Whale Stories.NO. I.—DESTRUCTION OF A VESSEL BY A WHALE.
A remarkable story is related of the ship Essex, which belonged to Nantucket, an island lying off the coast of Massachusetts, long celebrated for the enterprise of its inhabitants, in the whale fishery.
This vessel, commanded by Capt. Pollard, sailed from Nantucket in 1820, for the Pacific Ocean. On her arrival at the place of her destination, the crew began to fish for whales, and for a time went on prosperously. One day, the seamen harpooned a young whale. In this species of fish, the affection of the mother for her young is very strong; and, on this occasion, that affection was exhibited in a striking manner.
Having discovered that her child—if we may so denominate it—was killed, she withdrew to some distance from the ship, and then, rushing through the water with great violence, drove furiously against the stern of the vessel. Such was the force of the shock, that several of the timbers were loosened, and the vessel pitched and reeled, as if struck by a whirlwind.
Not satisfied with this exhibition of her displeasure, she retired again, to the distance perhaps of a mile, and then, shooting through the waves with incredible swiftness, came like a thunderbolt upon the bow of the vessel. The timbers were instantly beaten in, and the ship began to fill with water. Scarcely had the crew sufficient warning to throw themselves into the boat, before she went down.
This transition, to the seamen, was as distressing as unexpected. Just before, they were all animation; but in a moment, as it were, a dark prospect spread before them. A wide, heaving and perilous ocean lay all around them. An open boat was their only hope, and hundreds of miles separated them from land.
In such a situation, what could they do? For some time, they momently expected the return of their exasperated foe; and in such an event, the “dark unfathomed caves of ocean,” they were sure, would be their grave.
But a merciful providence protected them from the anticipated danger. They saw no more of the wrathful monster. But, nevertheless, they suffered much, for many days, from boisterous weather, but more from the want of both food and water.
At length, one day, their weary eyes caught the sight of a distant ship. They instantly made sail towards her, and, fortunately, were descried by her crew. They were taken on board, where they were kindly treated; and after other vicissitudes, which we have no time to relate, reached their respective homes in safety. Surely they that go upon the wide ocean see great wonders, and often experience wonderful preservation!
In the year 1822, two boats, belonging to the ship Baffin, went in pursuit of a whale.
Of one of these boats, a seaman by the name of John Carr was harpooner and commander.
As they pursued the whale, it continued to flee, until, at length, it mingled with a vast shoal of other whales, which they estimated at not fewer than a hundred. Fearful of alarming them, without being able to strike one, they remained for a time motionless.
At last, one rose not far distant from Carr’s boat, upon which he ordered a pull for it. At this time, the fish was approaching them, and on passing, the whizzing harpoon was imbedded deep within its body.
In an instant following, the whale shot nearly with the rapidity of lightning by the boat, and in so doing jerked the line out of its place over the stern, and threw it upon the gunwale. This caused the boat to dip, and nearly to fill with water.
It was a moment of great peril. Carr, who was a brave and active seaman, seized the line, and endeavored to relieve the boat by restoring it to its place; but, by some circumstance, which was never accounted for, a turn or coil of the line flew over his arm, dragged him overboard in an instant, and drew him under the water, never more to rise.
So sudden was the accident, that only one man, who was watching him, saw what had happened; so that when the boat righted, which it immediately did, though half full of water, the whole crew, on looking round, inquired what had become of Carr.
This was a sudden and awful exit from the world. He had not time even for a single exclamation. The man, who saw his removal, observed, that it was so quick, that, though his eye was upon him at the moment, he could scarcely distinguish his figure, as he disappeared. How painful to hear of such a sudden and unexpected summons of a fellow-being from time into eternity! How important to be prepared for death, since, when we least expect it, we may be called to our final account!
It may be added, that when the crew had in a measure recovered from their consternation, they applied themselves to restore things to order. In the mean time, the wounded whale rose to the surface, upon which a harpoon from theother boat was thrown, and several lances were applied; but it was all in vain.
The awful catastrophe, just witnessed, so wrought upon the minds of the seamen, that they had no spirit to follow up the advantage which they had gained. The whale was suffered to remain some minutes unmolested, till, having recovered a degree of energy, it burst away by means of desperate efforts, and effected its escape.
During a voyage of the ship Resolution, in 1806, in pursuit of whales, in a very high latitude, one was discovered at some distance, upon which a boat put off for the purpose of capturing it.
Before coming up with it, it dived; but soon again making its appearance, the crew succeeded in plunging a harpoon into its body. The wound being less severe than was intended, the whale in its rage struck the boat at the stern with its tail, and knocked the steersman overboard.
As the line in a moment dragged the boat beyond his reach, the crew flung several of their oars towards him, for his support, one of which he fortunately seized. The ship and boats being at a considerable distance from him, the harpooner cut the line, with the view of rescuing him from his dangerous situation.
But no sooner was this done, than they discovered that they had but a single oar remaining in the boat. The wind was high, and with only one oar it was impossible to reach their comrade. Signals were made to the other boats, but it was a long time, owing to their distance, before they could render any assistance, although the crew strained every nerve.
At length a boat reached the now exhausted steersman. He was stretched out upon the oar, but was past exertion, and almost devoid of sensation.
Having taken him in, they pulled for the ship. On their arrival the poor man was found to be in a truly pitiable condition. His clothes were frozen like mail, and his hair looked like a helmet of ice. He was immediately conveyed to the cabin, his clothes taken off, his limbs and body dried and well rubbed, and a cordial administered. These attentions being paid to him, he was put to bed. After a few hours’ sleep he awoke, and appeared considerably restored. But the shock which his constitution received proved to be greater than had been anticipated. In a short time, he again appeared among his fellows, and engaged in his ordinary pursuits; but many months elapsed before he was perfectly restored.
In the year 1810, a vessel, called the Aimwell, while cruising in the Greenland seas, discovered several whales, one of which was harpooned.
It is usual for a whale, on receiving a wound, to sink; but this one dived only for a moment, and came up directly under the boat, which it struck with its fins and tail, upset it, and immediately disappeared.
The crew, consisting of seven, were of course tumbled into the sea; but they contrived to get upon the bottom of the boat. The waves being high, and the lines rolling about, caused the boat itself to roll so much as repeatedly to dislodge the poor seamen, and plunge them into the water. Four of them, after each immersion, recovered themselves, and clung to the boat; but the other three, one of whom was the only person who could swim, were drowned, before assistance could arrive.
At length, the four men on the boatbeing rescued from their perilous situation, the attack on the whale was renewed, and two more harpoons struck. But having been greatly irritated, and not materially injured, the exasperated creature put forth a surprising exhibition of power. Its lashing of the deep was terrible. On every side, the sea was in a foam. In rage and agony, it burst away, and clearing itself from the flukes of the harpoons, it made its escape.
A similar story is related of a boat’s crew belonging to the Henrietta, during a voyage in 1812. A fish which was struck very near the ship, by a blow of its tail stove a small hole in the boat’s bow. Every individual shrinking from the side on which the blow was given, aided the rocking of the boat, and both together caused it to upset.
With great effort, however, the crew got upon the bottom of the boat, and could immediate assistance have been rendered, they might all have been saved. But the line, which was still attached to the harpoon in the whale, became entangled in some part of the boat, and it was drawn under. A part of the poor fellows went down with it, and were seen no more. Two only arose; and, although greatly terrified, and soon nearly exhausted, they succeeded in buoying themselves up, till a boat from the ship reached them and took them in.
The whale fishery is sometimes carried on in the vicinity of large fields of ice; and when the weather is fine, and the ships lie in a secure place, it proves an agreeable and profitable business.
In these extended sheets or fields of ice, air holes abound, at which the whales make their appearance, and blow or breathe. When one is observed in this act, the men hasten across the intervening ice, and attack it with lances, with the intention of driving it out into the open sea.
In the year 1813, the ship Esk lay by the edge of a large sheet of ice, in which there were several thin places, and some holes. In one of these a whale was seen sporting in fine style. Immediately, a party repaired to the spot, and harpooned it. At once, it dashed away, and continued to run till it had dragged out ten lines, or two thousand and four hundred yards.
At length, being unable to continue longer under water without breathing, and yet not finding a convenient hole in the ice, it broke through, and reared up its head where the ice was not less than a foot thick. Having taken breath, the monster pushed forward, ploughing up the ice, and rolling it up in mighty furrows on either side, until at last it reached a kind of basin in the field, where it floated on the surface without any incumbrance.
The harpoon was still in its back; but it was momently expected that it would become disengaged. What should be done? The creature was highly exasperated, and not materially injured. It was dangerous to approach to it; and yet the prize was too valuable to be lost.
Added to this, the party had no other harpoon at hand. The only alternative left them was to abandon the pursuit, or to cut the harpoon from its back, and imbed it still deeper.
This being made known to the party by the officers, a young man stepped forward and offered to hazard the attempt. It was a daring experiment—a hundred chances to one, he might fail, and be carried by the maddened monster under the ice. Several remonstrated, and attempted to dissuade him from the perilous enterprise.
But he would hear to no remonstrance; and having pulled from his pocket a large jack-knife, opened it, and passinground to the edge where the whale lay, leaped upon its back, and in a few seconds liberated the harpoon.
A fellow-seaman now ran to his assistance, and likewise leaped upon its back, held up the line, while the other, raising the harpoon, drove it deep into its flesh.
Before they had finished, the monster was under way. But, straining every nerve, they leaped, and dashing through the water, seized hold of the ice, and once more obtained a firm footing.
Smarting under his new wound, the whale plunged against the ice, which it continued to break for some distance, when, exhausted, it gave up the contest, and sunk to the bottom of the water. It was subsequently hauled up, and proved to be a whale of the largest class.