May 30, iqoP | 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
849 
Meantime the old style harpoon-throwing 
swivel was developed for practical use. In 
England, Greener made one with a barrel about 
three feet long and a bore of an inch and one- 
half. It weighed seventy-five pounds. The 
slotted harpoon weighed ten pounds, and a 
charge of six drams of powder was used. The 
gun w'as quite popular in the Greenland fishery, 
and a similar one was made to order for the 
w'halemen who used to have headquarters at 
Monterey, California. This gun was used for 
firing bombs as well as harpoons, though the 
common Yankee shoulder gun was also in use 
in that fishery. 
The most interesting and withal the most ef¬ 
fective swivel gun ever developed was one in¬ 
vented by a Norwegian named Sven Foyn, who 
made a fortune using his own weapon. While 
the gun itself was simply a swivel designed to 
throw a harpoon, the harpoon was distinctive. 
A bomb W'as secured near the barbs of the har¬ 
poon and it was exploded by chemicals that 
were mingled by the crushing of a glass tube 
under the barbs when a strain was brought 
upon the harpoon line. 
The w'hale w T as fastened to the boat and killed 
by the one projectile, something that had not 
been done successfully until Foyn’s time. 
Further than that, Foyn substituted steamboats 
from sixty-five to eightv-five feet long, and hav¬ 
ing a speed of about twelve knots,.for the com¬ 
mon whaleboat. In spite of the chug of the 
screw he was as well able to creep up to his 
whale as he would have been in a boat with 
paddles. More interesting still, Foyn wound 
the largest part of his harpoon line on a steam 
reel or winch instead of coiling it in a tub. So 
it happened that w'hen a whale had been struck 
but not killed—the bomb sometimes failed to 
explode—and it ran away with the line, the man 
at the reel played the whale as a sportsman in 
the Adirondacks plays a trout. 
The latest improvement in whale-killing guns 
was made by Patrick Cunningham, of New Bed¬ 
ford, who, by the way, is well known along 
shore for the rocket he made to carry lines to 
stranded ships. This gun was designed for use 
in the Alaska fishery. The whale of the Bering 
Strait region are found along the ice pack, and 
when struck usually strive to escape under the 
ice. Quick work with the lance or bomb is 
needed if such a whale is to be saved, and with 
the common bomb gun and hand harpoon only- 
in use, more whales escape than are saved. 
Knowing these facts Cunningham made a hand- 
thrown harpoon to which he attached a bomb¬ 
throwing gun. The muzzle of this gun was 
pointed toward, but clear of the barbed end 
of the harpoon. It was loaded with a powder 
and bomb cartridge, such as is used in the ordi¬ 
nary shoulder gun, and the charge was fired 
by means of a long stiff rod that led from 
the gun’s trigger out to a point beyond the 
muzzle. 
That is to say the whaleman darted this com¬ 
bined harpoon and gun at the whale—threw it 
by hand as he would have thrown any harpoon, 
though his range was short on account of the 
weight. The barbs of the harpoon sank into 
the whale until the end of the trigger rod struck 
the body of the whale when the gun was fired 
and the bomb was driven into the whale's bodv 
where it exploded; and if the harpoon-was well 
placed the whale was killed instantly. 
The reader will think, very likely, that the 
guns of the whalemen are needlessly heavy and 
clumsy', that something comparable with the 
modern repeating rifle might have been de¬ 
veloped for the use of the boat-header. But if 
invention has been lacking among the w'hale¬ 
men, the reason is not far to seek. The first 
gun was introduced into the American fleet 
M AY 30 should be called recreation day; 
at all events we always choose that par¬ 
ticular day for our fishing trip. 
When I go fishing I always elect to go with 
Billy, who is an enthusiastic fisherman. Then 
out of self respect I carry along a pocket rod 
and stick a fly or two in my hat so as to impress 
the bystanders. The main part of my outfit, 
A TROPHY OF A DAY OFF. 
how'ever, consists of a camera, a book and a 
good big lunch. These I carry in my creel, as 
I never had sufficient confidence in Billy to feel 
sure he would turn up promptly at lunch time, 
especially if he had the lunch. 
We make such an early start that we always 
set out the night before. This is a very satis¬ 
factory way, particularly so as we go to the 
same spot every year, and put up at a farm 
house where our hostess has the best bacon and 
eggs I ever ate. 
Last year, the 30th, w'as such a day as brides 
are always hoping for and seldom get; not a 
cloud to be seen and no wind. It takes a great 
deal more patience to catch a nice string of fish 
on a lovely day, when the woods are full of 
after the turn of the tide of the fishery, and 
the fishery has declined from that day to this. 
Less than fifty whale ships are now flying the 
American flag and no inventor is likely to give 
his attention to anything that must be sold in 
such a market as that fleet affords. Though 
the fishery as yet exists, progress of every kind 
is apparently at an end. 
alluring shadows and the reflections in the pools 
are perfect, for then there are so many other 
things to be done that do not require patience. 
Billy has been out with me so many times that 
he knows all my tricks, and as a result he 
catches most of the fish. 
What a thrill the first sight of a good trout 
stream gives one! With our rods ready we 
stroll along until we come to some lovely spot 
where I generously offer to stay while Billy goes 
down the stream a mile or two and fishes back 
to the lunch. 
As soon as Billy has started I work diligently 
for at least two or three hours. My catch is 
never very large; I manage to land a few'. My 
duty done, the rod is packed away. Sonny, my 
Scotch terrier, is given a bath and then we go 
hunting for woodchucks, chipmunks and pictures. 
After all it is much harder to find good compo¬ 
sition for photographs than it is to catch fish. 
Sometimes I go all day without getting a good 
picture. Where is the fisherman who w'ould go 
all day without a bite and yet be satisfied 
About noon lunch is laid out under a tree near 
some quiet pool, and by the time everything is 
ready the fisherman puts in his appearance 
hungrv and tired. Of course he has wonderful 
tales to tell of monstrous trout that just escaped 
as he was about to land them. 
Lunch over, we loaf for an hour; that is, 
Billy sleeps while I read and Sonny keeps guard 
over some woodchuck hole in a neighboring 
field. 
Our afternoon expedition takes us up stream 
by a picturesque but dilapidated mill which is 
photographed, and further on we come to an 
old dam where Billy catches two trout. So we 
wander homeward as the shadows lengthen, 
loath to bring our day of rest and enjoyment 
to a close. 
Not much of a fishing story, perhaps, but you 
see it would not do for a w'oman to be a better 
fisherman than her lord and master, would it? 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
ROUGHING IT 
soon grows tiresome unless the food is good. 
Good milk is one item indispensable to a cheer¬ 
ful camp, and Borden’s solves the problem. 
Eagle Brand Condensed Milk and Peerless 
Brand Evaporated Milk keep indefinitely, any¬ 
where, and fill every milk or cream require¬ 
ment.— Adv. 
A Woman’s View of a Day Off 
By E. K. PARKINSON 
