The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1903-04-24
4)haling Sndastry Revived 5
by Demand for Sperm Oil

There has been a remarkable revival in
the whaling industry The partial fail,
ure of the attempt to substitute minera!
oils for oil of the great sperm whale ana
the unexpected return OF schools or
causes New London. the headquarters
of the whalers, which for many years
was moribund. Is full of life again, and
old vessels and new are being ;eau nr0n
ments have been made in the whaling ap-
paratus old-timers insist the hand har-
poon is the best to use In striking the
biggest, fiercest and most valuable OF all
the whales-the sperm. The old whalers
don't take much stock In the rockets and
guns the men of inventive genius have
provided for use in place of the hand
harpoon. 1t is expected that this years
catch of whales will break the record.
The. United States government, after
experimenting with mineral oils for ma
chnery on battleships, has decided 1t
must have pure sperm OIL. Fifteen years
ago whale catching fell off. Three years
ago 1t gained fresh start, until now
every sperm whale caught is worth from
$500 to $4,000. and a small army of men
of all nationalities has turned its atten-
ton toward the fishing grounds of the
Atlantic.
Kipling says that 1.-THE strength of the
wolf is the pack, and the strength of the
pack is the wolf" The strength of a
whaleboat is its harpooner. One of the
victor Slocum. son Of Capt. Joshua Slo-
cum of Spray fame. whose abilities may
be gauged from the fact that his sheath
knife, reeking as it does with the moi
some whale oil odor. bears on the wooden
handle twenty-four hicks, each nick rep
resenting the capture and death of &
sperm whale in two years time.
In relating incidents of the chase of this
monster OF the deep sea Capt Slocum.
who was born on the ocean. and whose
keen eyes and 1.-the bearing attest the
NJ fhA ,1ytIl eN~A l.
essary to dart the iron true into the whale
in calm or storm. touched on many in
teresting points in the business. He said:
when a man steps into a small whal-
Ing boat along with the crew he takes his
life in his hand for the sperm whale will
fight for his life as he does for his food.
To strike the iron true we must be close
to the whale. and the harpoon must then
enter at right angles to his surface or the
tough hide will defect the point and the
whale will sound and escape. 1 have had
my boat sent right on top of one of these
monsters The sperm whale cannot see
directly in front or directly behind him
so he Is approached in either of these d.
rections. When the iron strikes he gen
press rtain, and then one of the collest
men In the boat is set at pouring bucket
fuls Of water on the smoking. seething
line as 1t pays out: l., The harpoo DO rroI IN
less. He does not hesitate to approach
the immediate vicinity of the sperm.
But once he has felt the force OF the
mighty fiukes, or, becoming entangled in
the line as the whale rushes away, Is
drawn fathoms down before he can cut
the line with his knife. and when blow
of those mighty f1ukes skaters MS boat
or an angry sperm cleaves his little craft
in two with one snap of his vicious Jaws.
he loses his nerve in many cases. He
becomes too cautious, and the first thing
he knows he is disrated and dRother mar
pooner takes his place.
81 was made harpooner in day, the
distinction being thrust upon me wnen l
Least p tbe Haeras MfI9 Grounds
field between Cape Hatteras ana the Der
mudas, several hundred miles in extent,
where the whales follow the course OF me
Gulf Stream, feeding on squid. The day
before our Portuguese harpooner had
missed a whale Suddenly. when was
before the mast. our captain called me.
can strike a whale?'
~ don't know, sir 1 answered
"'Well, by the Lord. you'll have
chance to try. Take charge of the star
II never had stood poised in the bow
of a small boat before then, with the iron
in hand, heart beating as we drew closer
and closer to our quarry. but | had heard
the angry roar of the whole boats crew.
Loose IRON. or the delighted. almost de,
nervous But took charge of the boat.
and next day 1 harpooned two, big fell
lows and my reputation was made every
and every one depends on the harpooner
to fill up the vessel with grease If he
strikes he is hero; If not, he is growled
at.
Nowadays the primitive harpoon still
is used to Secure the whale. Bomb guns
are used to help dispatch him, and hand
lances also, but the harpo . has not been se
They are small, light. unsuitable. and
every man in the boat 10 clad lightly,
ready for an upset or a stave-in. THESE
ri
lightly. .. =. about TX norsa
power in the fukes Of SPERM II was
only last season that an angry bull with
an iron in his side charged the park
Kathleen, one of the Wing fleet OF New
Bedford. He came at such speed that as
under the water line he stove In her
side, smashed the. timbers and ribs, and
the vessel sank like stone: NO whale
has been known to do this since the Es-
years ago.
sperm whales have a sense Of hearing
that is remarkably acute, and they have
a system of signaling to one another for
miles under water by sound. When
whale Is struck you will see the surface
of the ocean broken miles away as tho
great heads rise to the surface to take
bear The sperm whale is affection
ate Also but he is a mystery in many
ways, even to the Oldest whaler of the
fleets.
ndu an oAClIlliB iluO eib cNPaCSo tioih
speed last season behind bull whale.
who was in agony over the death of a
cen panion. We sighted huge seventy
fcoter as he came up to blow. We set
sail and glided over the water toward
him. Not sound is made in whale
boat when the chase is on. We darted
right on to this fellow, and l got fast
with two irons After a short fight he
turned up dead. But three miles away
the ocean was stirred. A black snout
appeared. and then another whale came
toward us like the wind, leaping clear
out of the water at times, preaching. as
we call it. in his career, leaving mass
of foam in his wake.
IT hastily bent on another iron and
awaited his coming. When almost on top
of us he swerved, Slowed around and
made for his dead companion. Reaching
him, he stopped. poked out his nose and
touched the snout of the other whale. At
that instant, as he lay broadsde toward
us. / heaved the iron just back of his
fin II you get the iron there II is i'm
bedded in the muscles and usually clamps
the whale.
but this fellow was of like a shot.
Our boat sprang out of the water. and as
he swan straight to windward We only
lift the top of the waves, so great was
his speed He plowed away for five miles.
Then. as he turned, we fred the bomb
lance into him. He shook all over trem-
ulously, then wheeled and darted again
TO his dead companion. turning as we
reachad him We pulled in the line till