The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
THE KILLERS OF THE SEAS.
SMALL WHALES THAT KILL BI0
WHALES AND SEALS.

A School Of Them Take Big sperm Whale
That Had Been Killed from the Side OF
n Ship and Drag It Awny-An Attempt to
Catch One with n Hook and the Result.
III you want to see big game" said an old
retired sea otter hunter, " something that will
give you as good as you send, try the killers.
What the tiger Is to the jungle the killer Is to
the ocean. and would rather tackle shark
any time. The first time ever saw killer was
when was whaling in the North Pacific some
years ago. We had killed a big sperm whale
and had got 1t alongside and ready TO make
fast when a school OF killers. each probably
twenty feet long. came ongside with rush
and took hold OF the dead whale. i was
on the body at the time, holding on with
spade I had stuck into the blubber. ana
they jerked tho big carcass so hard to
one side that was thrown down. The men
cut at them with spades and lonces. but oil to
no purpose They paid no attention to us. but
took great chunks Of the whale. biting it's
tongue out and acting like pack OF wolves.
They grew 30 ferocious that we took to the
boats. and tho last we saw OF the whale they
we're dragging It down. head first. They lit
orally carried II of.
" The killer" continued the otter hunter. is
a small whale with big. sharp ivory teeth like
those OF an alligator. When they shut down
on anything they take q piece completely out
Of 1t. They are particularly fond Of seals. In
one that was cut open by Capt. Scammon four
teen seals or their remains were found. There
is no animal that lives that will take such
chances to secure Its prey. and they have been
seen to rush inshore and take seals that were
| lying on sopng rocks and almost lose their
| lives in tho act. sliding OF with the greatest
| difficulty. They get the name killer be-
| cause they kill everything in sight. and
are tho enemy OF the big game fishes
the hold sea ans es efs follow bos
esSs6t By them; and / think that when they %
lowed q ship from San FfancIseo 70 Central
rubbing against the bottom and blowing. near
The ship that every attempt was made to get
il was struck with harpoons. hot Goals were
thrown on It's back. yet i stood by the shap
"@ VIZ Shes ha sss
Do they eye ever catch these orcas ?" asked a
."They try to catch them" was the reply
several temp have ' been made to take them
like ordinary fish. with comioal results One
ess%et s'fn$Ss ne P;i Bs as hs
orcas had the habit Of sailing up and down In
front Of the beach. with their great black flns
that famous fisherman could not catch one
with a hook and line. The angler took the
and how wsnt 10 work in
than is usually, employed as a shark line had a
~h 9It
This he buoyed about ten feet from the sur
large. tight dry goods ibox that was left aaoat
slightly anchored TO the bottom. crowd on
III. su o II E.rs ana
black triangular nns. There were four two old
and two calves about sE dns ieet Long
patch Of white that showed plainly, as they
eSminc IN sinrie file and Hight for the bait. and
the word being passed up the long pier, people
caught with line landed. Sonic went out In
boats and dritted by the box; When the killers
It they saw the bait At and evil
the water: then the unexpected happened;
spectators saw that the line was fast. and
big shout went up. But the heat vas a
had been carefully devised 10 wear out the fish
the pieces sRot nto tho air. That
was the last that was seen OF the killers at
Long Beach and the last attempt made there
orally believed that the hooked killer is still
possible to catch biacEish this way by hsv.
Ing buoy that would tire 1t out. and man
nus Invented d ScneHe tnut may WORK, II mas
been tried on the big Jewish and work cd to q
charm The instrument was parachute with
ribs OF steel and OF the strongest kind OF can.
vas about three feet across. One half this size
stopped q boat at once. The parachute IL
closed except when the fish PUSHES. when il
opens out and presents so formidable a resist
ance that In al experiment a boat was imme.
diate stopped. and IL the tuna parachute will
stand the first strain it will soon tire out the
fsh.
who was trolling with a smcl as bait when he
| received n strike. the next instant killar-l
young one about eight feet lonR-went into the
air. 1t also was short heat rs It took all the
line in about five seconds; hut tho boy could
say that for one neetng moment he had played
q whale"