Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-08-25

we reached the fishing ground. The
| great seine, which was neatly folded
up in the whale boat, had the line to
one of Its ends made fast on board the
Emma, and her sails were so set that
she would draw slowly TO the northeast,
while two pair of strong arms rowed
the whale boat 10 the southwest. with a
man on each side of the great bulk OF
the seine TO run II out properly. Soon
It's 5000 feet were stretched on the wa
ter to drift with the tide and current.
The current on this coast is 10 the
south. enen the seine was laid the
rope TO its northeast end was taken
aboard the whale boat and two men
took their place at the oars and roweI
gently against the current, just enough
to keep the seine stretched A large
float having been attached TO the other
end OF the seine the smah boat from the
Emma was fastened TO the whale boat
| The last supply of my irrigating mater
ial was used up, and the captain and
the boy with the Emma started back
TO port, leaving ne In company of four
swarthy fellows afioat on the vast and
restless ocean.
The evening was beautiful. the roll
of the great round waves was regular
and soft, with every sixth of seventh
one much larger than its followers
regular pulsation eteruaily rolling.
Il was just cold enough for man
with warm blood eeursing IN his veins
to be. comfortable with his ordinary
winter clothing. and when the sun sank
+ below the horizon one would need a
good oGereoat when resting. and this
temperature Is about the SAME the year
around on the coast. The temperature
IS ned steady by the great mass Of wa
ter, which Is Of the same or nearly the
same temperature the year round, and
IS never swept by hot nor cold currents
of air The general trend of the wind
throughout the year IS from points
from west 10 northwest. This wind
having a sweep of thousands of miles
over this warm water its under STRAIT
um at least absorbs It's temperature,
and 50 it blows day after day; cool in
summer, warm in winter. It was the
intention TO leave the seine out until the
| next morning. when the Emma wastto
! return, and If the catch was sufficient
TO take out the l-sh, II not to let it drift
until the next morning; and SO on. tax
ing ont the fish every other day, until
the seine drifted in too near shore.
The four men left with the seir were
not at first sight prepossessing, but the
captain and MY friend had told rae they
were good, reliable fellows. and honest
as honesty goes among fishermen. MI
! guel, the mate lett in charge, was low,
/ heavy set man. of great strength and
+ activity. part Portuguese. part Indian,
| the other part white man, about forty
/ years of age. with small jet black eyes,
/ quiet, sole spoken, and mild until eX-
cited. jose. small. active man about
! thirty-five, good sailor, but OF low In
| telligenee. The other two. Bill and
Jack, were of slightly mixed race, live
| ~ young fellows of about twenty years.
| Their duties We're: TWO at the oars
for two hours at a time to keep the
/ seine stretched, the third at the tiller,
keeping sharp lookout over the south
all right and to notice the approach OF
any whales, porpoises or other Large sea
mammals and sharks. II such was
seen approaching, it was the duty OF
the fourth man to take the small boat
and try and turn them from the seine;
! otherwise he rested or slept.
The evening wore on with no excite
| ment nor life in sight, except now and
Their a school of pOrpoises passing up
inside toward the shore, until just at
dusk, when a whale spouted four times
to the southwest, threw his fukes in
the air and disappeared. AS they stay
under the water from thirty to sixty
minutes before coming up to breathe
again we heard no more of him. l sat
in the peak Of the boat after dark en-
joying 1t greatly. The moon in its first
quarter hung brightly in the western
sky, its bright CLEAN on the waves
stretching for leagues to a point be
Meath The points of the bright lights
OF the city OF Santa Cruz twinkled al
the eastward and the great dark bill
| lows of the coast range doomed behind
them. Sixty miles to the northward
the hundreds of electric lights of the
city of San Francisco changed the dark
blue clouds 20 a feecy Wilderness. The
waters around US was filed with tens OF
thousands of phosphorescent lights
flashing in every direction. Every one
of the millions Of the life in the great
deep left this fleeing quickly vanishing
| trail of pale freight behind it. Away
down in the lnky depth the denizens OF
the deep coula De followed in their mo-
tons and dartings by pale blue stream
of blush light. We were indeed atloat
and alone on the restless bosom of the
mightiest of oceans, a mere speck on
it's vasness. What II a sudden fierce
storm should arise what would become
of US In our frail open boat? All Of us
knew of this part of the great Pacific
breYs no sucn storms besides we knew
that If the wind should come on TO
elbow great guns" our watchfu skip
per would soon be out with the Emma
and rescue us.
Sitting thus dreaming and building
air castles. thinking of the fierce and
murderous and most dangerous war
waged on the humpbaeks and Califor-
MIA gray whales twenty-five or thirty
years ago by man. when oil was oil. in
| the lovely bay before us. of the myriads
of mighty mammals that once thronged
this coast before the Rhalemen with
harpoon and boom gun and lance came
and we'll night exterminated them, when
the humpback and the great sulphur
bottom could seek shelter in the bays
and estuares OF this coast and bring
forth and suckle their young undis-
turbed.
Time wore on. About midnight the
thing became monotonous, and I had