Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-07-13
SOUID AMI WHALE
,c.D,rlrht. "a 81 c. .. LewIs. ]

Ranrnl IN tue btte tNNfNt
c.,sutta 10 Liverpool. when calm
,ell upon the sea and all night long we
- without farther molten than the
sesxe OF the ground swell. When
,,orn,ug came there was no sign OF
Ind and the watch was washing
sown decks when strange thing hap
tened. :.
The brig was suddenly lifted up and
,hrown on her beam ends, and strug-
cling out from under her bottom. but
SeId alongside on the port side, came
= whale sixty feet long and a gigantic
enid or octopus. The whale had one
II the squId's tentacles in his mouth
and was tearing at 10, while the seven
others we're wrapped around him like
40 many ropes.
BEFORE We had recovered our wits
,he brig was on level keel and under
xsy again, and never DID craft have
stranger tow. The squid released
two OF bis arms and attached them to
he forward keel Of the brig. while tho
others held even tighter than before,
and away we went through the water
At the rate OF FIVE or six miles an hour.
the whale doing the towing and the
saud acting as tow rope.
when the big fish found himself fast
alongside he was terribly frightened.
add. as for us, we didn't propose to
run ans risk to chop him loose From
a In, sfse. ~ "a
night we were tovef to the south and
almost in straight course Twenty
different times in that interval the
whale tried to break away, but his
efforts, though tremendous. were al
wars In vain. At 10 o'clock he hard ex.
hausted himself and lay without mo.
ton for over two hours.
What he would do when he recover
ed his strength and had time to think
things over was a question of serious
import to us, but we could do nothing
but wait. Heretofore he had not used
his tail. one blow OF which would have
smashed in our bulwarks for dis
tanee Of thirty Scet, but there was no
telling what he would do when he
started OF again.
Aloag about midnight, when all was
quiet and most of the watch were dog
tng the ieviathan suddenly tried TO
sound. There was light enough TO see
hin plainly, and the mate was looking
over the side at the time. Failing In
bis efforts TO get his head down and
his tail mp. the monster became thor
onghly mad. He dashed the sea with
his tail. rolled from side TO side, and
now and then he would lift his head
and shake IL as deg shakes hat.
The blows Of his gigantic fiukes were
awful. and had he swung
In on us he must have sent the brig
10 the bottom In short order. He work
ed away for half an hour before he
gave up. and IL amazed us to note the
strength OF the grip which hcId him
fast. The arms OF the octopus were
IKE wire cables The whale worked
away like steam engine before he
would realize his helplessness, and
then he went away TO the south at a
pace that was recorded in the log at
ten miles an hour. The run lasted
about fifty minutes; then the pace
proved too much for him, and he slack
eued down about one-half, and be kept
at that till long after daylight
There were three ships In sight as
day broke, none Of them being over
four miles away. and as we were seen
to be moving along with all sails furl-
cd and almost against the wind all OF
them slgnaled to know what was
wrong. AS we could not signal the
sentence. I'VE are being lowed by
whale" we had 10 leave their curiosity
unqualified. We were being lowed dead
on 10 the coast OF Sumatra, and as no
effort OF ours could alter things the
captain ordered the boats provisIoned
and made ready for Che worst AT high
noon, with the brig making steady
four miles an hour. the island of Mas
was hove up over the bows, and at 4
O'clock in the afternoon was only five
miles away. The, whale held for 1t as
IL lie intended 10 run ashore hut ~
tTo miles distance, in water about fif-
VII AGtk dttHt ht rNkNN& AbNA Va a.
reef and was held fast while the brig
ran on TO him.
We saw what was coming and took
to the boats, but it was close shave
from being ssvamped by the heavy
seas kicked up. AS the keel of the
brig hit the whale he hammered her
until he knocked her bows TO pieces.
The reef caught her keel at the same
tine, but after being held fast for
moment she surscd over IL to sink like
stone in the deep waters beyond.
The whale rested after his frantic
struggles, and the blood which stained
the sea proved that he was badly hurt
After half an hour or so he made of
to the west, dragging a lot OF wreck
age after him by the tnngle, and after
watching him out OF sight we pulled
ashore at the village OF Wember, with
ship and cargo a total loss. and no
man having saved anything except the
clothes on his back.
AS for the giant squid. we all saw