The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-03-02
DESTROYED A FLEET.
A WHALES REVENGE FOR THE HAIR
PooNlNG OF HER CALF.


killing SIX Men and lnjuring Fifty
More ana splimtering Fifty Fishing
BOats.
A widely known and feared devilfish
has it's headquarters in the northern
Pacific, mostly along the American
coast especially affecting the gulf OF
California. This huge creature is q
mammal, one OF the great whale fam
lily, really rorqual of medium size and
moderate yield of oil. Only the elite of
the Yankee whalemen, dexterous and
daring as are all the tribe, can hope to
get s.to windward" of the diabolically
cunning giants whom they abuse with
such fluent and frequent flow of pictur
esque profanity.
1t is o peculiar characteristic of this
animal that it seems ever on the alert,
scarcely exposing for one moment it's
broad back above the sea surface when
rising to spout and generally travelling,
a few feet below, the water. For this
reason, and In this fishery alone, the
whalers arm themselves with iron
shafted harpoons, in order to strike with
greater force and certainty of direction
a whale some. distance beneath the sur
face. A standing order, too, among
them 10 never by any chance to injure
calf while the mother lives, since such
an act exposes all and sundry near the
SPOT to imminent and violent death.
Neglect of this most necessary precau-
ton, or more probably accident, once
brought about calamity that befell a
feet of IS American whaleships which
had been engaged in the "bowhead"
fishery among the ice foes of the Arctic
Pacific In order to waste no time they
came south when winter set in, and by
common consent rendezvoused in Mar
garita bay, Lower California, for a
month or two's "devil fishing
The whales were exceedingly album
dant that season, and all the ships were
soon busy with as much blubber as they
could manage. The ease with which the
whales were being obtained, however,
led to considerable carelessness and for
getfulness of the fact that the whale
never changes its habits. One bright
morning, about three weeks after: the
opening of the season, the whole fiotilla
of So boats, four from each ship, had
been lowered and were making their
way as rapidly as possible to the outly-
ing parts of the great bay, keeping a
bright lookout for fish.
Spreading out fanwise, they were get
ting more and more scattered, when
about near the center of the feet some
one suddenly STRUCK" and got fast to a
fish, but hardly had the intimation been
given when something very like panic
seized upon the crowd. In moment or
two the reason was apparent. From
some cause. never definitely known, a
harpooner had in striking large cow
whale transfxed her calf at her side
with his harpoon, killing it immediate
~.
The mother, having quietly satisfied
herself that her offspring was really
dead, turned upon her aggressors like a
veritable demon of destruction, and
while carefully avoiding exposure of her
body to attack simply spread devasta-
ton among the fiotilla. Whenever she
rose to the surface, it was but for a sec
Of lifting safety valve and almost al
ways to destroy boat or complete the
destruction of one already hopelessly
| damaged.
Every blow was dealt with an &C.
curacy and appearance of generalization
that filled the superstitious Portuguese,
who formed good half of the crews,
with dismay-the more SO that many Of
them could only guess at the origina
cause of what was really going ON. The
speed of the monster was 30 great thai
points widely separated made her seem
ubiquitous, and as she gave no chanoe
whatever for blow it certainly looked
as il all the boats would be destroyed
seriatam. Not content with dealing on,
tremendous blow at a boat and reducing
it at once to bundle of loose boards
she renewed her attentions again ant
again to the wreckage. as if determined
that the destruction should be complete
| Utter decentralization had seized ever
the veterans, and escape was the only
thought governing all action. But tn
distance to shore was great, and tn
persistence and vigor of the furious le
viathan, so far from diminishing, seem
ed to increase as the terrible work wen
ON. At last two boats did succeed il
reaching the beach at a point where i
sloped very gradually. The crews hat
hardly leaped overheard to run thei
craft up high and dry when close behint
them in the shadows foamed and rollet
their relentless enemy, just too late t.
reach them.
Out of the large number of wei
equipped boats that left the ships tina
morning only these two escaped undam
aged, and the loss of the season. g worl
| was irremediable. Over 50 men wer
badly injured, and six. one of whom
was the unhappy origin of the who'll
trouble, were killed outright The tri
umpl,aut avenger Of her slain Offspring
disappeared as silently as she had Car
ried ON her deadly warfare, as far a
| could be known unhuIt, and with al
accumulated hoard of experience tina
would if possible render her more of
"devil" to any unsuspecting whalemel
who should hereafter have the misfor
| tune to meet with and attack her thar
she had proved herself to- be already
Detected and crippled, the fleet lost N
time in getting away from the spot AM
fleeing north to San Francisco, there tt
refit for other and more profitable fish
ing grounds. -Cornhill Magazine
A Man Of Many Parts.
Here is an amusing old handful
printed and circulated in Cumberland
early in the nineteenth century:
~, James Williams. parish clerk
saxtone, town cryer and bellman, maxi
and sells all sorts of haberdasharies
groceries, etc., likewise hair and whil
drest, and cut, ON the shortest notice
Also @.
I IN. B.-I keeps an evening school
where / teach at reasonable rates, read
- .