Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-07-27
WHALE HUNTING
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


III English was as good as the kings.
He was big and muscular. with rare
combination Of weight and witness.
His face and eyes were stern enough
when he shouted orders from the
bridge, but, when playing the host in
his cabin, as merry as a Santa Claus
without the whiskers. His skin was
tanned by the salt spray and burned by
the sun of every degree of latitude
where ships have ever been. He had
caught whales in every sea, from the
Persian gulf TO Baffin's bay; and few
years ago he abandoned the old way
OF New Bedford and all romance-the
three-year-long, round the world
cruise in a sailing vessel--to try the
adaptation of steam to whaling. For
the big brick oven on the deck to boil
the blubber (which all remember who
substituted a permanent factory for
refining the oil. located on the north
ern shore of Newfoundland. From this
he steamed out TO the whaling grounds
each morning and back at night. rare
ly without a prize. For the old method
of throwing harpoon by hand from a
small boat he substituted harpoon
gun from the bow Of his whaler: and
with these improvements conducted q
business that will soon make the few
surviving New Bedford sailing whalers
as obsolete as wooden plows.
Ia IN III. L..
narrow cabin from his own. and
dropped 20 sleep as he finished tale
strangely like Kipling's Three Seal
ers," OF fight between rival crews for
a dead whale in the 0khoisk sea. Only
a minute later, il seemed. bumped
my head against the top Of the bunk
10 the quick awakening Of an excited
Norwegian craft cry from the top OF
the companionway. Thecaptain leaped
from his bunk. He waited not for
shoes nor for other clothes than those
he selpt in, but bounded up the steps.
shouting orders as he ran. While !
dressed could feel the quick stopping.
the short advances and retreats Of the
engines. and | knew we were stalking
game. When ! reached the deck the
captain had one hand on the gun.
swinging it about on lie pivot. With
the other he was making signals to the
engineer to stop, TO 20 toward little.
or TO 60 back. Following his eyes.
caught sight Of our game. 1t looked
like a huge, cigar-shaped piece of
smooth. shiny Slate-colored India rub
ber, rising at regular intervals 50 that
four or FIVE feet Of his diameter and 30
feet Of his length showed like mound
on the smooth water. With alternate
rising and dipping he was gliding
smoothly forward. without apparent
exertion, but with tremendous speed.
and in a perfectly straight line. We
were approaching him from behind at
an angle. SO that his course and ours
were the sides ofsV
The captain on the raised platform
in the how. following with the mouth
of his cannon the course OF the whale.
was the personifcation Of aler,neSs
The crew were grouped behind him as
eager and expectant as IL they had
never caught whale before One Of
them touched me on the shoulder and
pointed silently mile away, where
dozen other whales were spouting fine
columns OF vapor. When ] turne
again 10 our whale he had risen once
more, and we were within 10 feet of
him. Every person on the ship was in
q state OF tiptoe alertness suddenly
came the crash OF the gun. Isaw a hid
eous red rigxOg cash on the broad side
~ the whale; ! heard the rumbling
roar Of the time bomb at the point OF
the harpoon exploding in the whales
vitals. On deck there was convulsive
pandemonium, The captain. in the de-
lirium ot the hunter at the death Of his
quarry. was shrieking shrill stAccato
orders. The crew were leaping to their
posts, suddenly I felt the bow OF the
vessel give a Jerk beneath me, then
tremhle moment. and slowly zip.
The whale Mad gone straight down
ward. The r0~- attached 90 the har-
poan shot ovcv tbc bow so fast that the
eve could not follow. where IL touched
the wood a curling column Of smoke
arose The windlass spun rouud ike
a boys top, II humwef 'ni buzzed
with the noise OF hyin motive j