Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-07-21
CAPTAINS STORY Of JOURNEY WITH A WHALE
r.. GIVES OFFICIAL VERSION
HARSTINE ISLAND TO OLYMPIA WITH "DENI
BEEN MAKING THINGS LIVELY
TWO WEEKS.

When the first reports reached
Olympia that a whale, 80 or 40 feet
long. had been seen disporting itself
in the neighborhood of Boston Har-
Dor a couple of weeks ago, a lot OF
the wise ones looked wiser and
smiled a knowing smile, but Nolney
G.. f. Young, master of the tugboat
NiZpah. knows there is such a whale
it escorted him all the way from
Harstne island to Buchanan's mill
last Saturday night And Young
isn't the only one who has seen it
the crew of the Mizpah bears him
out in his story of last Saturdays
escapade-but he has had the live
Hest experience with it of any so far
reported.
Topping off Young's story - and
it's coming-is the further report
deep" as the Colonel would style it,
amused itself around in oyster Bay
Sunday and that the crew of the
launch Lark took a couple of shots
at it on that occasion, without incur
ring any appreciate damage. 1t has
also been reported as showing up in
Mud Bay for a little sojourn and is
still wandering around in the upper
end of the Sound somewhere, Offer
ing possibilities of danger and dam
age to that portion of Olympia's
mosquito fleet that's moorcd o nights
in front of the camps down the bay.
Now for the Shippers Story.
But here's Young's account--the
official version of "The Tug Mizpah's
Adventures With a Whale:
Il submit the following as the
true narrative of our adventure with
a whale in Budd's Inlet on Saturday
night, July IS, 1916" the captains
story starts. ut was as thrilling and
exciting an experience, accompanied
by the many beautiful sights caused
by the most unusual phosphoric con-
ditons of the water. as l have ever
witnessed in my Is years experience
on the waters of Puget Sound, and
dare say it has never been equalled.
1--WE were en- route from Tacoma
with large barge loaded with lime,
brick, cement, sand and gravel tow
ing alongside, consigned to the Blu
chanan Lumber company of Olympia.
AS we were detained in loading sand
and gravel at the Steilacoom bunk
ers, we were proceeding slowly
against a head tide. Shortly after
clearing the south end of Harstine
island, which was at 9:10 p. m. ac
cording to the log book, we encoun-
tered dense fog. put the ting on
course for a point abrease the Doffle-
meyer light and Immediately started
the usual fog signals given by tow
ing vessels.
after sounding the whistle a few
times, was startled by loud noise
which sounded not unlike a sudden
escapement of steam in an empty
building. 1t echoed between the boat
and piles of cargo on the barge. /
asked the chief through the speak
ing tube to the engine room if he had
been responsible for the noise, but he
said no, that he had been oiling his
engines. Then he came up to the
pilot house to see what had on my
mind.
II started to relate what had hap
pened, when Mr.. Whale came up on
our starboard side within 80 feet of
us. 1t was the whale that had been
seen here for the past 10 days and it
was what had made the big noise l
had heard and must have come up
the first time just astern of the barge
on our port side.
The First Hours Program.
GAS it is quite out of the ordinary
to see whales in these waters, we de-
voted all our time to getting glimpses
of his huge black form in the fog, as
he would come up to blow and rear
out of the water on all sides of u.s.
He continued to act that way for the
first hour. Every time he went
down we expected would be the last
we would see of him, but that wasn't
the case.
ARRIVING off Dofflemeyer's point,
we came out of the fog and our
whale had evidently left us, but later
we discovered him swimming along
in the wake of the tug, not more
than 80 feet astern of us. Every few
minutes he would speed up and come
alongside the boat, at times as close
as 10 or Is feet. Here he would
sound and come to the surface and
of said estate. il is therefore. ordered
by the court. that all persons interest