Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1899-02-09
A WHALER'S FRIEND.
THE "kILLERS" OF TWO-FOLD BAY
WHICH HELP THE FISHERMEN.

A Strange and Terrible Fish, and Its Pecul-
far Charaoteristics--De.th to Whales and
Sharks But Will Never Injuse . Man-It
Has Enormous Strength.
Two-fold bay. a magnificent deep
water harbor on the southern coast OF
New South Wales, is fsherman's
paradise, though Its fame is but local,
or known only to outsiders who may
have spent day there when travelling
from Sydney to Tasmania In the
steamers which occasionally put, II
there to ship cattle from the little
township Of Eden. But the chief point
OF interest about Two.fold bay is that
it is the rendezvous OF the famous
killers" (orca gladiator), the deadly
foes Of the whole race of cetaceans
other than themselves, and most ex-
traordinary and sagacious creatures
that inhabit the oceans depths. From
July to November two schools" of
killers may be seen every day, either
cruising to and fro across the entrance
OF the bay or engaged id Titanic COM
bat with whale-a right" whale, q
"humpback" or the long, swift FIN
back" But they have never been
known to tackle the great sperm whale.
except when the great creature has
been wounded by his human enemies.
And to witness one of these mighty
struggles is worth travelling many
thousand miles to see; 1t is terriblei
awe-inspiring and wonderful.
The killer ranges in length from ten
feet to twenty-five feet. Their breath
ing apparatus and general anatomy is
much similar to that of the sperm
whale. They spout, breach" and
Sound" like other cetaceans, and are
Of the same migratory habit as the two
schools" which haunt Two-fold bay,
always leaving there about November
% to cruise in other seas, returning to
their headquarters early in July, when
the humpback and finback whale make
their appearance on the coast Of New
South Wales, travelling northward to
the breeding-grounds on the hampton
shoals. the coast Of New Guinea and
the Moluccas.
The head Of tho killer is Of enormous
strength, the mouth being armed in
both jaws with fearful teeth, from two
inches to three inches long and set
rather widely apart. In color they
show an extraordinary variations some
being all one hue-brown, black or dull
gray; others are black, with large ir-
regular patches or streaks OF pure
white or yellow; others are dark brown
with black and yellow patches. ..
And now comes the curious and yet
absolutely truly described part that
the killers play in this ocean tragedy.
The killers, the moment the whale is
dead, close around him, and, fastening
their teeth into his body, bear him to
the bottom. Here they tear out his
blubber. In about thirty-six to forty
hours the carcass will rise again to the
surface, and as the spot where he has
been taken down has been marked by
q buoy, the boats are ready waiting to
tow him ashore to the trying-out
works. The killers accompany the
boats to the head of the bay and keep
of the sharks. which otherwise would
strip OF all the remaining blubber be-
fore tho body had reached the shore.
The killers never hurt man. Time
after time have boats been stove in or
smashed into splinters by a whale, and
the crew left struggling in the water,
to be rescued by the pickup" boat.
and the killers swim up to them, look
at-aye, and smell them-but never
touch them. And wherever the killers
are, the sharks are not, for Jack Shark
breads killer as the devil breads holy
water. Jack" will rush in and rip of
piece Of blubber If he can, but he will
watch his chance to do so,