The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-05-08
WRECKED BY A WHALE
Remarkable Adventures Of the
Kathleen's Crew.
ALL SAVED, INCLUDING A PARROT

ALL SAVED, INCLUDING A PARROT
Mate Tells How a Big Bull whale
Charged and Sank the Bark In
Observation-Disclosures of the Party
Lived For Eleven Days In Open
| Boat.
Hobart r. Reynolds, mate Of the
whaling bark Kathleen, wrecked by q
whale a thousand miles east Of Bar
bados on March II, tells a thrilling
story OF the event, which compelled the
crew to take to boats to- be picked up
later by three different vessels. landing
the sailors recently in New York city
and in Philadelphia, says the New
York Evening World. Three hundred
whales were sighted on st. Patrick's
day, and all hands except Captain Jen-
kins, his wife, the stewards and the
cabin boy started in pursuit. Four
boats were soon fast to the monsters.
The first boat, under command Of Chief
Bowman Manuel de Viaria, towed it's
whale alongside the Kathleen and
made fast Then bull whale was seen
a mile away, and the boat went in pur-
suit
1.-THE t1il was soon reached, and a
harpoon was planted in it's head" says
Mate Reynolds. 1.-THE animal sounded
but not very deep, and then started
straight for the Kathleen. The bull
travelled so fast that the line, singing
through the groove, set the bow of the
maddened whale charged into the
Kathleen amidships Oh the starboard
side The whole side Of the bark was
crushed in, and she began to fill
"Viaria chopped the line. and his men
pulled for the side. Meanwhile the cap
tain, steward and cabin boy had hur-
sfedly tossed some biscuit and break
er OF water on deck. while Mrs. Jen-
kins fetched her parrot, which had sail
ed with her for eight years. As Via
ria's boat came alongside the woman,
the captain. parrot, steward and boy
had just time to drop in the provisions
and themselves before the Kathleen,
with the dead bull made fast to her
port bulwark. sank.
1.-THE first that personally knew that
anything had happened was when, tow
| ing my catch in the darkness, sighted
q boat under sail and was hailed from
| it.
"sIs that you, Reynolds? Yes, SIR
Are you fastY Yes, SIR Cut loose
The Kathleen has been sunk. This is
Captain Jenkins"
1.-THE captain picked up Murray and
Nichols. the fourth mate, both Of
whom soon came up, and all four boats
were in a bunch. First the people were
90 distributed that there were ten souls
/ in each boat. In the captains boat
there were eight men, Captain and Mrs.
Jenkins and the parrot.
1.-THE captain gave each boat twenty
pounds of hard tack and four and a
half gallons of water in open buckets.
When daylight came, there was not a
sail or a boat in sight Of us. tried to
drink some of the water. 1t was salty.
A breeze springing up in the night had
dashed the spray over the gunwale and
made the fresh water brackish.
81 set a course west by north. Barba-
dos. bearing $50 miles, as near as /
could judge, in that direction. We start
ed away on that course and after sail
| ing half a mile overhauled another
boat, which proved to be the captains.
He divided with me what fresh water
he had left. The two of us logged along
In each others company until a. M,
when the captain sighted a smoke,
which proved to be that Of the collier
| Borderer from Baltimore for Coronel,
Chile She took us aboard.
"'I have got two more boats drifting
around here said Captain Jenkins. AL
| right said Captain Dalton. I'll look
| for them
"He picked UP the third boat after
little, but although the Borderer circled
around in widening circles for forty
miles she could not find Viaria. and we
went on to Pernambuco."
| 81 lost the rest of the boats" said
Viaria, because I had agreed with
| Captain Jenkins to exchange signal
flashes. Once in the night I saw the
captains flash and thought was fall
| ing behind. then cracked on so fast
that outsailed the fleet and, having
only eighteen pounds of bread and four
and one-half gallons Of water, conclud-
ed had no time to waste. So crowd
ed on for Barbados eleven nights and
days.
EVERY morning and night l served
to each man about tablespoonful Of
| water and half biscuit. 1t was hot at
the last, and we had continually to
soak one another with sea water. 1t
was good weather, with the exception
| Of the last five days, into Dominica
| The Kathleen was an old boat, hav-
| ing been built in Baltimore in 1874.
Congress For the Blind.
| In spite of the labor riots and prep-