Tales of the Sea

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 150, 16 June 1892, Page 2

Tales of the Sea

About two yearsrago the American whaleship Niger, whilst cruis&ig^aff the East Cape, caugf ht a larg^e spTenn whale, and in the process o^'Sciit^y^ in '", there was found embedded in the blubber the head of , » harpoon on which; was stamped the name the ship, which proved; ja be* that tof one of the old .English *$$&$ wjjich used to lrequ»'nt tliese^atera &tifa century since. Captain the master of the snip, brought the head of the harpoon .tq ; Auckland which was jas bri^hji as ,th 4 „j >n which it w^s thrown frpin'tJie |oat so many years : b'eTore/ .^A. case occurred in tlje Arctic' Ocean during thejast whaling isejiißjMi^V^te barque Helen Mar, a San Francisco ship, while cruising? >in ; that region, took the largest j Iwhaie* captured during the season. 'i lt; w^jiOa^olster bow head, i that .yioidfld"^4sOlbs of bone, and several^bwdred barrels of oil. As a rule bow heads only yield from MG.o:^o7lS©olbybf bone From the time iilie* , tpigfi^.!irniaial was sighted until it -had beetf kMed and towed to the' ship's^ side was just 25 minute^ about th^tiuickest work on record. ! ■ Dari^*th<*^offe£tion of stripping 96* phe' blubber^ the spade manipulated by tbs '.iniiitffijLJjfe the cutting struck a hard, uny)eidin| substance, which|,pn; being" exposed proved to be the iron fhaft of fan-<sld. style harpoon.- The find .waY<Bfe6n drawn from -..-its- fleshy -sh eat l/'ari'd passed^ on boafd, J where* it^wkfTex* amined with much curfosijj ( t>ysjt'b?e drew.. If was about three rl an|i. jfc)ia|f feet longj with' a slender #£$£$ £b%'.ween r its - broad, barbed I point ;«nd tbftjpole socket.: Deep in thtP^sßafr, atf' its" junction with ;tKS i^rbV^Wa? stamped the name J\ &ik^s9? in %he J . B. Morse was ytKi^^an}| a of?an old-time whalerArctic half a century ago. '^keb«J4 harpoon, which -mwSi&hHfryMen buried in the: • vbaM $f at least e S * he worse for its f WaasEe A few streaks or 'what lonic lilc^ mst were the only\ disfigurement, the ancient iron wa^rrob^i clean bj some of the H^aX3ij||^ and it is as fit for use now^as^ft day it was struck into the bow«head so many years ago. it wilt be sent, on to Nantucket , to be placed iri some of the collection of curios: madei.i bj whalers from fill parts of the watery worlds '■ ' ■■■•:■ '.- : f; '.'- lo Wil7i.\ I / . ■='■ - ■■■■; >>•■ •-.,•.•.> Hi