Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-20
'HARPOON IN WHALE
NAY SOLVE MYSTERY
Initials Of Lost Ship Are on
Weapon Found in Mammal
Killed by Freighter.

PHILADELPHIA. August "a seven
year mystery may be solved through
mishap to the steamship Pallanza, hich
struck sleeping whale at sea while run
ming at full speed. nearly cutting the
mammal in two and disclosing a partly
imbedded harpoon believed to have been
used by the whaler James T. Duncan.
which was lost in 1903.
According to Capt. Fendts statement
when the Pallanza arrived yesterday
from Hamburg the huge freighter was
travelling at her best speed at 1888 am.
August II, when in the gathering dusk
what seemed to be a large shiny ROLLER"
doomed up ahead. The lookout had only
time to distinguish it and cry Whale
ho." when the Pallanza crashed into the
ponderous mass Of flesh and bone. partly
cutting 1t In two.
The whale awoke to the pangs of a
mortal blow, and with head and tail
dashed furiously at the vessels bow. upon
which it was securely impaled. For more
than a quarter Of an hour the Pallanza
lay at rest, vibrating with the mammals
dying struggles, while all on board gath
cred at the forepeak to watch the UNI
usual spectacle over the rail.
Lives for Half an Hour.
At length the whales pain began to d.
minish. until. half hour after it had
been struck. the doomed animal would lie
motionless for FIVE minutes on end. now
and again making a desperate, instructive
struggle just perceptibly more feeble
than the one before. Finally all struggles
ceased and with them all remaining life.
Nine of the crew were let down over the
bow to pry loose the huge carcass. This
was the work OF more than two hours, as
it was necessary to hack away pieces OF
the flesh before the inert mass could be
wedged free. In chopping at the animal
one of the tars struck what he thought to
be a spar, which proved to be a harpoon
when finally dug loose. Upon the end OF
the weapon was an iron band, stamped
with the initials u. T. D., 1902" 1t was
this that led Capt. Fendt to connect
the incident with the Inflated Duncan.
IAN inquiry has failed to reveal TO me
any other whaler with corresponding tni-
tials" he said, land as for the date. 1907
IL is quite likely that the captain OF the
Duncan had the harpoon made the year
before he sailed from Halifax with a crew
of seven men. never to be heard OF again
Probably Sunk by Blow Of Tail.
Il think it perfectly safe to say that
the Duncan drove this weapon into the
whale and was sunk in the struggle
which followed by a blow from the in
furiated beasts tail. You'd think so, too.
IL you had seen that whale die. The
whaler was only small vessel.
THE whale Was in n much higher latii
tude when II encountered the Duncan,
/ suppose. believe that this very ami
NAL sunk the Duncan, because il is a
very rare occurrence for a whaler to go
around sticking harpoons into their
quarry and then losing them. 1t seems
strange that this very whale, which was
the means of abruptly ending eight hui
man lives, should in turn die at the hands
of man after a lapse Of seven years.
II cut into a whale once before in 1892,
but this one had been dead for some time
and was merely floating upon the sur
face. The only effect Of that accident
was the unpleasant odor.'