The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-08
WHALES GENTLE AS COWS
NEW BEDFORD MEN DO NOT REGARD
THEM AS FIGHTERS.
one Captain Saw Only One Man Killed
I'm Thirty Years-The Whaler's Log
Kept with Pictures.


Kansas City Star.
man has to spend some time in New
Bedford nowadays before he can perceive
for himself that II was and is still whal-
ing town Trolley cars. a great deal more
handsome and convenient and much faster
than those OF vain New York, whisk the
visitor through the pretty city OF shops and
big buildings. The people one sees every
where are trim. lively business folk. When
an occasional whaler comes in a good pro-
portion OF the population wanders down to
the ancient wharves and gazes at the ship
with much curiosity and ignorance as
the visitor from far away.
But underneath the surface, whale still
permeates the real New Bedford. The WIS.,
itor who becomes acquainted with the pros
porous citizens soon learns to express no
surprise when a dignifed. elegant man Of
affairs breaks in the middle OF discussion
OF the latest novel or the newest phase Of
finances in Wall street to remark apropos
OF something that II reminds him Of the
time when he got the iron into a bull
sperm on the cape.
Drop into a modern busting establish
nent. and the chances are that a keen
business man who owns II can tell you all
about whales-right, sperm, bowhead, An
back and sulphur bottom-from personal
knowledge. Walk In TO the biggest cloth
ing establishment of the town. and in the
rear office you will see a row OF green
wooden boxes, each box bearing il the
name OF a whaling ship-several of them
vessels that were famous a quarter of
century ago, and all cruising somewhere
In far seas to-day hunting the old sea
kings.
The writer, visiting New Bedford recent
~. called on one OF the towns most prom
fnent men on a Sunday night. He found
him reading a history of whaling. For
three hours the man of affairs lay in his
chair and talked of great whales and great
ships-ships that long ago sank in unknown
seas OF were flung on strange shores or
smashed and splintered in the Arctic or
Antarctic ice. While he was talking a
rosy-cheeked middle-aged man, dressed in
the height Of style. dropped in. He was a
bank president After a few moments Of
conversation. he laughed:
Reminds me of my last voyage. I was
boat steerer and we got fast to a small
sperm. Well, sir. laugh whenever think
of it. When he went into his furry he
spewed much blood and water over us
that we couldn't see, and we recovered
only. just in time to save the boat from
sinking under US, she was so full
YOUNG OLD ONES.
The preservation of New Bedfords old
whalers is evidence that whaling is to be
recommended as a road to health and lon
gevity. One meets persons who look as If
they were In the prime of life. who will
talk feelngly and from direct personal ex-
perience of the Alabama and the Shenan-
doah. whose daring commanders pounced
like hawks on New Bedford whalers in
the Pacific and Atlantic during the civil
One fine and clipper young person,
who owns a shipbreaking establishment
near the wharf. shakes his head sadly at
the mountains Of iron junk and ship hard
ware In front of his place and hanks back
regrettully to the glorious time of 1850.
All, says he. you should have seen my
place then. Used to have junk piled up
from Union street clear away down TO the
waters edge. Sometimes would be
breaking up three or four ships at a time.
But those days have gone by
Wouldn't you like to go a-whaling once
more?'
times. that just will take one more cruise
and get the smell Of sparm into my old
nose"
He confesses to seventy years
Like the DID, are the new One doesn't
see the crews of whalers rolling through
the streets with the exception of an oc-
easional Portugee darky, who swings his
1.-THE, tall body along ike an old-time sailor
with sheath knife dangling at his hip.
The majority of the whalers, once off the
ship, hasten to put on the best of clothes
and the day after arrival one may rub
shoulders with natty young men in creased
trousers and patent leather shoes and styl-
fsh hats and never dream that a month
or two before they went smoking through
the south Atlantic in a narrow, filmsy boat
to go somewhere far away. The Portu-
guese. white and black. mostly white are
the whaling men OF New Bedford to-day
The owners like them. They consider them
more reliable than the American in point
of sticking to the ship and equally good a:
whalers.
Most OF them are young men and mos
OF them are impressively old in experience
There is Capt Nicholas Vierra, master o.
the Canton. the oldest whaling bark in the
business. He seems 10 be little past thirty
I'VE But with his last cruise he had com
pleted course OF thirty years of whaling.
Adventures? In whaling?" asked Capt
Nierra after his arrival with his last bis
catch of oil and bone Why. folk in New
Bedford get hurt and killed every day
ashore with cars and things Now IvI
been whaling thirty years and I never SAL
man killed excepting only once and thel
he didn't need TO be. The boat made fas
to whale and ne capsized il. All the mel
just made few strokes and climbed up oil
the whales back and waited there till tn
one fellow slid off too soon and wa
drowned before he reached the boat becaus
he couldn't swim.
GENTLE AS COWS.
Though I've been whaling thirty years
continued the captain. Il never saw a fight
ing whale till this last voyage. when
sperm whale struck one of the boats witt
his fiuke and broke the boat steerer's arm
Whales aren't fierce as a general thing
and they aren't very shy. To be sure. on
mustn't run at them so that the boat is il
range with their eyes. But generally Their
IS no trouble i'm bringing the boat clos
alongside of them. Most OF them big an,
little. take the iron as quietly as if the,
were cows. When they are struck all the,
want TO do is TO get away.
''Of course. the whaler must look out 70
fiukes. and. in the case of sperm whales
for their jaws. You take an ordinary whaI
and YOU want TO remember that his fiuke i
as big as that barn door. And our boat
are made OF light scantling-half-inch stun
We have EN- light so that we can easil,
patch them together again when they ge
broken by a fish. Well, when a fiuke lik
that comes down on such boat there ism
much left But the men don't get hur
often. When they see il coming they know
that the only thing 10 do is To spill them
selves out of the opposite side and swim
for IL. When boat is smashed the me-
grab for the oars and put them crosswis
over what is left of the boat Then the
safe until they are picked up
DO you find that men ever lose thei
nerve after their boats are smashed or the
have some other wild experience with
big whals?'
why, as TO that" said Captain Vierrs
bordering, 81 never heard of such thine
Mhalers don't think any more OF going 10
sixty or seventy foot whale than tina
would OF driving a cow home In fact.
and he laughed something struck hin
Il asked a boat steerer a few days ago
milk that cow OF mine there and he wa