New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
..KJLLERS" OF TWOFOLD BAY
THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND HA''A-
cIOIrs INHABITANTS OF THE SEA.
From The Pail Mail Gazette.


From The Pail Mail Gazette.
ryofod Bay. A magnificent deep water har-
,.- ON the southern coast Of New South NaleS
f. n ishcrman's paradise. though ITS lame - pue
local or known only To outsiders WHO may 70"
suent a day there when travelling Upii oSuney
,n Tasmania in the fine steamers Ot me th',"
company. which occasionally put IN 'nere 10
ship cattle from the little township u E'.en;
But tn. chief point or interest aI.out , so
Ray is that it is the rendezvous OF the famous
"tiIlers" (Orca gladiator. the deadly Toes o, me
whole race of cetaceans other than thehSolV's'
and the most extraordinary and sagat iouS Great
urcs that nhabit the oceans depths FROM 'u'!
IN Nov.mbcr two Schools" Of killers may DE
seen every day. either CRUISING TO anu "o
ocross the cnt rance Of the bay or engaged IN 4
Titanic combat with whal"-a right whale.
a "humpback' Or the long. swift 'hnback' hu.
they have never been known I" tacklc I'll" et"''
Sperm whale except Wh"r the great creature
has been wounded by his human enemies Ana
10 witness one Of these mighty Slrueg'r' 10
worth travelling many thousand miles /" Sce'
il is terrible awe-inspir.ng and wonderful.
The killer RANGES in length from ten fcHt 20
twenty. i've feet (whalemen have told me Inas
one was seen stranded on tn" Great barrier i'eel
in 1S2 which measured thirty seven feeO fher
/ Ircaih hing apparatus and general anatomy Is
/ much similar to that If the speru-whale They
/ spout "breach' and sound like other ceta-
/ ceaus and are of the same migratory habit as
the two schools which haunt Twofold Bay
always leave t.,ere about November % to cruise
I in other seas returning to their headquarters
early in july. when tn" humpback ana tnnick
/ whale make their appcaran'" on the coast OF
I New South Wales travelling northward to me
! breeding ground on the hampton Stoa'A' t"c
coas, q. New Guinea and the Moiu'caS
The head Of the Killer is Of enormous strength:
the mouth is armed III both jaws with fearful
| teeth from two inches to three lnches i"nS anu
set rather Wild ~ apart In color 'h'y Sho" an
/ extraordinary variation. some being an one nue.
- brown black duh gray: others are p'a'h
| with large irregular patches Or str"akS 81 Pu,e
white yell, ". others are DARK Drown, WIN
III, sI,.4g
stranded on he reef ut Nukuaclae IN the south
Pacific was nearly black except Tor Few IT.
regular botches II white on the back ana o'iy
This particular killer had l'i IRON s''lF' '''"
for the entire lower "a" had d''ayen HUM "''
ccrouS gro" IL.
"KIfI.ERS'' DO HALF THE WORK.
The whaling station at TwofoI Bay is the
only one i'm the Colony-thc last remnant OF a
once. great and thriving industry. II IS caffi'1
b IN by a family named Davidson ththrr ana
/ sons in conjunction with the killers. Ana io'
. more than twcnty years this business partner
shin has existed between the humans ana the
1 cetaceans. and the utmost rectltuie ana Sohci-
/ tude for each pth,rs interests has always p-cn
maintained gladiator sriz"S ne Wht.e Tor
y Davidson and holds him until thr deadly lance
Il plunged into his "iif".' and Davidson lets
I orea carry tn carcass 10 the bottom anu take
his 1.-THE Of luscious blulbcr. This Is the literal
truth. and grizzl.i old Davidson or any one OF
/ the stalwart sons who man his two boats VIII
tell you that Lut for the killers. wh" 80 hai oi
IN" work. whaling would not pay VII" o'i ''''
worth from Us - gu a tun.
LIT Us imagine warm. sunny day IN NusuSl
/ at Twofold Bay The man who Is On me LOOKOUT
! at the old lighthouse. built by Ben hoyd on thr
southern headani fifty years ago. PAGES |" ana
I fro on the grassy Sward. stopping now ana then
10 scan the wild, eXpanse Of ocean WIN ms
glass for the spout Of a whale Is hard 70 dls-
/ Germ at more than two miles. II IN" creature II
in a playful mood and breaches mat Is
| springs bodily out of the water and sends up
! white volume Of foam and spray. Ike the as
charge ~ 4 submarine taine- you can see X hVe
! miles away.
The two boats are always in readiness at the
trying out works I mile or 50 up the harbor, So
/ too arr. IN. killers and the lookout man. walk
ing To the verge Of the cln. looks down There
they are. cruising slowly up ana down. close In
shore. spouting ldzily and showing their wet
cleaning backs as they rise roll and dive again.
I There's Fatty" and spot and "Flukey" and
I Little Jim" ana Paddy and Tom Tug
nearly every Of them has a name. ana each
Is we'll known 10 his human friends.
Presently the Vatchman sees, away 10 the
| southwark a white misty puff. then another
! and another. In an instant he brings his glass
To bear. "Humpbacks"' Quickly two flags iiut-
ter from tn" hagpOlc and fire is ne and as the
flags and smoke are seen TN" Waiting DoatS
crews ut the trying station are galvanized
into life by the cry of Rush. no, Humpbacks
in sight steering northwest" Rush and tumble
into the boats and away,
7 Around the south head sweeps the first boat.
the second following more lcsurely. for she is
only "A "pick-up' or relief in case the first Is
"nuked' and the crew are tossed high IN air.
with their boat crushed into matchwood' or
meets with some other disaster. Ana as the
leading boat rises to the long ocean swell of me
! oflng the killers close in around her on either
side. just keeping clear of the sweep OF the oars
and "breacning' and leaping ana spoutlng win
the antcipative zest of the coming bloody fray.
easy lads easy" says the old boat header.
! they're coming right down on Billy vas
right They're humpbacks. sure enough!