The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-03

| SpIenQlds a~e-Splrlng leap ne lnIS" MS
whole vast bulk high out of the water
and landed again In a torrent that shot
| up fifty feet and drenched those aboard
| the Pumas decks
| Suddenly his keen little eyes sighted
the Puma. There. there, he knew, was
the thing that had given him the awful
pain. He backed of. measuring the dis
/. lance. Then he charged, slowly at first,
| but gaining Roadway at every stroke Of
| his mighty tail. He was coming like a
locomotive
Full speed ahead yelled the captain.
The bells jingled. Out shot the Puma.
and the big thing rushed past the stern
| like an express train. Then for two
hours the whale chased the Puma. but
clever handling saved her and the poor
| thing, mad with pain, and madden with
chagrin. believing majestically was beat
en- at its own game. One blow from his
| tail and all would have been up with the
| Puma.
Look sharp there" yelled the captain
Then as a trout brought to bay on the
end of the hook, the monster tried other
tactics. Main strength gave way to cum
ming OF he went with the speed of a
race horse. Ali the slack was gone. Sud
denly the Puma sprang madly in the
wake of the wallowing whale.
Get ready TO cut loose,' was the yell.
On, on they rushed across Placentia
Bay. The Puma s engines were churning
full speed astern all the time; the wind
lass was grooming and shrieking. 1t was
all the time paying out and taking In the
slack that the moment made necessary.
Prize money to all if we save him.
cried the captain. and the hardy men
OF Newfoundland set TO work with a will.
Land faded from sight and the day
began to fail. But still that mighty man.
moths strength held out. At times. the
log they let out astern showed the Puma
TO be making thirty knots. and all the
while her engines were backing her away,
to tire out the sooner the big whale that
was pulling frantically through the tum-
bling seas.
Not a soul dared sleep II was all
hands on deck all the time save those
who were needed for the engines and the
ireroem. Time and time again the whale
rounded to and made for his tormentors.
but every time the engines were started
fellows head unframed
A slack In the tawline was the warning
Then the bubbling from below, and they
knew he was hurting his vast bulk
straight upward from the depths. One
blow from that snout meant shipwreck
and death.
Mile after mile they rushed along. The
whale tried strategy. He dropped straight
down and let his entire weight-it was
eighty-seven tons-hang on the line, jerk
ing madly all the time. It was a stout
hempen hawser sound and true. and
never once did it break
But the tremendous weight was almost
too much for the Puma. More than once
her head dipped down dangerously. the
rail- all but under water There was
man stationed all the time al the wind
less, axe in hand TO sever the rope in
case the danger point be passed.
Close call, that" gasped the bowman
when one mighty jerk pulled her down
so far that one tiny wave swept inboard.
Then the Puma bobbed up again like a
cork. Night came on and then another
day and further across the deep coursed
the whale. with the plucky Puma fol-
lowing close behind.
For twenty hours the mad race kept
or across Placentia Bay, and ST Pierre.
AIiquelon. was in sight. They had gone
100 miles. Suddenly the big thing floun-
dered into the shoals. He scooted off at
an angle, heading straight for Cape Race,
seventy eight miles away, and with many
zigzags between. Another night fell and
another day dawned. Still the giant ceta
cean was full of fight. Again he ran into
the banks. and. doubling up his course,
started back madly from whence he came
-Placentia Bay
The third night fell and the third day
came. And now the battle royal. There
on the deep ship and whale fought 1t
out inch by inch for thirty-six hours.
Had it lasted much longer the Puma
would have been forced TO give it up.
because her coal was fast running low.
and she was far from land.
But there were signs of the end The
monsters strength was ebbing fast. With
all of the weight of the steamer behind
him he was barely making three knots
by the third day. Worn out with the
gallant struggle he had made, at last he
rose 10 the surface for Il rest. He was
all but exhausted.
The cruel cannon was ready for him
again as he lay helpless on the waves
Another bomb was launched,n this time
with truer aim. The big fellow, after all
his gallant fight died instantly, and the
fight was at an end. In another hour
claims were fixed to the mighty carcass
and the Puma was towing her we'll
won prize TO the oil factory at Rosarue.
There the giant soldier OF the deep was
soon reduced TO oil and fertilizer. worth
s.. zoo.
He vas the biggest whale captured on
Newfoundland He measured 81 feet from
snout to tail. weighed s. tons and was
old beyond cslculs ton. In his grizzled
TANKS were the scars of half a dozen
harpoons which had hit but which had
failed 20 take him in the days long since
bygone.
A BATTLE TO THE DEATH WITH 4
MONSTER OF THE SEA
IRON The Cruise Of the Cachalot." by
Fink T. Bullen-Puhlished BY D. Apple
ron and Co.
The whale started Of TO winwsrd with
Us at tremendous rate. The other boats
could do nothing TO hep. 50 we went
alone, with barely a hundred fathoms Of
line in case he should take it into rs
head 10 sound again. Tho flying spray
drenched us and prevented Us from see
ing him. but I fully realized that Il was
nothing 70 what We should have 10 put