Some whale stories
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is not much material on the Internet about the history of the phenomenon of whales and dolphins beaching themselves. There is though enough to indicate that this is an old phenomenon reported at least from the 18th century, and presumably earlier. Clearly these earlier beachings were not due to causes currently suggested - high levels of toxic pollution and sonar used by navy ships.
I was interested to find a few accounts of beachings in Jamaica:
Daily Gleaner 1884 June 21 p3
A SCHOOL OF WHALES.
A rather extraordinary circumstance which occurred at Vere, on Sunday last. A school of no less than 18 large whales were seen swimming into Carlisle Bay; nothing impeded their progress, and ultimately the whole lot were stranded on the seashore of Carlisle Estate, the property of Mr. Gibb, the Custos. The whole parish of Vere assembled en masse to see this most extraordinary sight. Dr. Gibb says the largest whale was 18 feet in length, and of enormous bulk. Such rude appliances as were possible, were at once adopted to cut up and boil down some of the huge carcasses, and several gallons of oil (100 gallons from one whale) were extracted. Great difficulty was experienced in getting laborers to handle and cut these monsters, and immense masses of the flesh have become putrescent.
Mr. Gibb gave the smallest whale to Mr. Ellis, overseer of Money Musk, and it took eight steers to move and drag it along. It is said one of the whales was caught alive in a rope and sent up to Kingston, being towed by a large boat, but this is not vouched for. Such a number of whales running on a beach, and being then stranded and dying, is not a sight usually seen in the tropics.
Colonial Standard 1884 06 19 p2
EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE
(From an occasional Correspondent)
The Bog, Alley P.O., June 16, 1884
Our small community was thrown into a considerable state of excitement early yesterday morning, owing to a report that a large number of whales had run ashore and were stranded on the beach between Carlisle Bay wharf and the mouth of the Rio Minho. On enquiring I found the report had not been exaggerated, and on my visiting the place in the afternoon I found 17 whales of different sizes varying from 16 feet long to the tiniest baby whale, high an dry on the beach. The sight was one well worth seeing and those huge monsters all drawn up on the beach was a most impressive spectacle. The largest measured some 16 feet long, and about 9 or ten feet in girth, he lay like a huge tree on the beach and was the wonder of hundreds.
Crowds of all classes visited the spot during the day and man were the quaint remarks made by the lower orders as to the influx of such a number of “Junases” (Jonahs?) to our shores. That they were the precursors of something evil to the country was the general opinion and one old black woman who evidently considered herself an authority on Scriptural subjects was holding forth at great length about “Junas,” but others more skeptical could not see how such a small mouth could swallow a man!
