The Press., 1898-02-10
THE RAINBOW'S LUCK
BY c. B. LEWIS.

BY C. B. LEWIS.
 During the palmy days of the whal- hg fleet no craft sailing out of any port was referred to as often as the bark Rainbow. Her history from beginning to end was a curious one, and it would be hard to find an old whaleman who hadn't heard it half dozen times over.
 The ship Wanderer went whaling from the port of Bristol, commanded by Captain Joseph Watkins She was out IS months and never took a whale. Four of her crew died of fever, three were killed by accident, and the ship returned so wrecked that she was sold for a collier. The owners lost heavily, of course, and Captain Watkins was called Jonah and could not get anoth- CT craft. One day when he was digging In his garden he unearthed three jars which were filled to the brim with gold pieces, and which had been buried for perhaps 8 century. His find footed up about $9O, 900, and with the greater portion of the money he built and fitted out the bark Rainbow. Instead of ship ping a crew on shares he paid by the month, and thus set out on his first voy- age with the best seamen of Bristol
 On. the second day after leaving port the bark came across a dead whale float ing about which yielded 80 barrels of oil. On the fifth day, just as the decks had been cleared up. she came upon the scene of a fight between five whales and seven or eight of that species of fish known as the killer, which is the mortal enemy of the leviathan and the only known one he has in any sea. The bark hove to and let the fight go on, and when it was over she had two dead whales to tow alongside and added l50 barrels of oil to her cargo. In four months from the day she left Bristol she entered port again. having a cargo of bone and oil which sold for more than $50. In addition to that she brought home the complete skeleton of a whale 85 feet long, for which the British museum paid $5, 900 in cash
 The lucky voyage of the Rainbow created much talk, and when Captain Watkins was ready to set sail again he had to turn sailors away by the hun dred. This time the crew was shipped on shares, and no man had reason to re- gret it. In l50 days the bark was back In Bristol with 2,S7O barrels of common oil, 320 barrels of cease" or fine oil, and the largest cargo of baleen. or whale bone, ever brought to port by whaler She had not lost a man, boat or 6 sail Everybody was astounded over the luck of 0 man who had been out a year and 6 half in another ship to meet with noth ing but disaster. and the name of Gap tain Watkins was heard whenever two sailors met. He had money enough tC enable him to live comfortably the res of his days. but he was persuaded tC make one more voyage. On this thirC cruise the leviathans of the deep seemed to hunt for the ship In l56 days sht made the port of Bristol with a cargo worth $6, 900 more than either of tht preceding ones
 When the Rainbow had completed her third voyage, Captain Watkins de termined to remain ashore. There wer, SO many men who wanted to buy th, lucky ship that she was put up at quo tion. Men came from every seaport il England and Scotland to bid on her and the price was run up until she solC for $5, 0OO more than she had cost tC build. She was bid III by Bristol firm and the command of her given to Gap tain Travers Her complement of mel when ready for sea was 3S, but so wide spread was her fame as lucky ship tha there were over TOO applicants for tn
 3S places
 Three months after she arrived hom
 on her thlrd cruise the Rainbow wen to sea again. Up to this time hat never seen the bark. but had heard al about her a dozen times over from mel aboard of our whaling ship, the Nanc, Leo of Marblehead One day as We wer
 cutting ln a whale to the north of St
 Helena the. Rainbow came up from tn
 east, and the two craft remained III com pany for three or four hours The luck
 ship had then been out of port 10 day
 without a capture and all were disgust . ed. More than that she had been throug severe gale and had three men huT md lost sails and topmasts Her luc mad changed Captain Travers was tine seaman. all old whaler and ha , never brought an empty ship into port but the fact remained that the RalnboN had not yet even lowered for a whale Just as she was ready to leave us however. two large whales spOuted wa ter within half mIle of the ships They were a quarter of a mIle apart and while we lowered for one the bar took the other We had but little trOu ble i'll killing our prey which was female and good for 1O barrels of oil The other was a bull whale and evi dently ill bad temper He first led tn boats chase of three miles to the sout and then slowed around and waited fo boat was within 300 feet of hlm, b rushed forward and ran 1t down, an \ as It foated astern of him he smashe 1t with blow of his fiukes. Two me were killed by this blow.
 Two weeks later, just as we ha scrubbed our decks, and while we we,
 under easy sail to the south of St. He
 ena, we lowered for a school of whale
 and got two. There were l2 in th
 school, and 10 went off to the soutl
 west. We were making our capture
 fast to the ship when the Rainbow cam
 down on us from the south. She wa
 now 54 days out, and i'll luck still puI
 sued her. After parting from us st = lowered for whale and lost TWO ha pOons and lines and Lad half a day
 work for nothing. Two men had fal = en from aloft, had lrok, Il arms or leg and her captain had to cone aboard ( us to buy oil to keep his lamps alight. AS I was third mate of the Nanc Lee, had an opportunity to hear of tf | feeling which ureVailed aboard tk bark. Her crew were on the verge
 mutiny. and Captain Travers had b.
 come alarmed for his own safety IT
 men had come to regard him as a Jonal
 and on the day he ran down to us hs