60 WHALE FISHERY OF NEW ENGLAND 



his crew, and with great difficulty Breslin and his six prisoners, who 

 had escaped from their work in the woods, were placed on board the 

 rowboat, which set out to sea to join the "Catalpa," some miles off 

 shore. A storm came up, but by good fortune and skilful seamanship, 

 after a whole day and night, the "Catalpa" was sighted. At the 

 same time the English cruiser "Georgette" was seen coming out of 

 Freemantle in search of the refugees. By great luck for some reason 

 she never noticed the small whaleboat and after questioning the 

 "Catalpa" put back towards the shore. The rescued and rescuers 

 rowed on and finally were observed by the men on the "Catalpa." 

 At the same time Captain Anthony noticed with horror that there was 

 an armed guard boat almost as near the "Catalpa" as was his boat. 

 It was a terrific race, but the whaleboat arrived a few seconds ahead and 

 the occupants climbed on board ; the officers had lost, and the prisoners 

 were free. The rescued men knew their pursuers and, leaning over the 

 rail of the "Catalpa," wished them "Good morning," and there was 

 nothing for the officers to do but to answer them in the same tone. 

 When the captain reached home he weighed one hundred and twenty- 

 three pounds, having lost thirty-seven pounds on the voyage, through 

 worry and excitement. The police of Western Australia endeavored 

 to get these prisoners returned, but as their letter was addressed to the 

 same Captain Hathaway who assisted the plotters of the expedition, 

 there was not much help in this direction! 



It is a very curious fact that at the precise moment that Disraeli was 

 telling the House of Lords that he would not release these prisoners 

 they were free on the Yankee ship. Receptions were held in New 

 Bedford and Boston in honor of Captain Anthony and the other res- 

 cuers, and the daring captain will always be a hero with the Irish 

 people. 



DECLINE OF WHALING AND THE CAUSES 



The first whaler to sail from San Francisco was the " Popftnunnett " 

 in the year 1850, and for thirty years after there were a few whaleships 

 registered in this port. Steam whalers were introduced into the Ameri- 

 can fleet in 1880, when New Bedford sent out one, but it was the adop- 

 tion of steam and the proximity to the Arctic that made San Francisco 

 a whaling port at the time other places were giving up the pursuit. In 

 1893 there were thirty-three vessels enrolled there, many of which had 

 been transferred from the Eastern cities. Since 1895 Boston, New 

 Bedford, Provincetown, and San Francisco have been the only places 

 from which whalers have been regularly registered, and in 1903 Boston 

 recorded her last whaleship. 



There are a number of reasons for the decline ofjthfi-ghale fishery, 



- , 



butJJie chief factor was undoubtedly the introf*"^ oL-keroseneT 

 THe' opening of the first oil well in Pennsylvania sealed the^ate of 

 whaling. Henceforth sperm candles were used for ornament, and whale 

 oil lamps soon became interesting relics. Other causes doubtless con- 



