Atlantic Ocean Full of Whales Again
fli'i
mi &jfi&&J3l ? -::
CARPENTERS AT WORK REPAIRING
(Copyright, ly02, by Julius V. Mullcr.)
IE
IT'S "WHALE" in New Bedford
again. "Sparm" are schooling
and Mowing In all the Western
Ocff.n the North Atlantic from
' the American coast tn the
Azores.
High bowed, with sturdy slump masts,
spoiling power In every rounded line, whal
ing ships art sailing In and out of Buz
zard's Bay once niorp. Bankers and street
railway directors, merchants and retired
gentlemen of leisure, come driving down
in smart rigs behind fast horses to the
wharves to get the smell of whale oil In
their nostrils once more the smell that
brines back to them the days when they
plied out of New Bedford as young boat
teerers and harpooners and ordinary
rew.
Tow.. nDunml.lt upminil th,i nllntnt rrnft
with ;he tryworl s amidshlp, with the great
bent wooden davits, black and uncouth,
bolted all along the greasy sides, and thov
stare cut toward the harbor's mouth and
wish.
They know that the old days of great
adventuring aro ended. They know that
petroleum and g:is nave made it unum-iy
that big fortunes will ever be made again
out of whale, be they plentiful as they
may, blow they ever so near the coasi.
But they see the few remaining whalers
come in again "full," counting their
catches once more by the thousands of
barrels. They see the old wharf at Union
street covered again with whale oil casks.
They see the Pcrtugee crews roll along the
street again to draw big money as their
share of good voyages.
New Bedford is a city of cotton mills
now. But. ah! the sea still beckons with
all its ancient mystery. The harbor's
mouth still shines, a gate to the Joy of
t he open or-an. And the rich, staid old
gentlemen almost.
"Think thev shall take to the sea again
To singe the beard of the King of Spain,
their king of Spain being a barnacled old
"sparm." a hundred-barrel fish. They
dream of hearing the cry of "Thar she
blows" once more; of seeing "white
waters" cn the slow, gray heave of th?
eternal deep.
New Bedford Is In a quandary. Of all her
noble whaling fleet of a quarter of a cen
tury ago, only a few vessels are now In
commission, and of those few the most are
schooners, not adapted to the long cruises
of two or more years that mean a "good
voyage." Ships cannot be adapted to whal
ing. They muBt be built for It. The craft
that must hold a huge fifty or sixty ton
fish alongside In a tumbling sea. hanging
on to the mighty bulk by main strength of
tackle and timber, must be built far more
massively than the ordinary merchant ship.
So now, with sperm whales playing off
ft
ore, with whales being encountered
,'lthin two and three days' sail from port.
the ancient whaling town Is unable to take
full advantage of Its new opportunity.
What ships there are bring In gold again
not so much as before the war, when
whale oil was worth dizzy prices, but
enough to make a good voyage mean big
profit. Even the schooners, able to remain
out only a few months and able to carry
only a limited quantity of oil, have been
coming home with from $5,000 to $6,000
worth of oil and whalebone. The schooner
Pedro Varelo a revenue cutter during the
civil war is in after five months with
$',ono worth of oil.
The bigger vessels have been doing cor
respondingly better. The whaling bark
Sunbeam, out only two months, has re
ported from Fayal that she has already ob
tained 650 barrels of sperm oil. She prom
ises to equal hfr recent record when she
arrived In port with oil and hone that sold
for $65,000. The bark Morning Star reports
from Fays! with 750 barrels taken In the
last six months. She baa been cruising
DARK SUNBEAM AFTER HER $u,000
since October 10, 1901, and has taken 1,300
barrels since leaving port.
A glorious old-time voyage has been that
of the fine old Canton, the oldest whaling
vessel in the world. It is lying at the Union
street wharf now, having discharged the
last 500 barrels of a net "voyage" that pro
duced 2,200 barrels of sperm oil In sixteen
months an exceptionally short cruise with
a result big enough to make even the old
whalers of New Bedford town admire.
Canton sailed the whale grounds of all
the seven seas long before the garish days
of kerosene. It carried the American flag
around the world long before many Ameri
can steamships were on the seas. It struck
whale in waters almost unknown to the rest
of the maritime world. And stout In every
timber, able as the day when It was
launched, with rlbp so well presered that
they chip fresh and bright under the ship
wright's adze. It promises to carry Its white
and blue house flag, with the black letter
"W" on the white and the red ball on the
blue field, the famous oM pennant of th
Wings of New Bedford, around the world
for many years to come.
They treat It lovingly. Scarcely were
the last barrels of oil out of It before th
ship carpenters were In It ripping up
planks and sheathing to Investigate Its
hidden timbers, replacing worn stuff with
new, overhauling It from stem to stern.
Since It was launched. It has been renewed
again and again from keelson to truck. But
never an inch or its old model has been al
tered. It swims today, as It swam more
than half a century ago, a typical whaler of
the far-off days when men built ships like
churches.
Its first whaling voyage was in 1841.
It was known as Canton II then, for New
Bedfcrd men owned a full-rigged ship also
named Canton. That ship was lost In 1852
off the Japan coast and only a few of It3
crew managed to reach Bhore, after weeks
of suffering In open boats.
The bark Canton Is only 226 tons burden,
but It looks as big aa a merchantman, for
It towers out of the water with bulky sides
and Its fat bowsprit Is almost aa big as a
mast. Its immense black timber davits are
as powerful and stout as the bent cranes
on a modern steel warship. As It Ilea at
the wharf now, dismantled, to rest until
It shall bow and courtesy to the ocean
rollers again. It needs little Imagination
to people its high bulwarks with the dead
and gone whaling men of a forgotten gen
eration. The log of Its voyage Just ended is a
story book. It was kept by an American
sailorman of parts. Its first mate, Arthur
O. Gibbons, whose fist wielded the lance
to search the "life" of a whale In the day
time and at night wielded the more gentle
pen with easeful simplicity.
He recounts how the bark cast off from
New Bedford wharf on Tuesday, April 18,
1001, and how on the next day nearly all
the crew became seasick. "So ends th's
day," he says. On the third day many
of the crew still were in that unhappy
condition, not rare on whalers, where there
always are a number of new hands and a
proportion of old ones who have become
stale with the land and need to get their
sea stomachs again.
The third day brought excitement enough
to cure them all for, though the ship wis
still near the coast off New Jersey, It sailed
smack Into a great school of mighty sperm
whales that hammered the water into white
ness as far as man could Bee. "Tuesday,
April 21, 1901," says the log, "sighted a
large school of whale. Lowered larboard
and waist boats. Waist boat struck a forty
barrel whale and got carted out of town
to windward. Turned whale up at 7 p. m.
and started to tow to vessel, but weather bo
coming very squally, let go. Bo ends thl
day."
The entry Is silently, but eloquently em
bellished with a picture of a whale's tall
VOYAGE.
Oil,
i ..... hmh.L
CAPTAIN FRANK LEWIS AND $1,400
WORTH OF WHALEBONE.
sticking cut of water. That means that the
result of the day's chase was a fluke.
But Canton was to make up for (bat first
fluke. The promise of the third day out
was richly fulfilled during tho cruHe, for
the bark found whale throughout the North
Atlantic.
It was a most uneventful voyage, So say
officers and crew. So says its handsome
young captain, Nicholas R. Vlelra. These
are some of the uneventful events:
A few days after striking the first whale
and being "carted out of town" by the swift
brute, the bark lowered four boats. At 1
p. m., the larboard boat ftruck a big whale
At 4:30 p. m., the waist boat got her Irons
Into one. The two whales during their
runs swam toward each other and the two
boats collided, and were hauled along belter
skelter. The fourth mate's boat, pulled by
strong arms, shot Into the second whale.
As quickly as he struck, the first mate cut
his line and got clear and both whales wcr
killed and brought alongside by 7:30 p. m.
One cf them produced twenty-five barrels
and the other thirty barrels.
In the mix-up the first mate got his
wrist badly cut by a sharp lance that was
sticking out of one of the boats. "The
captain." says the log briefly, "stitched
the wound." The captain had more severe
surgery than that to perform before the
voyage was ended. One day sperm whals
were "raised" at 10:30 a. m. The first,
second and third mate's boats were low
ered at once and they chased the big fel
lows all day long. It was hard work, for
tho whales were shy and hard to get at.
Hours passed and It was 6 p. in. beforf
tho third mate managed at last to strike
He got his harpoon Into a mighty one.
The Instant the Iron entered, the black
monster turned with the wallowing of a
warship and daBhed at the beat. Beforr
it could back away the whale had thrown
himself over on his side and sent his Im
mense flipper, bigger by far than the whole
wbaleboat, crashing down.
By the narrowest of chances, Just how
no man aboard could tell, the crew man
aged to get the boat far enough out of
reach so that the huge mass of gristle
pounded the sea instead. The shock of
that Mow s m he boat spinning dizzllv
as If It wejv i a whirlpool. When the
men could see a.;ain for spray and water,
they found the bn' steerer sitting In th
bottom with his arm 1 roken In two places.
Somehow the flipper had caught him. The
boat, though somewhat Injured In the flint.
t)
; i
-
t-L " ' 1
.'. -.-
, m.i. ..I-.. .. .mil imiMi m
AGAIN COVERS THE UNION STREET
was still fast ami the wha'e nulled oiT
at railroad speed. The first mute's boat
managed to get a harpoon into him as he
went by and and as it began to tow, tho
damaged boat rut loose snd reached the
ship. Then the captain set his boat stnerer's
arm. while the first mate fnught tho whalo.
For five hours the wicked creature battled,
trying again and again to crush the little
wasp that was stinging him. It was mid
night before his brave heart Tilled him and
the mate could bring hli boat near enough
to thrust the long lance Into the "life," the
place near the middle of the huge ninm
where tho vital organs are.
Another day there were "Whitewaters" all
around. Whitewaters are the foamy
patches made by the whales. The star
board and larboard boats lowered. The
starboard boat struck a male whale, only
seven barrels. The larboard boat struck tt
big fellow and whllo towing, the lino was
suddenly parted by being cut by one of the
keen killing-lances. Mate Sylvia lowered
a boat, struck him and got smaslxd by the
maddened whale almost at once. The star
hoard boat then struck a small whale and
got him. That clay there wi re many small
whale (blackfish) n round the boat, and a
great many of the swift killer whales that
attack the huge right whales with more
ferocity than sharks
A few days afterward there came another
"uneventful day." The bark lowered four
boats to chase. The starboard boat struck
a "very small whalo and capsized." The
next boat darted In anil fastened to the
whale and got him. The larboard boat
struck another whale, got caught by his
flukes and was badly smashed up. The log
gives a line to the episode and remarks
mournfully, with a picture of a fluke, "lost
whale."
Six daya afterward the bark lowered at
6:20 a. in. and chased a lone whale until
3:20 p. m. without getting near enough to
strike. The boats then started In with the
crews disgusted, when they found them
selves in the midst of a school of big sperm
whale. The starboard boat at once struck
a large bull. The larboard boat struck a
cow. Both whale were fastened alongside
by 8 p. m.
The next day the bark got four big
whales, each boat fastening to one.
A long day's work was when the look
cut raised a huge whale at 6 a. m. one day.
The boats were lowered at 7 a. m.. the lar
board boat struck at 8.30 a. m., the wbale
was In the flurry by 9 a. m., he was along
side and chained by his tall and fast to
blocks and falls by 10 a. m., by 11 a. m. the
cutting stages were rigged and the "cut-tlng-ln"
was begun, at 7 p. m. the last strip
of blubber had been ripped off with tho
tackle and the "case" had been cut out.
and at 11 p. m. the Area had been flaring
under the try works amldship. But no
one kicked at the labor, for this whale wan
the whaler's prize, a hundred barrel fish.
On February 6 the log briefly describes
another uneventful day by saying, "Iist
whale by third mate getting kicked over
board." They got three others that day.
The third mate apparently survived his
rudi treatment by the whale, for a later
entry In the log records that he enjoyed an
other serene and placid day by striking n
whale In the morning and getting capsized
on the whale's back. The second mate's
boat took the line and killed the fish. The
third mate tried to return the favor after
ward by taking the line from the second
mate when that man's boat struck a whale
and got badly "stove." But the line parted.
Seeing the wbale escaping, the captain him
self lowered, but the beast got clear before
the boat reached him. The literary mate
ornamented this entry In the log with an
extra large picture of a fluke.
The third mate bad another piece of
hard luck when he struck a very large
wbale and killed blm almost at once, the
big fellow taking the barpoona and the
WHARF AT BEDFORD.
lance thrusts almost as quietly as a cow.
But hardly had ho been killed beforo the
weather became bo wicked that even the
daring whalers could not hold on and tho
monster was luL afU-r all their work.
While the United Stalls was uniting In
anxiety as never before In twinly years,
watching the bullet ins fr mi ItulTalo where
the president lay dying, Canton, with her
crew all Ignorant of the tragedy, was fight
ing n tremendous gale between tho Azores
and the Capo Verde islands. Even the
Htif-restralnrd log records It b a "terrible
gale from the south with tremendous sens.
The vessel," kb.vb the chronicle, "was on Its
beam ends. Bored holes In two of the oil
casks and let oil run out to smooth tho sea
as much aa possible. Called watches all
down below and kept all hands In steerage.
Battened down forecastle scuttle. At 12:30
tho fore-topmast staysail blew out of bolt
ropes. Soon after starboard boat was blown
from davits. The sea took forward davit
and bearer with It. Breed cask was torn
from lashings and gangway board and rail
was washed on deck. Bread cask went
through gangway. Decks were continually
swept by seas making It dangi reus to iuovh-,
about decks. At 1 p. m. starboard bout was
carried away ami after davits also. Only
n little piece of stem and gunwale was left
hanging by the hook on forward davit.
Cook's slush barrel washed overboard at
2 a. m. Vessel was In trough of the sea
all tho time. So ends this day."
Holidays went unmarked on the whaler.
July 4 was celebrated by repairing a boat
stove In by a big fish. Ijist Christmas was
marked by Bwlft work on the part of the
crew of the larboard boot. Fifteen min
utes before sundown It was lowered and
struck and killed a whole before dark
Miss Lulu Lloyd
r
Tho subject of the above portrait Is well
known to many Nebraskaus and figures
quite prominently In muny philanthropic
and benevolently Inclined organizations.
Born and reared In Nebraska City, her ener
gies vibrate through local, county and state
Women's Christian Temperance union and
Equal Suffrage associations; at present as
assistant superintendent of the Nebraska
Children's Home society, with its multi
plied routine cf dutlis and Jurisdiction
reachlug over middle and western parts of
the state, Miss Lloyd scarcely needs an in
troduction to the general public. In the
realm of dramatic art many states and
iliautauquas claim her and this Is the main
spring of the present enthusiasm created
among the oratorical loving populace of her
own HastlngB district and Children's Home
society. Miss Lloyd is without question one
of the coining women of tbe state.