PERILS OF WHALING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 16 September 1909, Page 1

PERILS OF WHALING.

i TOBY . CHANNEL., WHALEBS V IN '" . TBOUBLE. 7 T . Shortly, after New Year a party of li whalers . who have heen following the whaling industry in Tory Channel, Marlborough, all their lives, left f Or -the Campbell lelahds in-the s.s.. Hinemoa- to try their fortnines in. that lonely group of. islands in the desolate saiithern-r seas. Writing. of their experiences,. the Southland "Daily News" describes an exciting "smash.". T This^occurred after- the whalers had got TBFm ahd"~fast"lo'a gboTlsized but lively specimen of the mammal race. After the customary hirpoonmg, -towing, chasing,' etc.'; - ; ~<he * "'hunted" decided' to turn the tables- on his pursuers. 'He dived, and" .". before the . occupants of ' the boat were wel EWure of- the anlnfal's m6yc hs_had rise: and - smashed, tho . boat .' with one fierc twist of his tail. It was a "serious , niatter, particularly as four of the .men could not swim, but it was a much more serious -matter for H. Lawtpn,'-who was linesman, and * who in -the ..- ' general smash managed to get tangled up in the line and was towed away -by 'the. whnle. Fortunately, and through "managing it . he saVe<jt r J_da" life, '.h^Teven'-uwly struggled clt»r^ and wasvsiihs^uehtly -picked I up- by . VTbo -Whalor.' v ' The -other oqcu'- ' pint*; ifai}' to'-swim about and otherwise silppbrf themselves for about fi-ve" minutes, '' when they were rescued froin their, hazardous position. Through this f misfortune they lost the wholeof. theft gear, and the little chanco they had of recovering it was totajly-lost through the fact of the tide'running out fatst." The boat Was*: "towed back bottom -up and,J.<badly damaged, but as such an eyeni.. is 'always allowed for they- were aiile.tp effect repairs somehow and make, '.he boat seaworthy. 1 'Still.T^'no more - -••*- -o:*^' """Id hn \r-.d<r*tnkcr\ in tha nbr.ehro* oi tho geiny and. as a.aiambo?' of; wlialos put in an appeal-Knee-shortly.af-ter the svndicatc "had" perforce, to simply watch with longing eyes and "curse then luck." Had the misfortune not overtaken them they estimate that their ''bag" would have been from 20 to 30 '