The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-28
SOUNDS MADE BY WHALES.
BELIEF THAT THE HUGE CRUsTA-
CEANs ARE SILENT.
Not Borne Out by the Statements of
Leading AuthOrities-The Calling
NThoIa

There's a good many curious things
about the sea-" remarked an old beach,
comber who stood by the little ford that
cuts into and almost separates the island
of Santa Catalina, California.
The old man was derelict, one Of those
who for reasons best known to themselves
dislike or avoid the company of their fell
lowmen. He said the sea, the mountains,
and the landlocked bay were company
enough for him. He was a sharker and
made living 1t was said, by catching
oil-sharks; selling the oil to the Ameri-
cans and the tails and fins to the China
men. He was standing on the little beach
that sloped down to the harbor, cutting
off the fins of a large swordfish that had
been killed by some enemy-probably an
other swordsman, or perhaps one Of the
whales.
You wouldn't think now" he continued,
that whale could talk. OF course they
have mouth enough-these gray whales is
all mouth, and they suckle their young
jest like cow, and why shouldn't they
talk? believe they do. No, I never hear
il myself, unless the strange kind of boom
in like sound that you hear comm up
from the sea sometimes is whale talk;
what else can it be? Sartain, a whale is
built for roarin'.
But whah makes me think that whales
make noise is yarn 1 heard from a
shipmate, who late years has been an
otter hunter off the Channel Islands
gentleman went up there on his yacht
year or two ago, and brought down the
yarn that on the southwest coast of Santa
Rosa were five or six big whales-that is,
the skeletons of them-and he wondered
how they ever got there, as the island
was private ranch, and the owner lived
up in San francisco and didn't allow any
whalin on the island. So when my OLD
mate came into the harbor one day, 1 said
to him, Jim, how about them school of
whales on the beach at Santa Rosa, up
the coast" Why says Jim, that's the
curious't thing 1 ever see. 1t was like
this:
" I was up along the island some seven
years ago, and one day, when we was in
camp, we see the sight of our eyes. 1t
had been BLOWN for two days-a hurri-
cane-and we expected every minute to
see the sea break over the beach and
make into the canyon. On the second day
we sat on the rocks, watchin' 1t, when
a school of whales come In sight; and
minute later we see they was too fur in
for safety; then we see they was headed
in shore and L m blest If they didn't come
in under a full head of. steam; the next
we knew they was hard and fast on the
beach You never see such leapin and
jumpn' and THROWN themselves.
thanked my luck I was on the rocks, as
II there had been any boats there they
would have been smashed. 1t was several
hours before they died, and then the sea
gradually tossed them up. and as the tide
went out it left them, high and dry, the
greatest sight I ever see, five whales, so
81 feet long all Oi1ad an
" But the curious't part of this whale
rack said Jim, was the noise them
whales made when they found they was
aground. I won't try to describe it, but it
sounded to me just like a roarin and
rumblin' and took it to be the voice of
the whale-if 1t wasn't, what was it,
and the bones of them talkin' whales lies
there to-day, regular gravestones to their
memory So there you are" added old
Jack in conclusion; that's my mates
yarn, and I might say that I've heard
several old whalers say that they'd heard
a whale groan when struck"
That whales talk or even make noises
could hardly be proved by the story of the
old beach-comber, though it is fact that
the whales came in, as stated, at Santa
Rosa Island, the writer hearing it from
the family owning the island; but whether
all whales can utter sounds is another
question, and an interesting one. Nearly
sounds, the drum-fish being the noise
maker par excellent of the ocean, But
these are fishes, and the whale is a sea-
COW.
There is reason to believe that certain
whales utter sounds not low noises, but
loud roars and one whale has been heard
SO often that 1t has been given the name
suggestive of its popularity, and Is COM
monty known as the calling whale"
When Scoresby, the great authority on
whales, was asked If the Greenland whale
has a voice, he replied that he had never
heard any of the whales utter sounds.
Yet there are interesting records, as that of
Anderson, who claims that at times the
great rorqual utters loud believing
sounds; while the Able Lecoz has placed
himself on record in the belief that the
sperm whale utters terrible cries at times.
No less an authority than Cuvier believed
that whales uttered loud vocal sounds;
and one of the most remarkable and best
known of modern illustrations has been
recorded by him.
The story Is as follows: One day the
fishermen of Paimpol, who were always on
the watch for prey, saw large school of
small whales i'm the offing, so near inzshore
that they determined to attempt their cap
ture. They surrounded the school with
boats and slowly closed in on them. Near
ly all escaped but one young one was
DRIVEN upon Iile HdlS. AS soon as lne
animal found itself trapped or stranded,
it began to utter singular cries; not low,
but vigorous sounds, which were plainly
heard for a long distance, and which were
undoubtedly understood by the school, as
they at once came in, led, it was believed,
by the mother. Then all began to cry and
below, so that the sounds were greatly
augmented, and finally, amid roar of
whale voices, the entire school of about
20 precipitated themselves upon the sands
and were captured by the fishermen, all
sacrificing themselves, so it was thought,
to save the original victim. Cuvier says,
regarding this account, in the annals of
the museum: 'As to their power Of ut
terlng cries and believing more or less
acute, We cannot, after the assertions
which have been made by those who heard
them, any longer entertain a doubt"
The whale referred TO was the Grisens,
and many fishermen were found who be-
lieved that it not only uttered sounds or
could talk to its fellows, but that it in
variably swims to the assistance of Its
companions in trouble. DR.. Trail, who has
descrlhed and named the whale Melas