Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-01-04
FATHOMS DEEP

north Of st. Helena the English bark
Empress came up from the south, and
the two craft remained in company
for three or four hours. The Empress
out capture, and crew and captain
were disguised. More than that, she
had been through severe gale and
had three men nurt and had lost sails
and topmasts. Captain Travers was a
fine seaman and an old whaler, but the
Empress had not even yet lowered for
q whale.
Two weeks later, just after we had
got in another whale and scrubbed our
decks and while we We're under easy
sail to the south of the island, we low.
cred for q school Of whales and got
two.
We were making our captives fast
to the ship when the Empress came
down on us from the east She was
now fifty-four days out, and i'll luck
still pursued her.
AS was third mate of the Sally,
had opportunity to discover the state
Of feeling aboard the bark. Her crew
was on the verge Of mutiny, and Cap
tain Travers had become alarmed for
the safety Of his ship.
He had been aboard us for a couple
Of hours talking things over when a
monster whale broke water within a
half mile Of the two craft. We put
the man aboard Of his ship as soon as
possible, but long enough before he
reached her his mates had lowered
and were away.
There were those aboard the Empress
who said that it was the same whale
which had been met with before and
had escaped them. At any rate, he
had a harpoon sticking in him and
was badly tangled up in a line. He
was rolling on the surface when both
boats came up and made fast at the
same moment. For twenty seconds
after being struck the monster did not
move a fin. Then he started off with
rush and made q complete circle
around both ships, leaving such wake
behind him that there were times when
we lost sight Of the boats in the foam.
Having completed the circle, the levia-
than slowed about until he was head
on to the first mates boat. He lay
for q moment, swinging his lower jaw
to right and left in a vicious way,
and then made a rush. The boat at
tempted to shoot ahead and avoid him,
but he caught her amidships with a
swing Of that terrible jaw and left
only fragments behind as he headed
between the two ships and went off
to the south. The second mates boat
was obliged to cut loose to pick up
the other crew, but three men, one of
whom was the chief mate, had lost
their lives.
When the extent Of the calamity be-
came known aboard the Empress open
mutiny resulted. The men demanded
that she head away for Bristol, and
two hours later she was homeward
bound. Never did more disgruntled
crew reach port. The owners at once
removed Captain Travers from COM
mand and gave him bad name, and
the crew had to dodge to escape arrest
for their mutiny. The bark laid up
for three months until the affair had
passed out Of public mind, and she was
then prepared for another cruise. She
had lost prestige, but there was no lack
OF applicants when she was ready for
sea. The new commander was named
Thorndyke, and on leaving port he told
the owners that he would return with
a full ship or not at all.
We in the Sally were cruising east
and west, taking whale occasionally,
when the Empress came down on us
for the third time. She had made the
trip from Bristol without sighting a
spout.
Two days later we sighted her again.
Neither craft had raised q whale mean
while, but as we were passing each
other within a quarter Of a mile and
exchanging signals mighty leviathan
broke water within a cables length of
the bark. He was so close to her that
We had no show and did not lower.
He was lone whale, and we no soon
er had him under our glasses than we
knew him to be fighter. He had a
half dozen scars on his head, and the
way he rolled about showed his tenn
per. AS he was head-on to us, he must
have seen both the ships as well as
the boats, but he made no move until
one Of the boats was close upon him
and ready for a dart.
The boat had made half circle to
get out Of his line Of vision and APP
proach him broadside on, but he heard
the approach and INDUCED in strange
maneuver. Few men ever saw a whale
back water, and there are plenty Of old
whale men who contend that he cannot.
This whale, however, backed dis
lance Of 100 feet, and with amazing
swiftness, too, and, striking the boat
with his fiukes, he killed four men
and reduced her to match wood.
Then he started straight for the En- |
press. and his rush was that of an