Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-25
Sunk bv whale.


New Bedford, reached this
port to-day on the steamship
Madiana from West Indian ports. The
tale Of wreck which they brought
equals any in the annals of those ven
turous New England mariners who
made famous history years ago in their
pursuit Of the biggest fish of the sea.
Their vessel was wrecked by a whale
they had started and harpooned They
and their comrades had TO take to the
open ocean in small boats SO far as
is known, the whole ships company
has reached land. Captain Jenkins and
his wife, two officers and most OF the
crew got to Pernambuco late last
month.
The survivors who came here to-day
were Chief Bowman Manuel VierO and
seven seamen. They tossed on the
sea in an open boat for eleven days be.
fore making land. They reached Do
minica on March %. The Madiana
touched at that port on April II and
took them on board.
Not only were these men following
a calling that is so historic that most
persons have to be reminded that it
is not extinct. but they were following
il in a vessel that had considerable
title TO antiquity. The Kathleen was
built in Philadelphia fifty-eight years
ago, and was perhaps by this time
hardly fitted to cope with the onset Of
the pOnderOus leviathan that sent her
to the bottom some 400 miles east Of
the Barbados J. and W. r. Wing,
of New Bedford, owned her. She was
small vessel, only 800 tons register
not a very tough proposition for a
whale
The whale that sunk the Kathleen
struck the bark in the beam and
crushed in her side. Water poured in
so rapidly that 1t was evident that the
old bark was doomed to go down
speedily. and such of the company as
were still aboard her fastened to get
into the boats that had started the
whale and TO get out the other boats
on board. They had hardly gotten
away before the Kathleen went down.
The boats kept together for forty
eight hours, but were separated on
March 10 in a storm. There wera
thirty persons, all told aboard the
Kathleen when she vas y=ecked. and
all Of them have been accounted for
now. Captain Jenkins and his wife
and several Of the large party that
reached Pernambuco We're brought
north on the steamship Pydna, which
arrived outside Philadelphia yesterday.
Their stories have not been told as yet,
however, for the Pydna was quaran-
tined at Reedy Island. The rest Of the
PernambucO party had to wait for
another nOrthbound vessel. The Pydna
took all that she could Accommodate
Viero's story, as told by him after
landing. was this
1--WE had struck a school of whales
on the morning of March II, and had
killed three. One was tied up alongside
and five barrels Of oil had already been
taken out Of him. Two others were
being towed toward the ship. 1t was
about > O'Clock in the afternoon when
my boat started a buster, a twenty
eight barrel fellow. He sounded, and
we went after him. / got him on the
rise with a harpoon, and got him good.
He sounded again but he came up
quickly.
'As he came up be saw the ship. and
he made for her like a torpedo boat
The line on the harpoon went through
the cleats like blue smoke and he
looked like a black streak. l had to
cut the line 10 save ourselves. The
Kathleen was only a quarter of a
mile away. and he hit her just a little
aft Of amidships. He just stove her
whole side in, and the ship went over
on her beam ends The whale gave il
slap with his tail and sounded. Thai
was the last we saw of him.
"The Kathleen went Gown in about
thirty minutes The captain had got
everybody off Dy. that time.
Il don't know how the other boat.
did, but / had a small cask Of water
and twelve pounds Of biscuit aboard
gave everybody little drink Of wate
and piece Of biscuit at 6 o'clock IL
the morning, and at 6 o'clock at night
We had a small jury rig, and by row
ing and sailing, we made Dominica il
eleven days. / don't want another tril
like it, We were pretty close to star
walton and dying Of thirst Our fooC
and water was all but gone when WI
got ashore. What we had had, hat
only kept US alive so that we coult
suffer. The American Consul took car
Of us at Dominica"
VierO is q big. rawiboned mulattO
His companions were most Of then
Yankees.-New York Sun.
Man-Eating Lions in Uganda.