|
|
. . . .
the whale fishery.
If, among the perilous and adventurous occupations of a sea-life, there is one requiring more energy, activity, skill, courage, and patient endurance than another, it is when man, in a fragile skiff, comparatively a nutshell, defies and attacks in his own element the mighty monarch of the ocean, one of the fiercest and most active of all the finny tribes, the sperm whale. This enormous creature, as much a fish of prey as the shark, measures nearly eighty feet in length, and from thirty to forty in circumference; the head, shaped like a huge box rounded at the corners, and rising a little towards the neck, in some species forming nearly one-third of the whole. The tail, moved with as much facility as the whip of a wagoner, is horizontal, and from eighteen to twenty-four feet in breadth; while a tremendous lower jaw, from twenty-five to thirty in length, thickly studded with conical, curved teeth, ten or twelve inches long, is moved as adroitly as the tail, and both, when running on his side, with a power that would crush a ship, and a noise like thunder. To these irresistible faculties he possesses the agility of the salmon, leaping from the water, and – as the instance of the unfortunate American South-seaman in l821 – falling on the decks of ships with a weight capable of shattering or sinking the largest. This redoubtable animal wars not only with many other fish, but with some of the more peaceable of its own species, pursuing, attacking, and with its long sharp teeth, tearing the flesh from the carcasses of many of the whale-tribe. The ships employed in this trade to the South Seas sail at all seasons; they require to be in good repair, newly coppered, with three years' provisions of the best quality, and a liberal supply of sails, |
rigging, sea-stores, and antiscorbutics, the success of the voyage often depending on their ability to keep at sea. The coast of Peru and Galapagos Islands were, until lately, the great resort of these fish ; but, with a singular instinct, they have abandoned those shores, and taken to the coast of Japan, the Feejee, Navigation Islands, and the Indian Ocean. During the passage out, the crews, from thirty to thirty-five, according to the number of boats in each vessel, are employed in preparing the latter and their gear; for, on entering the trade winds, or even off the Western Islands, sperm whales may be met with. The boats are usually from twenty-three to twenty-eight feet long; sharp at both ends, like a canoe, with six men, five rowers and a steersman, and capable of carrying seven or eight hundred weight of whale-line and other materials. The instruments of attack, are the harpoon with a barbed prong, and a lance. Lookouts are placed at the mast-head; and when a fish is seen, it is made known to the deck by the cry of "Town oh! "Where away?" is the demand, which is answered by denoting the quarter it is in. The course of the ship is directed towards it, and the boats prepared for lowering; when near, they are off in an instant, and skim the sea with the fleetness of the dolphin. On approaching the fish, great precaution is necessary, generally pulling up in her wake until near, but steering clear of the sweep of the tail until abreast of the shoulder or fin, and then closing, the harpoon is struck before the hump, at the moment, if possible, when the animal is diving, the skin being at that moment more tight. When this is done, the boat is sheered off, clear of the convulsive play of the tail, which is thrown about with great violence, with a tremendous noise, and lashing the sea into a perfect foam. She now either sets off at full speed, or "sounds," that is, goes perpendicularly down. In the former case the boat is towed behind at a tremendous rate, the people sitting perfectly still, as the least motion would risk the loss of the boat and all on board; in the latter, the line must be veered unchecked around the loggerhead, a round piece of wood, ten inches in diameter, fixed in the stern of the boat – this operation requiring much skill, is not the least dangerous. If the fish is large, a signal is made by tossing up an oar or hoisting a flag, when a second boat comes with more line to bend on in case of need. After a time, the animal comes again to the surface, blowing and spouting up the water many yards, which at a distance looks like smoke. A fresh attack is now made, the boat already fast hauling alongside, and with a lance nine feet in length, including pole, commencing to probe her between the ribs, after each thrust withdrawing the instrument She now begins to spout blood; the water, and sometimes the men and boats, being covered with it, all the time cutting or dipping her tail, to the great danger of the boats, which require much management to keep them clear. In the last convulsive agonies, she runs round on her side in a circle, clashing her lower jaw, and shortly after turns up, and generally dies with her head towards the sun. She is then towed alongside, secured, and the ceremony of cutting-in is commenced. . . . .
|
|
Source.
"The Whale Fishery"
Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, May 21, 2025
|
|
