The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24
LOVE AFFAIRS OF WHALES.
ZIG FISH BECOME VICTIMS OF THEIR
MISPLACED PASSION.

Sad Fate Of Some Persistent wooers-
Interesting Home Life of Whales.
AVALON. Cal. Sept 10. II suppose now. you
have never a whale in love" said the captain
Of the glass bottomed boat
The remark was occasoned by . splendid
panorama formed by the passing Of three whales
across Avalon Bay. Tho monsters rose and fell
in graceful undulaton. while one, as though 10
prove that IL was a real whale and no mistake.
rose into the air, It's enormous hukes shining far
above the water then disappearing after the huge
body that sank into the sea.
Il cannot say that have ever seen a whale In
love. replied voyager in tho boat through tho
glass window in which no looked into CULTS en-
chantcd; but how does whale in love aot3
should really like to know"
Why" explained tho mariner. do you know
there Is something about this place that leads UP
to romance and love makingi Read this" and he
dropped his oars and took from his pockets letter
which he unfolded and handed to the passenger
Dear sr. 1t read Il wish 10 thank you for being
tho means Of my securing q wife. You will re-
member tho day a young lady Owed beneath the
boat and looked UP through the glassH was
looking down at her. Well. sho is my wife now.
and II you ever visit Marshalltown, Ia, we shall
both DO happy to SEQ the skipper Of the glass
bottomed boat"
beneath the waves; regular mermaid business"
But how about whslesi" urged the passenger,
who evidently thought no was being switched of
the track.
We'll" replied the captain. hauling violently on
the port oar TO get the glass window over boauti-
full mass OF green seaweed which he called the
Grand Canon. whales do fall In love and can
proven They get foolish they even fall In love
with ships, and that's where first got on to IT,
You sec. wasn't always tho skipper OF glass-
bottomed boat Last year l ran q yacht of forty
TONS and one day brought party over here; but
the wind died out and we lay about Gig bit miles of
shore for two days. On the second day largo
California gray whale cAme alongside and came
mighty near soaring everybody to death I've
seen lots Of whales aionEside, but mover saw so
ahectonate old cuss as this. He hrst made .
circle right around US. then came UP underneath,
rubbing his back az ainst the keel that she shook
like . leaf; then he deliberately came up aongsidc,
turned partly on his side. go that one-half tho big
fuke was out OF water, and lay there. Why,
could have stepped of on 10 his back dozen times
only thought wouldn't He was as sociable %
you please and Just lay there closer than brother
o durn sight closer, can tell you. He kept this
up until most Of the passengers had their hair all
ready 70 turn white Then he began TO move up
and down, rubbing himself against the side OF tho
bottom. passing right along. then turning and
coming back, perhaps on the other side Thought
OF putting bullet into him, but didn't believe IL
was safe as of all the whales this species 10 tho
most vicious; and there he staid until tho wind
picked UP fresh, and even then he followed us,
right alongside
How do account for IN Why. IL was case
Of love at hrst sight The whale thought we were
whale and fell In love with US and was regularly
| counting the yacht patting her with his paddles
| and huke and siding up 10 her in various ways
There wasn't any doubt about Il 10 my mind, and
| I've seen tho same thing dozen umea There's
| hardly q week but what the steamers here run
across whale either coming or going and the
| whales sometimes como alongside and swim
within few feet Of the vessel evidently trying 10
pick up filtration with her; and there's no little
reason for . whale to be fooled as the hull OF q
| vessel looks very much like q whale The bull
| whales act very much like other animals They
| at first move around showing themselves of. 60
ing through their best paces gradually they come
| nearer and only last week q whale swan along.
| side the steamer Hermosa for half an hour so nea,
| that they could have hit him with q stick Then
they begin TO get more afectonate and rub against
the sides. In their whale fashion. apparently trying
TO attract tho attention Of the supposed capncious
| and indifferent whale which is really q thing Of
| oak swathed In copper with o heart Of throbbing
| steel and blood Of steam: and II Is at this time
| that the whales sometimes come 10 grief Finding
| that they cannot attract the attention Of the sup
| posed whale by ordinary means, and that she
keeps moving on at full speed completely indif
ferent. they try TO stop her by swimming In front
or crossing tho bows but instead of feeling the
yielding head Of whale the sharp cutwate1 Of
tho steamer strikes the wooer and runs him down
perhaps almost cutting him in two
| haa a.. a.. Ill.
don't do this purpose as Il is liable 10 smash
tho vessel: cases have been known where a whal,
SO struck sank a ship AL summer there ar,
| two boats sometimes three. crossing the Santa
| Catalina Channel thirty milo stretch, which
is one OF the greatest whale highways In the world
and more than once the skippers have slowed down
or stopped when big whale got ahead and played
| his antics before the steamer The Hermosa is ar
| ocean steamer. and on Q trip to San Francisco
| year or 80 ago she ran down big whale nea
Portuguese Bend, cutting her open. Tho SAINT.
Rosa, that runs from San Francisco down L
| San Diego ran ono down last month. Ono OF tn,
passengers told mo about it, He said II brough
everybody up standing They had seen a whal,
not far of and 1t gradually came nearer and seemet
to take the steamer for whale, playing alongside
| She la q big steamer and q fast sailer. and all
| onco the whale which must have been seven
~ feet long. made a play directly in he
course. There was trembling motion. a kind o
rise Of the bow and sudden STOP and it was al
over. The cutwater had cut tho big animal opel
like q knife. and the steamer moved on through
sea of blood. This whale was evidently kiet
at once, and II drfted ashore on Santa Rosa Isl
and week or two later. Sometimes II Is impossi
BILE to get nd of these whale lovers, and sailor
adopt all kinds OF methods to drive them away
The greatest case Of a whale falling in Low,
and standing right by its supposed mistress
which was a full-rgged ship occurred on thi.
coast The ship was named the Plymouth anc
she sailed from San Francisco TO Realeio. Contra
America. few days out she almost ran ove
big sulphur bottomed whale. the man at tn,
wheel having to send tho ship whiring up int
the wind to avoid II; but tho next day there wa.
tho whale again, close alongside Il evidently
took the ship for a whale and did everything tc
attract its attention and II the truth was told
demoralized the crew. 1t lay right alongside il
calm weather, 40 that they could have jumped
aboard H. and nothing had any effect II fol
lowed along night and day. The crew hrec
bullets at IT. tossed red hot Goals 10 Its bacl
and filled the water with ashes, they even peltet