The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-05


as powerful and stout as the bent
cranes on modern steel warship. AS
she lies at the wharf now, dismantled,
to rest until she shall bow and court
esq to the ocean rollers again, it needs
little imagination to people her high
oulWarks with the dead and gone whal-
ing men of q forgotten generation.
Her story Book Log.
The log of her voyage just ended is
a story book. 1t was kept by an Ameri-
can sailorman of parts, her first mate,
Arthur o. Gibbons, whose fist welded
the lance to search the life" of a
whale in the daytime and at night
welded the more gentle pen with ease
full simplicity.
He recounts how the bark cast off
from New Bedford wharf on Tuesday.
April 49,, 1901. and how on the next
day nearly all the crew became sea-
sick. so ends this day he says. On
tie third day many Of the crew still
were in that unhappy condition, not
rare on whalers, where there always
are number of new hands and a pro-
portion of old ones who have become
stale with the land and need to get
their sea stomachs again.
The thru day brought excitement
enough to cure them ALL for. though
the ship was still near the coast off
New Jersey, she sailed smack into a
great school of mighty sperm whales
that hammered the water into white
ness as far as man could see. Tuesday.
April q, 1901" says the log, sighted
a large school of whale. Lowered lar
board and waist boats. Waist boat
struck forty barrel whale and got
carted out of town to windward Turn
ed whale up at Z p. m. and started to
TOW vessel. but weather becoming
very squally, let go. So ends this day."
The entry is silently, but eloquently
embellished with a picture of a whale S
tail sticking out of the water. Thlt
means that the result of the DAYS
chase was fiuke.
But the Canton was to make I'D for
that first fiuke. The promise of the
third day out was richly fulfilled dur
ing the cruise. for the bark found
whale throughout the North Atlantic
1t was most uneventful voyage. So
say officers and crew. So says her
handsome young captain, Nicholas r.
Fiera. These are some of the unevent-
full events:
few days after striking the first
whale and being "carted out of town"
by the swift brute, the bark lowered
four boats. AT l p. IN, the larboard
boat struck a big whale. At 4:30 d.
m, the waist boat got her irons into
one. The two whales during their runs
SWAN toward each other and the two
boats collided and were hauled along
helter-skelter. The fourth mates boat.
pulled by strong arms, shot into the
mess and got her iron into the second
whale. AS quickly as he struck. the
first mate cut his line and got clear and
both whales were killed and brought
alongside by 1880 p. m. One of them
produced twenty-five barrels and the
other thirty barrels.
In the mix-up the first mate got his
wrist badly cut by a sharp lance that
was sticking out of one of the boats.
The captain" says the log briefly,
stitched the wound The captain
had more severe surgery than that to
perform before the voyage was ended
One day sperm whales were raised
at 1890 a. m. The first, second and
third mates boats were lowered at
once and they chased the big fellows
all day long. 1t was hard work, for
the whales were shy and hard to get
at.
A Fighting Whale.
Hours passed and it was p. M be-
fore the third mate managed at last to
strike. He got his harpoon into a
mighty one. The instant the iron en-
tered, the black monster turned with
the wallowing of a warship and dashed
at the boat. Before it could back away
the whale had thrown himself over on
his side and sent his immense tlipper
bigger by far than the whole whale
boat, crashing down.
BY the nGrrowest of chances iust
how no mar aboard could tell, the
crew managed to get the boat far
enough out or reach so that the huge
mass Of gristle pounded the sea in
stead The shock of that blow sent
the boat spi1.ning dizzily as If it were
in a whirlpool When the men could
see again foI spray and water, they
found the boatsteerer sitting in the
bottom with his arm broken in two
places. Somehow the ripper had
caught him. The boat, though some
what injured in the fight, was still fast
and the whale rushed off at railroad
speed The first mates boat managed
to get a harpoon into him as he went
| by and as 1t began to tow, the dam
, aged boat cut loose and reached the
| ship. Then the captain set his boat
stearer's arm while the first mate
fought the whale. For five hours the
| wicked creature battled, trying again
| and again to crush the little wasp
that VAS singing him. 1t was mid
night before his brave heart failed
| him and the mate could bring his boat
| near enough to thrust the long lance
into the life" the place near the mid
( die of the huge mass where the vital
! organs are.
Another day there were "whitewa-