The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-12
CAPT. jim MCMILLANS TAME WHALE.
AN UNUSUAL FISH STORY.


party of Seamen discussing
the particulars of the Chinese diff
Guilty.
Without waiting for an invitation,
the speaker opened up with his story
as follows: Captain Jim Mcmillan
was a retired sea captain who moved,
with his family, to a small island
down the bay neal Deer Island, n.
B., and under the protection Of the
Canadian flag. The island had a
small harbor in which was a used-up
weir that in former years had gath
cred up herring and other salt water
fish so common in Passamaquoddy
Bay. With a few weeks Of repairing
the brush enclosure, Captain Jim had
the weir in good condition again for
the first catch of fish. He arranged
the gate for the high u of tides and
went home to await returns.
They were not long in coming, for
the next day, when the veteran went
off to investigate his newly-repaired
weir, he was very much surprised and
delighted to find an immense school Of
fat-locking herring leisurely swim
ming around the inside and evidently
enjoying the place. The fish were un-
able to get out as the gate was closed,
and there was considerable satisfac-
ton in his first catch, since the fish
had been rather scare in the different
weirs near and the herring We're in
good demand by the sardine factory
owners at the neighboring places.
Here was a lucky catch, indeed. as
he could quickly find a ready market
for these large-sized herring at East
port, where they would later find a
place in one Of the big smoke-houses
or be used as mustard sardines.
"The captain made a visit to East
port a few hours later, told Of his
supply of herring alive in the weir and
soon was offered a fair price; in fact,
looked upon the lot of herring as
worth 500.
when Captain Mcmillan returned to
his Canadian home down the bay a
few hours later, he was happy and
his hopes ran high.
"'We'n have plenty to eat when l
sell this lot of herring said he to his
wife, who met him on the beach, and
I'll buy you a new dress before I come
back from Eastport, sure y short
time later in the day he got into his
boat and pulled into the weir, when
his hair stood on ends as he saw a
very large and black-looking object
resting on the water in the narrow en-
closure.
1T looked like the body Of a big
snake and the aged seaman thought it
might be the famed mythical sea SER
pent he had 81 often read about, but
had never seen before. Before he
could leave the interior the big fish
began swimming around the enclosure
in a circle and it did not take Captain
Jim long to get on the outside and
drop the big gate in place. His weir
full Of herring a few hours before had
been eaten up or gone through the
several small breaks in the side of
the enclosure, made by the fish, and
this was enough to cause the captain
to utter a few oaths, since no one was
near at the time.
HE watched the big fellow a few
minutes in silence, then said slowly,
that critter cost mo 500 sure, and he
may be worth that amount if I can
get him-dead or alive, but the latter
If possible He was not long in find
ing out that the fish he had captured
was a very young whale, and since it
was n of unusual length and very
slim, might be taken for q big snake
at a distance as the parts of the body
came into view. 1t was not an easy
matter to capture the fish alive with
out assistance, and determining to
make the best Of his recent mistor-
tune, Captain Mcmillan set out for his
home to inform his wife Of the whales
visit, and what had become of their
catch Of herring.
1T was a big disappointment, but
she cheered him up with the remark
that even a dead whale was worth
something The skipper went across
to a neighboring island for help. later
returning with two boatmen and q
long coil of rope with which they ex-
pected to capture the whale alive. Re-
.peated attempts were made to get the
cope under the mammoth fish as it
swan around inside the weir, but it
was impossible to get near enough and
finally the men had to give up the at
tempt.
"'There is only one way to get the
whale landed safely on the beach, that
I know Of said one Of the men, and
that's to build on to your weir A lit
tie explanation followed, and it was
decided to extend one corner of the
weir like the two fences of a lane, up
on the beach to high water mark,
then drive the big fish on shore where
it could be captured when aground and
helpless.
"Work on the extension began that
day and continued for three days, then
the lane vas completed all but one
thing. How to make an opening for
the whale to find a false escape up
the beach was q question for the fisher
men to solve, and it looked like an
impossibility. One of the boatmen
finally hit on a plan of lowering
down a gate at the end, after
removing enough Of the brush weir
at that place, and then to hoist it out
of the water again. II required sew.
eral hours Of hard work to construct