The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-11
His BOATS CHEWED Up
THRILLING TIME EXPERIENCED
BY A NEW BEDFORD
WHAIER
THE MONSTERS HE HUNTED

Left Him Without Means to Pursue
-WhaIeboats Crnnched to SpIint-
uIous Escape of Crews Cruising
in West Indian Waters-Capt.
Benton's FOrty-TwO Years at Sea.
Home at New Bedford, Mass, fran
thirty-month voyage on the Atlantic is
the whaling bark President. Capt. An
tone p. Benton. The experience of the
President is unprecedented in the history
OF that port and the voyage is the sole
topic Of conversation among the old
-whalers. 70, have boats carried away
by the seas and occasionally lose one in
capturing a whale Is nothing unusual
in the trade, but to lose six small boats,
five Of them in fighting whales, is as
tonishing. Fortunately none of the crew
was lost, although their escape from
death was nothing short of miracle,
says the New York Press.
The captain says: 81 left New Bed
ford on Nov. Z, 1885, for an unlimited
whaling cruise with a crew of twenty
five men. The weather on the trip out
was mild. 1 headed the craft for the
Cape Verde islands and arrived there
the last of December. Then started for
a cruise to the Barbados and succeeded
in capturing five small whale, which
melted me seventy barrels of oil. After
that catch I cruised to the West Indies
and took aboard a supply of wood and
fresh water. My next cruise was to
what is known as the Western Grounds,
which are off Bermuda, in latitude 81
to a. longitude so to s. west. In the sum-
mer of 1897 I got $40 barrels of oil. In
October l ran into st. Michaels, Western
islands, and shipped the oil home.
After refitting the vessel / started on
another cruise to the Western Grounds.
On the return trip / encountered fear
full storm. The angry seas swept over US
and many times 1 thought we would
never rise again. In the blow one OF the
whaleboats was carried away from the
cranes and washed overheard, leaving
me with four boats. After the storm
broke we had fine weather for time
and l caught some whale which furnished
100 barrels Of oil.
BOATS CRUSHED LIKE EGG SHELLS.
ION Aug. 3d. 1895, the lookout reported
an exceedingly large whale about a mile
and a half from the ship. / hove to, and
ordered three boats lowered away. First
Mate Joseph 2. Benton, my brother, had
charge of one, Second Mate Valentine
Rose another, and Third Mate Paul An
drade the other. The boats proceeded
cautiously in the direction Of the whale
and got close to 1t. Andrade was the
first to fasten to 1t, and my brother ran
close to it to shoot. Like lightning the
whale rushed toward the first mates
boat and bringing its mighty Jaws down
crushed the boat as you would an egg
she'll The monster instantly wheeled
around and made for the second mates
boat. which had line fastened to the
whale. The second mate cut the line
and tried to reach place of safety. but
his efforts were unavailing, for, as be-
fore, the whale opened wide his jaws
and with one crunch reduced the boat
to bits.
"Of the wrecks made by the angry
whale there was hardly a piece OF wood
left large enough to support man, and
the crew was obliged to swim about
Fortunately the whale swan Off without
further molesting the men, I saw it all
from the deck of the ship and bore down
ON the scene. All the men were picked
up from the ship without a loss The
third mate in the meantime had made
fast to another whale, but 1 signaled to
him to cut the line and return to the
ship. That left me with only two boats,
SO I Immediately sailed to st. Michaels.
in the Western islands. and bought two
more boats. From that port I went
south and when off Madeira captured
two small whales. From that time until
February, 1899, cruised about those wa
ters with varying success, and little oc-
CURED to mar the usual customs of life
aboard q Whaler.
SAVED BY A BIG SEA
''In February, While off Barbados, I
sighted another extremely large whale
and lowered three boats. l myself taking
charge of one. The first mate was the
first one to strike him and he had no
sooner done so than the whale turred
toward the boat and with the speed of
locomotive rushed at the boat With open
mouth He caught the craft full amid
ships and smashed 1t into a thousand
pieces. The crew saved themselves by
jumping into the sea. The second mate
then fastened to him and he also made q
rush at that boat. They, realizing the
danger, also jumped overheard and tho
boat was smashed by the whale as he had
destroyed the other. I was standing close
by with my boat when without warning
the whale diverted his attention TO me