Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-14
KILLERS OF THE SEAS.
Small Whales That Prey Upon Large
Whales md Seals.

w Ety Upon buF&e
Whales md Seals.
From the New York SUM-
IF you want to see big game" said an old
retired sea otter hunter, something that
will give you good as you send, try the
killers. What the tiger is to the jungle the
killer is to the ocean, and I would rather
tackle shark any time. The first time
l ever saw a killer when / was whal-
ing in the North Pacific some years ago,
We had killed big sperm whale and had
got 1t alongside and ready to make fast,
when school of killers each probably
twenty feet long, came alongside with a
rush and took hold Of the dead whale. 1
was on the body at the time holding on
with spade had stuck into the blubber,
ana they 1erked the big carcass so hard to
one Side that l was thrown down The
men cut at them with spades and lances,
but all to no purpose. They paid no atten-
TO us, but took great chunks of the whale
biting its tongue out and acting like a pack
or wolves. They grew so ferocIous that we
took to the boats, and the last we saw OF
tne :whaIe they were dragging II down
head first. They literally carried il on
an Inc Killer, continued the otter hunter
is small whale with big, sharp ivory
teeth like those of an alligator When they
shut down on anything they take a pieca
completely out of it. They are particularly
1ond OF seals. In one that was cut omen nv
APT scammon fourteen seals or their re-
mains were found. There is no animal that
lives that will take such chances to secure
its prey, and they have been seen to rush
lrshore and take seals that were lying on
sloping rocks, and almost lose their lives in
the act, sliding OF with the greatest diff.
Guilty. They get the name killer because
they Kill everything in sight, and are the
enemy OF the big game fishes of the sea and
everything else they can get hold of. Some
times they follow boats, though I have new
er heard of any one being caught by them,
ana think that when they do that they
take the boat for some of their own kind
ana are In play. A big whale once follow
ed ship from San Francisco TO Central
America, and made itself so objectionable
by rubbing against the bottom and blowing
near the ship that every attempt was made
TO get rid of 1t. Dozens of bullets were fired
INTO II, ii was struck with harpoons hot
Goals We're thrown on its back vet II stood
by the ship until some one thought OF OIL
and a train was started overheard with ash
es that drove the monster away.
DO they ever catch these orcas?" asked
a listener.
'They try to catch them" was the reply.
land the only way to do It successfully is
to harpoon them and use a harpoon gun;
but several attempts have been made to
take them like ordinary fish, with comicaI
results. One attempt. perhaps the first. the
result of a wager. was made of Long
Beach. Cal The orcas had the habit OF
sailing up and down in front of the beach
with their great black fins sticking out of
water. and some one wagered that a IA
nous fisherman could not catch one with a
hook and line. The angler took the wager
and went to work in a systematic way He
bought long rope-a size larger than is
usually employed as a shark line-had a
hook made about foot across. which was
baited with several twelve-pound yellow
tails. This he buoyed about ten feet from
the surface. then attached the end of the
rope to large, tight dry goods box that
was left afioat slightly anchored to the bot
tom. crowd on the wharf kept watch of
the water and finally sighted the pun OF
the killers and the big, black triangular
fins. There were four, two old ones and
a eh fact lrTaer
They were misunderstanding creatures
black as ink, and under the mouth OF each
a patch of white that showed plainly as
they turned or rolled over and over They
were coming in single file and right for the
bait. and the word being passed up the
long pier. people went running down to see
the biggest fish ever caught with a line
landed. Some went out in boats and drift
ed by the box. When the killers reached
Ii they saw the bait at once, and evidently
the entire herd or school struck It at one
time, as there was big furry and foam
over the water; then the unexpected ham
pened. One of the orcas went into the air
and the spectators saw that the line was
fast, and big shout went UP. But the
heat was short one; as the line frightened
out with extraordinary speed the dry goods
box, which had been carefully devised TO
wear out the fish. disappeared for a mo-
ment. and then with a loud report the
pieces shot into the air. That was the
last that was seen of the killers at Long
Beach and the last attempt made there to
believed that the hooked killer is stnI co.
ing.
Yes" said the otter hunter, ct believe
it is possible to catch a blackfish this way
by having a buoy that would tire it out,
and man has invented a scheme that may
work. 1t has been tried on the big jewish
and worked to a charm. The instrument
was a parachute with ribs of steel and of
the strongest kind of canvas about three
feet across. One half this size stopped a
boat at once. The parachute is closed ex-
cept when the fish rushes, when II opens
out and presents so formidable a resist
ance that in an experiment a boat was I'M
mediately stopped, ana IL the tuna para
chute viii stand the first strain It will soon
tire out the fish
Another killer was hooked by a Young
boy. who was trolling with a srnelt as bah
when he received a strike: the next instant
killer-a young one about eight feet long
went into the air. 1t also was a short
heat. as It took all the line in about five
seconds; but the boy could say that for one
neetins moment he had played a whale"