The Oregon scout., January 08, 1891, Image 7

CLAEA BELLE LEE.
l ROMANCE OF THE SEA.
"Written for Tiik Scout, by C. l Hinckley.
CHAITHR 1.
ft
HOWLING gale of wind on the
southern edge of the gulf stream,
on the oth day of Mnv. IS.'iO.
umo . o chick eigui uciit in
morning; watch en bcmrd the launch
now whale thij, Clara Belle Lee, of
Nantucket. The ship was struggling
through it, close lmuled, under clote
reefed forcmain and niizzen topsiils,
foretopmnst, staysail and forespencer.
The Clara Hello Leo was a new ship,
built on tho ship railway Sit Brant
Point, Nantucket, and was owned by
Charles Lee, a wealthy ship owner of
tho island, and named after his only
daughter. She was a live-boat ship.
Every boat has a crow ot six men and
is commanded by one of the mates,
who kills the whale after the boat
stcerer fastens to it. Now any land
lubber can kill a whale, for they lay
off from him a safe distance, and you
can shoot bombs into him until dead ;
but on the voyage of the Clara Belle
Leo we had no bomb guns, and whales
had to be killed by stout hearts, and
strong arms to ply the lance.
The ship was riding gallantly the
j! O - 1 1. i . it
heavy seas that were constantly hurled j
against her by the tremendous force of
tho wind, and as she would slide
down from the summit of one wave,
into the valley of water below, it
Boomed as though she would not be
able to surmount to the top of the next
wave coming towering aloft as high aa
tho fore top gallant yard. The ship
was only three days out from home,
outfitted for a two year's voyage to the
South Atlantic and Indian oceans and
the west coast of Africa, and was com
manded by Captain I'eter Coffin.
Capl. Coffin was one of Nantucket's
crack whalesmcn, and always made
great voyages. Mr. Charles Swain
was our chief officer. He was a Nan
tucket boy, only 25 years of age, and
belonged to one of the old families of
tho island. He was a tall, good look
ing man, well educated, witli brown
hair, white even teeth, laughing blue
eyes, and, taken all together, as hand
some a specimen of the true American
sailor as one would wish to see. Char
ley had fallen deeply in love with one
of tho island's fair daughters, sweet,
charming Clara Belle Lee.
Our second oflicer was a noticeable
contrast to Mr. Swain. He was an
old shellback, about -If) years old, stout,
deep-chested, with a tremendous roll
to his walk ; a line seaman and whale
man, but would never rise abovo his
present position, on account of a habit
lie had, when on shore, of crooking
his elbow too often, and, therefore
could not be trusted with tho com
mand of a ship.
Mr. Hussey was our third officer
and headed tho larboard bow boat.
There were two other mates, and with
tho boat-stecrcrs, carpenters, coopers,
blacksmith, cook, stewards and men
foward, comprised a crow of fifty souls.
At that time there were not many
steamships on tho ocean, and sailors
were a distinct class different from
tho steamship sailor of today. Of
course anybody can throw coal into a
steamer's furnaces, but in tho days T
write of, sailors had to know how to
Tig a ship from her trucks to her
keelson, and bo ablo to send tho royal
yard and iwast on deck in a gale of
wind, if necessary.
Tho ship being just out .from home
was making heavy weather of it. The
try works located beaft the foremast
was covered with cord wood, that in
tho hurry of leaving port had not been
stowed in the ship's hold. The hens,
pigs, and Teter the goat, wcro making
bad weather of it. The waves wero
becoming larger, and an ugly cross sea
was rising. Eight bells had struck,
and old Bill Francis an old man-of-war
man had just roared down the
forccaslloj J gangway, "S-t-a-r-b-o-a-r-d
w-a-t-c-h a-h-o-yl" when fi sea that
looked as high as a mountain, struck
the ship on the starboard bow and
swept on board, filling the deck full of
water, and went dashing madly to and
fro, sweeping everything before it,
cord-wood, lien coops, pigs, carpenter
chests, grindstone, and the riff raff of a
ship's deck, just out from home. You
could feel the ship quiver and shako
liko a human being in distress. In
tho height of tho confusion, tho iron
top gallant cap gavo away, and down
camo tho foro top gallant mast and
royal mast, hanging by tho back stays
and riggin', threshing and tearingaloft
and making a horriblo din. The ship
rolled eo in tho heavy seas, with tho
tons of wutor on hor deck, that the
larboard boat was unhooked from the
cavitts and swept off in tho darkness
astern, closely followed by Peter, tho
goat who as lie disappeared in tho dark-
mc and seemed to say :
can go to the devil, for
peace or comfort aboard of
you. I think I will go with tho gulf
stream for awhile, and see if 1 can
discover in the interest, of science where
it goes." But I do not think Peter
succeeded, for I believe that is an un
settled question yet, with scientists
Tl;e old man, all captains are called
the old man on board of ship by the
ciew, though ho may bo a younge
man than many of tho crew, cam
flying up the cabin gangway, clearing
three steps at a jump. Ho took
the situation at a glance.
in
"Wo must cet the shin before th
wind at once, Mr. Swain, and on
even keel or we will never bo ablo
clear away the wreck aloft. Aro any
of tho men lost?"
"1 believe not sir," answered Mr,
Swain, "but it is hard to tell in this
Egyptian darkness. All hands stand
b tho weather braces there, and haul
away lively, boys, as the ship pays off
Drop the foresail there! Hard up with
that whccll" and watching a favorable
opportunity, the foresail was dropped
and shcatcd home, by tho combined
efl'orls of forty men, though not with
out neaily blowing from the yard
The gallant ship paid slowly off before
tho wind and wont scudding away, as
though glad to escape buffeting with
the angry waves of the stormy gulf
stream
The pace was tremendous
fully twenty miles an hour. However
wc now made good weather of it. Tho
angrv seas would chase swiftly after
us but failing to overtake us
would break and fall awav, only to
give place to others, who seemed do
tormined on overtaking us, and leap
on I o.ird over the stern of tho ship
After one hour of hard work by both
watches in the fore riggin', the foretop
gallant mast and wreckage was cleared
and sent on deck, just as a faint
streak of light on the eastern horizon
showed that day was about to break,
I he last man from aloft was about to
jump on deck, when, glancing abend
he stopped, looked hard, and yelled:
"Breakers ahead!"
The Capt. gave one leap and landed
on tho poop. One glance was sufii
cicnt.
"Hard down! Hard down with that
wheel, for your lives, and be damned
to you!" he yelled in an agony of ex
citement.
One of tho boat-steerers standing by
jumped to help the men at the wheel,
and tho wheel spun around as, an
swering nobly to her helm, tho gallant
ship lulling up quickly, shot by, with
no room to spare.
A largo 2,000 ton ship, bottom up
tho wild waves making white water as
they dashed madly over her, the cop
per sheating on her bottom glistening
in tho darkness, the phosphorus in
tho water gleaming with a chill, dull
glare, producing tho same effect, on a
large scale, that rubbing a match on
your hand docs in the darkness.
"Meet her! Meet her with tho wheel,"
roared Capt. Coffin, "or wo will bo
aback and go down stern foremost!"
And I noticed his face, naturally
red, was as white as a sheet. Howev
er the noblo ship was soon scudding
away again as nicely as ever, and the
last wo saw of tho wreck was as it re
ceded from us astern, looking ugly and
grim as it disappeared in tho darkness,
It was a close shave. Nothing but
quick work and masterly seamanship
saved ns, for if wo- had run into that
sunk ship on that wild night in the
gulf stream, it would have been good
oye. wo soon wouiu nave gone
down the gulf stream with no ship
under us, at a speed of fivo miles an
hour tho rate tho gulf stream flows.
With the rising of the sun, the wind
went down, and by 7 a. m. eight
bells we shook the reefs out of
tho topsails. Breakfast being over
tho captain camo on deck, and after
looking around the horizon, said :
"Mr. Swain, you may give her the
top gallant sails. I am anxious to get
through the gulf stream, and man the
mastheads,"
As tho men jumped on tho rail to
go aloft, and the ship's crew being on
deck, Cajit. Coffin raised his voice and
said :
".Raise them up, boys. Ten dollars
and a pound of tobacco for every whale
tho lluke chain goes over, and $500 to
tho man that raises tho most whales
on the voyage, that we securol"
Bounties wero given in those days
to .encourage tho sailors to keep a sharp
lookout for whales. A man with a
good oyesight was a prize, and re
ceived better pay than others. Whale
men ship, not for so much a month,
but for a share in the voyage or "lay"
as it is termed. Thus a man receiving
tho "75 lay" has one barrel of oil in
every seventy-five barrels eaptured.
If they paid wages, sailors would not
euro whether they ever caught a whale
or not. Tho more oil the more mon
ey at tho end ef the voyage.
?'
By 10 a. in. there was only a whole
sail breezo blowing and tho ship had
sailed out of tho indigo colored water
of the gulf stream into tho blue water
of the ocean. Tho contrast was great.
The water of the ocean was alive with
fish, skipjacks, albicores, banitas, dol
phins, flying fish and also several
finchbacks swimming around.. We
saw several large pieces of squid float
ing by the ship. Sperm whales food
on squid, and it is a very good sign of
whales if you see pieces of squid
around.
"Lively ground! Lively ground,"
said Capt. Collin to Mr. Chadwiek who
was standing by, and puffing at a very
short black pipe. "Wc ought to see
whales soon now, that wc aro through
the gulf. Keep a sharp lookout up
there"
"Aye. aye, sir," came back tho an
swer from aloft.
However it was not until lato in the
afternoon before tho lookouts aloft
raised whales. A largo school of
sperm whales, off tho lea beam two
miles and a half.
All was now hurry and bustle on
board of tho ship. Tho boat-stecrcrs
and each boat's crew placing tho lino
tubs and craft into tho boats, and
swinging the boats loose from tho
cranes, ready for lowering. Tho offi
cers and men hurrying down from the
mast heads ; the top gallant sails and
all light sails taken in so that the ship
keeper's crew would bo ablo to handle
the ship easily when tho men were
away in tho boats.
Soon tho whales vcre in sight from
the deck, and a lino sight it was.
There was fully fifty of them in the
school, swimming along side by side,
going slowly to leeward, unsuspicious
of danger. Now and then a whale
would stop and stand on his head in
the water with his body two-thirds in
the air, swinging his immense flukes
first on one side and then on tho other,
making a complete half circlo of his
tail in the air. Tho noise of tho con
cussion when his flukes struck tho
water could be heard on board of tho
ship. Others were playing and shoot
ing their immense bodies out of the
water, their full length seventy-five
or one hun'dred feet and then falling
back on the water with a crash, niak
ing foam and white water of tho blue
water of the ocean for a long distance
around. It was a magnificent sight,
but wc had no time to view them
longer, for tho short-steam order of tho
captain rang out on the air, to hoist
and swing the boats.
Tho officers were grouped at tho
mainmast and wero preparing to go
into their respective boats when the
captain spoke up and said, "Mr.
Swain." Tho captain always address
es his remarks to tho first officer, and
mo oiner oincers unuersianu tno re
marks as addressed to them all. "Mr.
Swain, lower away tho boats, try to
fasten to several of them if you can,
look out and do not got stove, if you
get fast, work lively on them." "Aye,
aye, sir," answered our first oflicer,
lower away tho boats there." Thcro
was a grand rush for the boats, by tho
different crews. There is a great rival
ry on board of whaleships among dif
ferent boat crews. Every day's occur
rences aro posted up in tho log book in
tho evening by the first officer, and at
tho end of a voyago tho owners read
tho book and tho officer that has tho
most whales logged against his name
stands tho best show for promotion in
rank and "lay" on following voyages.
The five beautiful, light thirty-foot
clipper whaleboats seemed to strike
the water together. Tho boat's falls
wero unhooked and hauled on deck by
the shipkeeper's crew. Tho boat's
masts wero stepped, sails hoisted, and
with every man sitting on tho
weather gunwalo of his boat wo sailed
swiftly down towards tho whales. It
was only a few minutes after leaving
the ship beforo wo wcro in tho suds.
Our boat to tho larboard, Mr. Swain's
was slightly in the lead, and wo glided
swiftly in between two of tho monsters.
'Stand up Clay," said Mr. Swain to
liis boatstoercrs, "but hold your hand
until wo aro up abreast of his hump.
Take that big fellow on tho foro how 1
Now is your time I Give it to him 1 Bul
ly for you I Givo him your second iron 1
That's right I Slack away on that sheet!
What in tho devil aro you holding on
to that sheet for?" Tho last remark
was addressed to ine, for when the
boatstecrer fastend to the whalo it
seemed to mo as though tho boat was
standing on end, and instead of letting
go of tho sheet to the boat sail as I
should have done, I was holding on to
it with one hand for dear lifo, and
wildly brandishing a boat bucket with
tho other in my excitement. IIowov-
er as it was my first whale I was excu
sable. Our whalo had sounded and
the lino was Mowly going around the
oggerhead, snubbed up hard by our
boatsteercr. It kept one. man pouring
water in the line tub and en tho log
gerhead to keep tho rope from firing
the boat. The smoke camo in clouds
from the friction of tho surging rope,
The boat's head was dragged down to
tho level of the water, with her stern
high in tho air by tho heavy drag of
tho sounding whale. Tho stout, new
one-inch manilla rope was as rigid as
n bar of iron, as Cluv slowly slacked
away to keep the whale from taking
tlic boat down with him. Our line
was over two-thirds jjono from tho line
tub and still the whale kept on going
down.
Mr. Hussey was fast to a large whale.
His whalo did not sound but was going
to windward liko a house afiie, towing
tho boat after him at railroad speed.
Mr. Chadwiek was unable to fasten
to a whalo and pulled up close to us to
help if necessary.
"Is ho going to take your line, .Mr.
Swain," sung out tho second oflicer.
"I am afraid so. You had better
overhaul your line and pas it to me.
Work lively! work lively, Mr. Chad
wiek." "Aye, aye, sir," answered tho second
oflicer, and the waist boat crow pre
pared to pass us their line.
"Hold on, Mr. Chadwiek, we shall
not want your line," said Mr. Swain.
This countermanding of his first or
der was caused by our lino suddenly
slacking up, and wo know that our
whalo was about to come to tho sur
face. Soon wo could seo tho air bubbles
rising to tho surface and our whalo in
a few moments broko water not fifty
feet from the boat. A lino, large hun
dred barrel sp rm whale. Ho straight
ened i ut hi immon o ' o 'y and swept j
around in a half eirc o, closoly followed j
by anothor largo wha'o that had evi
dently sounded with him.
"Fasten to that loose whale, Mr.
Chadwiek," roared Mr. Swain in a high
state of oxcitomont.
"Lay me on, Clay Bunker! lay mo
on if you love mo! pull ahead boys!
bend your backs to those oars."
Our heavy sixteen-foot oak oars
seemed to bend doublo as, answering
nobly to our ollicers entreaty, wo
swept tho bow of the boat upon tho
whale's hump ai.d held her there.
It was all Mr. Swain wanted. With
a "bully for you boys!" he shoved the
long, keen, deadly lanco deep down
into the whale's body and kept it thcro
for a second or two, churning it
around in tho vitals of tho whalo. Soon
we nad nun living me red nag spout
ing blood.
"That will do boys," said Mr. Swain.
"Steam all, back water hard, away with
her, he is going into his flurry."
Tho dying agonies of tho whalo wore
awful to look at. Tho sea was dyed
with blood and white water for a long
distance around, caused by his strug
gles in his dying agonies. Soon ho
ceased to struggle, rolled over on his
side, cutting out his fin, and our first
whalo for the Clara Belle Leo was
dead. We gave three mighty cheers
for our victory, and then glanced
around to toe what had become of our
other boats. Mr. Chadwiok's whalo
was spouting thick blood. Ho did not
have to clear away a lanco for tho har
pooner's irons in fastening to him had
found his life.
Mr. Hussey was about thrco miles
up to windward with his whalo dead.
After about thrco hours hard work tho
whales wero alongsido of tho ship with
tho Uuko chains on them, and by 7 p.
m. eight bells in tho dog watch tho
cutting fall was upandoverything was
ready for cutting in at daybreak.
Mr. Chadwiek stood looking over the
ship's side at tho dead whales, surging
with tho nso and fall of tho ship at
their lluke chains. "So ends aii event
ful day," he soliloquized. "This morn
ing fighting with a terrific galo of wind
in tho gulf stream, vory nearly de
stroyed by a wrook; and this ovoning
with $ 12,000 worth of good spermaceti
alongsido tho ship. Such is lifo on
tho ocoan."
TO UK CON'TINUKD.l
Tho City Council.
A meeting of tho city council was
held at tho city hall on Saturday tho
'.id of January. Tho newly elected of
ficers wcro seated and the now mayor
delivered his message which wo print
el6owhcro in this paper. The treasur
er's report was referred back to him
for correction. Kncordor Thomson
was instructed to solicit bids for tho
city printing during tho ensuing year.
Merit Wins,
AVo iloslro to nay to our cltlzons, that for
years wo liavo been xulllng Dr. Kind's New
Discovery for ConHumptloii, Dr. Kin 's
New Life Pills, Bucklun's Arnica Salvu and
Klcctrio Ditto, and havo novcr bundled
remedies that sell as well, or thut havo dv
en such universal Ball action. Wo do not
hesitate to guarantee them every tinib,
ami wo Maud ready to refund the jnirchuso
price, If satisfactory reul do not'tollow
their uso. Those rumedloi have won their
popularity purely on their luerita. K. II,
lirown, druggist. Union, Oregon
t'iwi'ii lriTiirm n n
The Latest
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A Special!)
And None but the
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LL
m k .tr iv lit . j - ,
I I C I Iff! SMI I 3 1 Ul
i. F. J..M X. v ilx cm t
I'verythiiiK in the Millinery Line Constantly on Hand.
Ladies' hisses' and
Prices Chonnor than any other house in the county. Call ami lie Convinced.
Mrs. L . Kinchart,
BSP'KirBs lUittor and Wood taken in trade. Main Street. I n un, Or.
mnwnimn liiiiih u
F. M. SLOCU&3, Lessee.
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