Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 219, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1915 — WENT AFTER THE WHALES [ARTICLE]

WENT AFTER THE WHALES

Fishing Party Unable to Resist the Presence of the Monsters of the Deep. z --- Maj. Gen. Arthur Murray, commander of the western department, with headquarters at San Francisco; Lieut. Col. W. C. Davis and Mrs. Davis, Capt. J. B. Murphy, aid to General Murray; Capt. C. M. Condon, Capt. and Mrs. J. C. Kay, Capt and Mrs. John H. Page, Judge Morris O’Connell, Ward Preston, son-in-law of General Murray, and Miss Caroline Raymond, daughter of Maj. R. R. Raymond, have enjoyed their first whale hunt. The entire party, as the guests of Colonel and Mrs. Davis, embarked aboard the army tug Lieut George Harris at San Diego, Cal., at 6:30 o’clock the other morning, bent on enjoying a day’s albacore fishing. All went well until about ten a. m. when a school of whales, variously estimated at from 100 to 1,000,000 in numbers, hove in sight off the starboard quarter of the tug. All thoughts of albacore were forgotten during the excitement and plans-were formulated to catch one of the mammals and tow it to pore. Captain Murphy crabbed the game, however, by shoving his fish pole down the mouth of a wild-eyed whale while the latter was calmly surveying the fishing party. About the same time three of the mammals became entangled in the tug’s propeller and, fearing further casualties. Colonel Davis ordered the tug to return to port. The net result of the day's sport was two albacore, one gaunt-looking bass, two kippered herring and a lost fishpole and line.