Evening star., 1899-04-01
Scientific Methods Now Used for
Killing Whales.
HARPOONS SHOT FROM A CANNON
But Man is Not the Only Enemy
These Creatures Have.
HIGHWAYMEN OF THE SEA

Three hundred miles north of St. Johns
at Snook's Arm. on the east coast OF New
foundiand, is the only scientific whaling
station in the western hemisphere. The
great cliffs, reaching from sea to sky like
the walls of some giant rampant and poll
ished smooth by passing icebergs, are
broken by a narrow rift. which leads to a
little oblong harbor. Lofty encircIing
mountains shut out the boisterous north
east gales, and the factory occupies one OF
the most sheltered hooks on the wild re-
| mote shore. Until the whaling steamer
| Cabot came here last July the whole re-
gion was the undisturbed playground Of the
great creatures Of the deep. The naked
| ribs of wrecked schooners and occasional
huts of fishermen and seal hunters were ths
only signs Of human intrusion.
Early in spring the vast ice fields, drifting
from the north. bring down countless herds
of seals. In less than twenty-tour hours
more than 10000 seals have been slaugh-
tered on one ice foe by the crew OF a single
steamer. The crystal plains. stretching
away from rocky shore TO ocean horizon
are simply alive with these great founder
ing creatures from the end of February to
the beginning of April. After the disap-
pearance OF the ice the waters In the vicini-
ty of Snook's Arm become the rendezvous
Of the clumsy porpoise. or grampus the
steel-col0red hnback whale the treacherous
sleeper shark. the fighting swordfish his
lieutenant, the thresher, and the swift
black, hulnpback whale.
Enemies of the whale
Before the whale hunters came here the
great creatures only foes were those of
his OWL watery realm-the swordfsh, the
thresher and the sleeper shark. The shark is
| the highwayman of the sea. He Is no open
assailant. but sneaks on the trail OF other
fighters and steals bites the size of a mans
head from the sides of the yanquished fish
The swordfish, with long, sharp-toothed
weapon, and the thresher. armed by nature
with powerful fin, always go together
against the whale. When a finback whale
eighty or ninety feet in length is attacked
by swordfish of fourteen feet not tnclud-
Ing the sword, which is almost as long and
thresher ten feet from nose to tip OF tail,
the conflict is a battle royal. The amazed
whale. believing till the cliffs resound with
echo ike thunder, strikes with tremendous
Iorce at his enemies, defending himself
with gaping jaw and lashine tail: hut the
s"ordnsh and thresher are deSterous dot}g--
ers, and seldom suffer one of the whales
Vicious blows to touch them. The sword
hsh darts below his big enemy. and plunges
mis- saw-like rapier upward repea tedIv
piercing and wounding the whales body
Meanwhile the th-esher takes up his posI-
Ton on the surface of the water springing
at every Opportunity on the whales hack
ana at his head. giving sledge-hammer
DloWs with his strong fin. The whale is nor
easily beaten, and the fight often lasts cor
more IMAM TWO hours, but when sworifish
ana thresher are in league no whale can
Withstand their furious attack The shark
sneaks into the fray at the end of the hat-
dying. anu
Yet "A Deadiier Foe.
1t Is in this merclless and warning king
dom of the great creatures that the new
scientific whaling station has been estab-
lished, adding yet a deadlier foe 10 the
number of the whales enemies. Science
has superseded the crude methods of for
mer days, when schooners and frau siifs,
manned by hardy Eskimos. went whaling
in northern seas In the north Pacific in
Cumberland straits. Bafiin's bay, Davis
strait and the Hudsons bay there are stiIl
whaling stations where the primitive way
of hunting the whale at close quarters with
harpoon, spear and small firearms Is con-
tinued; but at the great whaling stations
Of Iceland, Norway, and the one scientific
factory in America at Snooks Arm. spe-
clally constructed steamers are employed,
equipped with every appliance that science
can devise. small harpoon is no longer
hurled from the hand of some skillful Es-
kimo; but an immense iron bar, more than
six feet long, with great wings or fianges
a few feet from one end, like the bars OF a
cross, only folded back close to the main
shaft, is now fired from cannon on the
ship. There is a large pro1ectile at the
end, filed sharp and pointed. to penetrate
the whales body, and loaded with COM
bustibles that generate volumes Of gas.
With Unerring Aim.
Everything on the whaling steamer Ca
bot at Shocks Arm is managed with math-
ematical exactitude. The vessel stsams
within hundred yards Of the whale. A
man with steady nerve and quick aim must
be at the cannon, and in an instant there
is fash, and the great harpoon, with tha
sizzl9 and the rush of uncoing caDla
lengths attached to one end, hurls through
the air at such velocity that water must
be poured in buckeIfuls over the smoking
unWinding rope to keep il from catching
hre. With ugerring aim the harpoon
piunges into ths whales side, the wings on
the cross bars suddenly flying horizontal,
ana the exploding proJectiles generating
great volumes OF gas that keep the body
anoaL Death Is very speedy and almost
without suffering when the range is not
TOO near When the cannon is fired at close
quarters, and the whale happens to be
young, with tender, thin hide the harpoon
MES right through the body, the rope hold
ing the wounded creature fast and men
are immediately dispatched in boats 10
spear the prisoner "
since July, when the Cabot began wbal
ing on Snooks Arm more than 100 whales
nave peen shot and not a single shot has
peen lost though in one or two cases In
was necessary to fire a second harnoon
DSIofe q struggling monster was Killed
Inc "haies are towed into the harbor
nloored there and dragged by steam novvar
ana logging chains up the slippery, slantina
wharf. Siei'44s