Bark Kathleen sunk by a whale

by Thomas H. Jenkins

I stood on the port tack a while and then tacked. When we got braced up the dead whale was one point off the lee bow. I saw we were going to fetch him all right. Mr. Nichols had wafted his whale and was chasing some more. By that time, about 3 p.m., the lookout called out that the three boats to leeward were all fast. Of course we were all glad to hear that. I ran the ship alongside of the dead whale and after darting at him two or three times managed to get fast and get him alongside. Just then it was reported that the boats to leeward were out of sight. That worried me some so I told the cooper to get the fluke chain on the whale and I would go aloft and see if I could see the boats.

At this time Mr. Nichols had given up chasing and was coming on board. I got up to the topmast crosstrees and sat down. I then heard a whale spout off the weather beam and glancing that way, saw sure enough a large whale not more than five hundred feet from us, coming directly for the ship.

Mr. Nichols was then alongside, just going to hoist his boat. I told him there was a whale, a big fellow, trying to get alongside and to go and help him along and he did help him along. He took him head and head and did not get fast. I don't know why. He certainly was near enough, the boatsteerer said too near, and did not have a chance to swing his iron.

Instead of that whale going down or going to windward as they most always do, he kept coming directly for the ship, only much faster than he was coming before he was darted at. When he got within thirty feet of the ship he saw or heard something and tried to go under the ship but he was so near and was coming so fast he did not have room enough to get clear of her.

He struck the ship forward of the mizzen rigging and about five or six feet under water. It shook the ship considerably when he struck her, then he tried to come up and he raised the stern up some two or three feet so when she came down her counters made a big splash. The whale came up on the other side of the ship and laid there and rolled, did not seem to know what to do. I asked the cooper if he thought the whale had hurt the ship any and he said he did not think so for he had not heard anything crack.

SPERM WHALING—THE CAPTURE

Mr. Nichols was still trying to get to the whale when I thought we had no business fooling with that whale any more that day as the other three boats were out of sight and fast to whales and night coming on, so I told him to come alongside. "What for?" asked Mr. Nichols, "the whale is laying there." I said, "Never mind the whale but come alongside and hoist the boat up as soon as you can." He did so and I told him to get his glasses and come up to masthead and see if he could see the boats. His eyes were younger than mine and he soon raised them. Just at this time one of the men went to the forecastle to get some dry clothes and he found the floor covered with water. He cried out and then I knew the ship must have quite a hole in her. I immediately ordered flags set at all three mastheads, a signal for all boats to come on board under any and all circumstances.

Mr. Viera was then not more than a mile and a half from the ship and I knew he could not but help seeing the flags, but it was no use, he would not let go that whale he was fast to. If he had only come to the ship they could have got some more water and bread. I set two gangs at work right away, one getting water and the other getting bread. The cask of bread was between decks and three men staid with that cask till the water came in and floated the cask away from them.

I then went to the cabin and found Mrs. Jenkins reading. She did not know that there was anything the matter with the ship. I told her the ship was sinking and to get some warm clothing as soon as she could but not to try to save anything else. Well, the first thing she did was to go for the parrot and take him on deck. Then she got a jacket and an old shawl.