The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-21
WALLS OF A WHALE.
Authorities Aver That These Animals
Are Not silent.

Authorities Aver That These Animals
Are Not silent.
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 ISL
and OF Santa Catalina, Cal.
The old man was a d~erelict. one of
those who for reasons best known to
themselves dislike or avoid the
or their fellowmen. He said the sea,
the mountains and the land locked bay
were company enough for him. He was
a sharksr and made a living. il was said,
by catching oil sharks. selling the oil to
the Americans and the tails and fins To
Cinnamon. He was standing on the
little beach that sloped down to the
harbor. cutting off the fins of a large
swordfsn that had been killed by some
enemy-probably another s~wordhsh, or
perhaps one OF the whales.
You wouldn't think now" he con-
tinued, that a whale could talk. OF
course, they have mouth enough-these
gray whales is all mouth, and they
suckle their young jest like a COW, and
why shouldn't they talk? l believe they
do No. 1 never heard ii myself. unless
the strange ind of boomin'-like sound
that you hear comm up from the sea
sometimes is Whale talk: what else can
II be? Sartain, a whale is built for
roarin'.
But what makes me think that
whales make a noise is a yarn / heard
from a shipmate who of late years has
been an otter hunter off the Channel
islands. A gentleman ven up there on
his yacht a year or two & 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 a private ranch
and the owner lived up I'm San Fran
cisco and didn't allow any whalin' on
the island. So when my old mate came
into the harbor one day l aid TO him:
Jim, how about them school of whales
on the beach at Santa Rosa, up the
coast?' Why a Y Jim, that's the
curioust thing l ever see. 1t was like
this:
II was up along the island some
seven years ago and one day. when we
was in amp we see the sight OF our
eyes. II had been blowin' for two days
a hurricane-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' il. when a school of whales
come in sight, and a minute later we
see they was too fur in for safety; then
we see they was headed in shore and
I'm blest IL 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
jumpin' and throwin' themselves. l
thanked my luck I was on the rocks,
as IL there had been any boats there
they would ave been smashed. 1t was
several hours before they died. and
h the sea gradually tossed them up
and as the tide went out IL left them
high n dry. the greatest sight /
ever see. five whales. fifty or sixty feet
long. all piled together.
But the curios't part OF this whale
rack. said Jim. was the noise them
whales made when they found they
We're aground. l won't try to describe
il, but il sounded TO me just like a
rOarin' and rumblin' and ! took il TO
be the voice OF the whale-if It wasn't