The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-13

oils of whaling. Here at least, no
matter how queer your garments or
foreign speech, you might be sure that
none would bestow a second glance
upon you because of the certainty that
upon your heels would be treading a
queerer CARRIED, more foreign looking
individual than yourself. How splen-
didly has Herman Melville depicted this
in the opening chapter of Moby Dick!
How his glorious imagination runs not
among these scenes of marvellous color,
those wonderful Kaleidoscope views
of all the sea- skirting worlds represen-
tatives drawn to one small town by
the exigencies of a unique business
such as the world never saw before and
IN all probability never will see again.
Amorg the wildly picturesque gath
cring then l wandered mere drop in
the flood, of no account to anybody but
myself, and l really believe of scant
interest even to the mysterious part of
me so long as material wants of food,
clothing and sleep were supplied. AL
ways stinted. they were in measure. 1
thought; always the next man had
something I needed. but youth and
buoyant health and the joy of simple
needs occasionally satisfied-these had
their charms-how great, l can only
dimly imagine.
New Bedford in those days was, I
make bold to say, one of the most in
teresting places in the world. A mere
babe in arms as compared with Bed
ford, England, and without anything
to the universal heart of man so deep
ly touching as the latter's association
with John Bunyan, it yet occupied one
of the post romantic as well as one of
the most important positions of any
seaport town on the globe. Other cities
held their pride of place as markets
where the chapmen of all lands came
and exchanged commodities, leaving
considerable percentage of the gains
of both parties as toll for their ac-
commodation. But the vast fleet of
New Bedford went forth with empty
holds, save for provisions and water
and levied toll upon old Ocean itself
1t was from the deep waters that the
wealth came which has made it the
thriving city 1t is to-day, albeit those
who have entered into the labors of
those mighty foregaugers are all too
apt to forget upon what a foundation
they were raised.
Now if this were the only claim that
New Bedford had upon the attention,
the admiration of the world it would,
/ think be sufficient to give her most
distinguished place, but really it is but
part of her credentials to consider
action by every seafaring nation ex-
tant. To-day we send forth our gov
eminent surveying ships, spending
cheerfully all the money demanded for
this most essential service of making
straight in the ocean desert a highway
for our fleets. But long ago New Eng
land furnished gratuitously a pioneer
service, opening up the bywaEs of
old ocean to all, in the shape of her
whaleships where never keel had fur
rowed the wave before they penetrated
in search of their gigantic game. If there
be one sea fact more clearly proven
than another, IL is that many of the
so-called discoveries, hailed as such by
delighted compatriots of the quondam
discoveries. and rewarded with gold
medals, money and titular position,
were merely a clumsy following in the
wake of those intrepid whalemen who
never hesitated to thrust their ships
wherever il seemed probable that
whales might be found. If it be. as it
often is, truthfully retorted that most
OF the whaleships' discoveries might
just as we'll never have been made at
all. for all the effect they had upon the
worlds trade, 1t must ever be remem-
bered that it was the whaleman's bus
mess to catch whales and not in any
sense to compel his owners to contri-
butte time and wealth to a cause which
was not of the slightest immediate BEN
eft to themselves. Ever before him
the whaling captain set the prospect of
filling his hold with greasy plumber of
the main, and as one giant of the deep
after another fell before his conquer
ing arm, nearer and nearer doomed
the fascinating prospect of a pretty
emerald EMPOWERED house in some
shady byway of New Bedford where he
might hang up harpoon and lance for