he was placed i'll the captains quar-
tiers, where he remained two weeks q
raving lunatic. He was carefully treated
by the captain and officers of the ship,
and he finally began TO get possession OF
his senses At the end of the third week
he had entirely recovered from his shock
, and resumed his duties.
During the brief sojourn in the
whales belly Bartley's skin, where II
: was exposed to the action of the gastric
juices, underwent striking change
His face and hands were bleached TO {
deathly whiteness, and the skin wa
wrinkled, giving the man the appear
ance of having been parboiled.
BARLEY affirmed that he could prob
ably have lived inside of his house o
flesh until he starved, for he lost hi
senses through fright and not through
lack Of air. He says that he remember
; the sensation of being lifted into the al
by the nose Of the whale and of falling
/, into the water Then there was fear
full rushing sound, which he believed t
: be the beating of the water by tn
Q whales tail. Then he was encompasse
. by fearful darkness, and he felt him
self slipping along a smooth passage O
. some sort that seemed to move and carr
- him forward.
y "This sensation lasted but an instant
q Then he felt that he had more room
70 He felt about him, and his hands cam
o in contact with a yielding Shiny sui
u stance that seemed TO shrink from M
u touch. 1t finally dawned on him that h
had been swallowed by the whale, an
u he was overcome with horror at the si'
D uation. He could breathe easily, but tn
heat was terrible. 1t was not of scorcl
Y ing, sitting nature, but it seemed
y omen the pores of his skin and draw OF
" his vitality.
re "He became very weak and grew sic
u at the stomach. He knew that thei
was no hope Of escape from his strane
l. prison. Death stared him i'll the fac'
* and he tried to look at it bravely, br
the awful quiet, the fearful darkness
the horrible knowledge of his environ
"a ment and the terrible heat finally owe
" came him, and he must have tainted
'. for he next remembered being i'll IL
or captains cabin.
!, The account further says: III
-. health of the man does not seem to hay
&c been affected. He is in splendid spirl
!, and apparently enjoys all the BLESSING
=, :, of life that come in his way. The wha
- ing captains say they never knew pa
no allel case. They say that it frequent
nc occurs that men are swallowed !
=. whales who become Infatuated by Il
!" pain of the harpoon and attack the boat
y but they have never known man to |
through the ordeal that BARLEY did al
come out alive. New York Times.
His Awful Cheek Did IL.
b II was in the cabinet makers sho