Year: 1874

tam Bay.


The fishing season has opened earlier
than usual this year at South Amboy,
and the piscatory inhabitants are con-
graduating themselves on so suspicious
a commencement IS the capture of an
enormous whale. Last week Job Spain
saw, a short distance from the shore,
what appeared to him to be a sloop bot
tom upward. The water was not more
than five feet deep, and the supposed
boat had grounded on an oyster bed.
While Spain was speculating as to the
probable fate of the crew, the object
began to move perceptbly, and several
Jets of water were thrown into the air.


Job rushed TO the house of Capt.
Roberts and surprised that mariner be-
yond measure bv assuring him that
there was a whale in the oyster-bed A
single glance at the dark, glistenjng
mass, rising four feet ont of the water,
assured the experienced captain that
the seizure vas indeed a levlathan ot
Iarire .IlIiIt; lsIolS. hard aground. Arm
ing himself with gun, hatchet, ard
a considerable quantity of powder and
ball, he jumped into a boat and started
upon one of the most remarkable fishing
excursions within the range of his ex-
perience. Arrived within a few yards
of the monster, he took a steady aim
and planted a ball under its fin. The
bullet sank beneath the skin and a Jet
of blood spurted out, but for all the
effect produced upon the whale the en-
terprlsing captain might as we'll have
fired into the trunk of a tree. How
ever, he tried a second shot and a third,
and continued to practice upon the crea-
ture until its sides looked like a target
after a German shooting festival. he
thinks be would have finally have slain
it had his ammunition and daylight
hello out, but in the absence of any more
lead he seized his trusty Ratchet and
prepared to renew the contest at close
quarters.


Again and again that murderous blade
sank deep into the side of the monster,
and every stroke was followed by a re-
sponsiye spasm. 1t was warm work,
and though the captain has few equals
with oyster-tOngs, after he had cut 3
hole in the creatures side about four
teen isches long by eight wide and a
foot deep he was glad to rest. The
whale vas apparently as fresh as ever,
and showed no signs Of going into his
final furry, though he evinced an over
whelming desire to get off the oyster
bed


Meanwhile Bloodgood, having heard
of the event, had not been idle. He
had gone to Samuel Ney, the village
blacksmith, and made him blow up his
fire and manufacture a stout iron spear
ten feet in length. With this formida-
BILE weapon hot from the forge, he was
now seen approaching the shore accom-
panied by Noy. Capt. Roberts saw
them coming, and renewed his onset up
on the whale, enlarging the hole several
inches, but failing to kill the crea ure.
The blacksmith evinced an amount Of
cool discernment in the face of danger
not unworthy of his French nan.Sake
of martial renown. He directed Blood
good to spear the whale In the hole made
by the captains hatchet The hint was
acted upon, and four feet of iron sank
into the whales blubber. The struggle
was not long in doubt after that. With
the skill of Arctic voyagers, the three
men l1ept ont of reach of the. monster
in his dying g furry and inSten min
rovboats IN SOUTH Amboy couid have
towed him off the oyster-bed, but a
steamtug fastened hawser TO him and
dragged him ashore, where the urlted
efforts of the inhabitants hauled him
out of the water.


The whale was found to measure 49,
feet IN length, 9 feet through the body,
and thirty feet in circumference. NIhe
hea / was 10 feet long, and the tail II
feet. The g,lIs, from which the whale-
bone is produced, were 90 feet long.
Before night it was all cut up and the
blubber tried out. Much of the oil was
lost, but it Is estimated at least twenty
barrels remain, which viii realize about
$3.50. The whalebona IS worth 500.
When the remains We're being taken to
the fields to be buried, two yoke Of oxen
were hardly able to drag the upper
part OF the head, and one yoke were
fully e1nnloXed in removing the snOut.