TAME WHALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10265, 17 October 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

TAME WHALE.

EXTRAORDINARY STORY. The New York World is responsible for the following story of a whale alleged to have been caught by Colonel P. W. Black, who is attached to the United States Customhouse at Sand Point, Pop Off Island, one of the Shunagln group of tho Alaskan Peninsula, and who has recently visited Tacoraa, Washington. According to Colonel Black, the Whale was captured in the spring of 1804, when a calf but eighteen or twonty months old. He has been named Bulshoy, which is an Aleut word, and signifies immense. His capture cost two natives their lives, and three bidarkas, which aro boats made of walrus hide, were destroyed. ' After the mother was killed,' ran Colonel Black's narrative, 'tho natives enjoyed themselves for several days by chasing tho calf. As they did not harm him, he became somewhat used to the presence of boats, and would allow them to approach tolerably close. On July 4 John C. Whiley, tho storekeeper on the island, who had furnished the wire net, announced that he would properly celebrate the day by feeding the whale. He secured a walrus bladder, filled ib with milk, and was soon alongside Bulshoy. After a deal of coaxing the calf was induced to drink some of the milk. When the bladder was emptied Whiley rowed back to the shore, and tho whale followed. More milk was obtained, anil this timo it required no coaxing to induce the calf to drink it. For the next six weeks Whiley and the Indian fed the pup twice every day. The pup would stick his cunning head out of tho water closo to the landing, and look for his nurses long bofore feeding time. Whiley said that he was going to train Bulshoy to work in harness, and lie and his servant set about it. Every day they went out and played with the animal, which soon regarded them as friends, and would follow them about like a dog. He was fed frequently to keep him in good humour, and ho grew fat and lazy. On September 20 of last year Bulshoy was put in harness, and for the first timo in the liistory of the world a whale was used as motive power for a boat. Whiley had made a harness of walrus hide, and it was slipped on Bulshoy while he was eating. When he discovered that he was harnessed the whale made a rumpus. For two days he thrashed around in the bay, ami refused to come when Whiley called him. He could not get the harness off, however, and on the third day ho swam alongside the boat and seemed to beg for his breakfast. Since then he has been docile, and Whiley was soon able to iruide him by means of ropes attached to the harness, in October the whale was tried in the open sea for the first time, and he dragged a big whaling boat to the island of Oonga, a distance ol sixteen miles, without mishap, ami with seemingly little effort.'