342! "WnALE-FISnEil Y . 



Dangers from Overhanging Masses of Ice 

 falling on the I^oats. — The crew of one of the Hull 

 whalers having, a few years ago, killed a fish by the 

 side of an ice-berg, in Davis' Straits, the fins were 

 lashed together, and the tail secured to a boat, in 

 the usual way, but by the efforts only of one boat's 

 crew; all the other boats belonging to the same 

 ship, being engaged in the capture of two more 

 whales, neither of which were yet subdued. This 

 circumstance occasioned some altercation among the 

 crev/ of the boat, as to the propriety of their re- 

 maining by the dead whale, or of quitting it, and 

 proceeding in an empty boat, v/iiich was at hand, 

 to the assistance of their companions. The latter 

 measure was carried; but as it was deemed expe- 

 dient that one man should remain in the boat, to 

 which none of them would consent, they were under 

 the necessity of either remaining in idleness by the 

 fish, or leaving the fish and boat by themselves. 

 But every one being anxious to participate in the 

 more active exercises of the fishery, they at length 

 agreed unanimously to quit the boat connected with 

 the dead fish, and to proceed to the aid of their 

 comrades. The arrangements were just accomplish- 

 ed in time ; for they had not rowed miany fiithoms 

 from the place, before a tremendous crash of the 

 beig ensued, — an immense mass of ice fell upon the 

 boat they had just quitted, and neither it nor the 

 fish were ever seen afterwards. 



