Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-06-12

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alert whatemen were usually able to
"starn ALL" or turn aside, in time to
escape. But the instant the harpoon
touched the gray whale it turned like
a flash to fight.
Guns for shooting whales were al
ready in use on some of the whale
ships. The projectile was a shell tnat
exploded in the whale with deadly eff
feet. But in the ordinary fishery the
gun was never used, until the boat
had been fastened to the whale by
means of a harpoon thrown by hand,
and even then the whalemen pre-
ferred the hand lance unless the whale
turned to fight.
In the gray whale fishery these
guns, which were fired from the Shout
der, were used from the first. If well
especially If quickly-handled, they
served the purpose. But so many boats
were knocked out Of water by these
lighters that the gray whales soon
came to be known as the devil fish,
and by that name they are now called
In the books. 1t is a significant fact
that many of the whales were cover
ed with scars from wounds that had
been inflicted with the stone and w.
ory weapons of the Eskimo and other
Indians; and many of Inese crude
weapons were cut from the blubber OF
the whales that were saved.
American whalemen had shown
/ themselves to be among the most con-
sentative of any class of workmen in
the country, but when they had fully
comprehended the danger in the gray
whale fishery they began to look
around for some new-fangled notion
that would make their pursuit less
dangerous. The darting gun now in
use in the Arctic fishery had not been
invented at that time, but the whalers
from the Scotch ports used a harpoon-
throwing gun, that was so big and
heavy it had to be mounted on
swivel. This gun had been useful
along the Arctic ice because of its
range. The Greenland whales were
so shy that it was difficult to get with
in hand-throwing range. While the
gray whale was comparatively easy
to approach, what its hunters wanted
was a method of striking that would
enable them to keep out of range of
its ready tail, and the British gun
proved just the thing.
The barrel of this gun as described
by the maker was three feet long and
the bore had a diameter of an inch
and half. The projectile was two
barb harpoon of steel-pointed iron
that was inserted, butt first. in the
muzzle of the gun. The shank of the
harpoon was slotted, and in the slot
was a ring to which the harpoon line
was attached. The charge of powder
used in the Greenland fishery was six
drains. The lock was of the old
hammer style. enclosed in a brass
box that usually protected it from the
spray. The trigger was pulled by
means of a cord. The weight of the
gun was seventy pounds. When this
gun was fired, the harpoon flew, point |
first, dragging the line behind it, to a |
range of forty yards.
Special Harpoon Adopted.
In adopting this style of gun the
California whalers made harpoon of |
their own. Instead of two barbs it |
had only one, and this one was made |
in separate piece which was affixed |
to the shank of the harpoon in such |
a way that when fired from the gun |
the barb lay close beside the head of |
the shank. After it had entered the
whale, however. and a strain was |
brought on the line, the barb turned |
around the end of the shank, form |
ing cross like T. 1t was thus firm
ly anchored in the whale. The charge
OF powder used in California was four
teen drains. The line was made of
manila fibre. as soft as silk.
Having a gun that would throw a
harpoon to a range of forty yards, the
whalemen had space enough between
their boat and the agile gray whale to
enable them to dodge-usually-an
thus they found time for using the
deadly shoulder gun.
The Pacific Coast fishery was neon.
liar in the ferocious character of the
whales that were most numerous. and
in the use of these swivel guns. No
where else in the United States have
such guns become fashionable. An.
other popularity in the fishery at the
shore station was found in the fact
that the crews in most cases were
partners and not employees of one
man or company, or. rather it should
be said that they were at once own.
ers and employees.
When a whale was saved" each
man received LAY" In proportion to
the work he had done. Thus the men
who pulled the oars received a "lay"
Of from one-sixtieth to one-seyen-
tieth of the product The men who
steered the boats received usually
while the men who struck
The whale with the harpoon had from
to one-twentieth. 1t is
10 be noted that the harpoon throwers
VINO used the mountaineering guns, or
the hand lance when fast to a whale
that did not fight.
In the ordinary whale fishery. the
harpoon thrower. after fastening a
whale to boat went aft and allowed
The man at the steering car-always
one OF the mates of the ship-to go
forward and finish the killing. The
members of the Shora station o,o, |