GREAT WHITE WHALE

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 November 1929, Page 11

GREAT WHITE WHALE

HAS MOBY DICK RETURNED? AUCKLAND, November 25. That hoary old beast of sea tradition, Moby Dick, the Great White Whale, may still be haunting the Pacific, for a cetacean answering closely to his description was sighted no later than a week ago about 1500 miles from Auckland by the steamer Bosworth, which arrived this morning from Galvestan, Texas. The queer creature was seen first by the third officer, Mr F. Randerson, who was keeping the 8 a.m. to 12 watch. From the bridge the creature seemed to be sleeping, and it must have been of considerable size, for 20 feet of snow-whjte back showed on the surface. This would be only a small proportion of its bulk, for a whale floats very deep in the water. < When the steamer vjas about a hundred yards away, the whale apparently awoke, and, alarmed by the thud of the screw, it “sounded,” or dived, showing a glimpse of pink-rimmed eyes as it turned. It must have fled at great speed, for, although a sharp lookout was kept, it was not sighted again. Unfortunately the third officer could not tell definitely to what species the creature belonged. Mr W. N. Anders, the chief officer, who was formerly a whaler at the South Georgia station, says that in al his experience he never saw such an animal. Sometimes small whales of a light slatey colour are caught, but the only big whale of which he had ever heard that was absolutely milk white, as this was, was the famous Moby Dick. Herman Melville has made Moby Dick famous as the hero of his greatest book. According to tradition, Moby Dick was an enormous sperm whale, snow white with age, but ever invincible. Captain Ahab, master of the Nantucket whaler Pequod, having lost a leg in a previous encounter with the animal, set out to run him down. But the whale; when attacked, turned on his pursuers, first destroying the boats, and then sinking the Pequod by ramming her. There is perhaps a certain element of truth in the story, for reports of the Great White Whale are frequently found in the log books of the old whaling vessels in the Pacific, and many miraculous stories of his prowess were current among seamen. Only one thing was lacking that would identify the whale seen by the Bosworth with the great Moby Dick of tradition. That is his scars. Moby Dick is bristling with old harpoons and wreathed in lines, says the tradition The third officer of the Bosworth states that he was too far away to see any “irons” in the hide of the big whale. “And we never sighted the Pequod,” he said, with a grin. “Still, it was a wonderful sight, like seeing {he unicorn or something. Perhaps it was Moby Dick himself. Who knows?”