The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-02-25


Who Has Been a Whaler for Thirty
two Years.
s&&&s - - = e = = y = = = =
whaIer. When We get into the whaling
grounds the lookout IS intense and IN
RENTING, for II is upon that that the
success of the cruise largely depends.
when a whale il sighted Il de-
ponds somewhat on his actions how
MANY boats are lowered. If he seems
TO be moving slowly and keeping pref
" well to the surface perhaps only two
boats are lowered. But IL the whale
seems 70 be moving about. appearing
| first in this direction and reappearing
| IN another and again IN third, all
/ the boats viii be lowered, as the
/ chances of some boat getting him viii
! thereby be increased.
/ - The old fashioned way Of throwing
/ the harpoon into the whale Is still
/ considered the best by most whalers-
/ In order to successfully harpoon al
/ whale the boat must come right up on
the animal The sea Is usually rough
/ and the boat Is therefore b0bblng up
/ and down and it is no easy matter 10
| hit the animal with the harpoon- gun,
It Is much easier 10 throw the har-
| noon into the animal We use a har-
poon gun sometimes which Is thrown
| into the whale Just as an ordinary
harpoon Is. II consists of a gun barrel
| and on the side Of the barrel IS tht
| regular harpoon. the point extending
about fourteen inches beyond the muz-
zIe of the gun barrel. There IS aisc
/ a steel rod alongside of the barrel the
end of it extending not SO for beyond
the muzzle as the harpoOu does The
| gun is loaded with a bomb filed witt
high explosives. Ignite and that SCR
of thing. When this Is thrown proper
" the harp00n penetrates the body o.
the whale as far as thu force given 4
will carry it, When the steel rod
mentioned strikes the body Of the AMI
, nal il Is pressed back and strikes
percussion cap which fires the gun. Ih'
bomb Is shot into the body of the whal'
, and after a certain fraction Of min
| ute. expl0des. killing the whale. Wheel
all this goes off according TO program
II Il verv well Bat that doesn I al
ways happen. and 50 the good old ham
/ harpoon stiIl continues its usefulness
With each harpo0n goes about 80
fathoms Of line This Is about TWO o
TWO and a quarter-inch line CsualI
there IS 200 fathouas Of line in one tut
and LOO fathoms IN another Assum
ing that the harpoon has been We
thrown. the first impulse Of the whal
as soon as he feels the weapon in al
body Is 10 throw himself about. and
IS at such times thar boats ara smash
ed and men thrown into tbs Hate1
Then usually the whale goes dow
Q and the rope has to be paid out Tt
/, ! whale does not go straight down. bu
at an angle going forward as well a
i downward. The rope is paid out by
@ i turn around the post and in paying
cut the boat has 70 be watched tia
= il is not lowed too fast through IN
water nor otherwise endangered b
T Il Is paid out pretty fast. ard wate
= has 10 be thrown on It constantly Z
the turn - keep il from burning 4
g the first two hundred fathons Is pal
: out. the third hundred Is bent on
q the second, and as that is paid OF
= other boats are signaIed, and as OF
Z Of them comes up It's line IS bent 9
and Il takes up the chase, the fr'
u one dropping ont have seen thrt
boats in succession come up, ths lin'
Of each Of them being bent on
turn
Ie some whales go 70 greater dept
than others. and some remain belo
longer than others. In uy own =
uerlezce I have known whale ID r
main below for an hour and tEen'
minutes. The length cf line paid o.
does not indicate the depth 70 wf5t
- the whale has gone Suppose FF1a
: has gone down two hundred fathoEz7
= II has gone On in advance great Dc
= mere than that. But while he Is r
s ing the lire IS sein going down.
follows his course. Nd matter vi
that course Is.
~Tha sperm whale occasionally 2
:, tacls a boat Once sa my oEn exp
= arience this has happened Evident
= ar~agsd. the whale attacked Grsr o
- boat. smashing t. and then ssco'
"a one. ard then attacked the ere y
- in By coed eartuns ve were able
a. are bomb into htn1. which expo
ag lals1 him and saved Is. Ia
heard Of si-i}ar experiences oT14
have had, but they are not 5f-ezs 3