USS Porpoise

“ One morning, I remember, there was a great school of porpoises playing about the ship. They seemed even more antic than usual, leaping and diving and playing tag, and otherwise showing their contempt for a vessel which could not go any faster than the Clearchus.
Their cavortings were too much for Aziel Wright, George Hall, and Miller, three of the boatsteerers. They easily got permission, and Hall was first with a porpoise-iron, and was getting out on the jibboom. Miller got down into the forechains, Wright staying on deck. ”

“ Again and again we hauled them in, until the fore part of the deck was alive with the kicking, writhing sea pigs, at least twenty of them. All hands were soon busy skinning the blubber from the bodies. Porpoises have no skin—that is, hide—the blubber or coating of lard which incases them being covered by a black substance as thin as tissue paper. The porpoise hide of the bootmaker is really leather, made from the skin of the Beluga, or "white whale," which is found only in the far north. ”

“ Flinders determined to proceed home in H.M.S. “Porpoise” as a passenger, submit the results of his work to the Admiralty, and obtain, if possible, another vessel to complete his exploration of the Australian coast. The “Porpoise” left Port Jackson on the 10th of August, accompanied by the H.E.I.C.’s ship “Bridgewater” (750 tons) and the “Cato” (450 tons) of London. On the night of the 17th the “Porpoise” and “Cato” suddenly struck on a coral reef and were rapidly reduced to wrecks. The officers and men encamped on a small sandbank near, 3 or 4 ft. ”

“ The flesh of the warm-blooded porpoise is in reality fresh meat, and is sold as such among the lower classes in many foreign ports. Several gallons of oil may be obtained from one of moderate size, and the skin furnishes good tough leather for making thongs, or covering any portion of the rigging that needs serving with raw hide. Long narrow strips of the fish, when carefully cut out with a sharp knife, make a kind of porpoise biltong ”

“ Sometimes they seize each other by the back just behind the dorsal fin, but there are no tooth marks on any of them and it is probably done in play. The indications are that they are altogether amiable and inoffensive toward each other. The only species of porpoise destructive to its kind is the well-known “Killer” (Orca gladiator) .
Our porpoises were observed mating in January, and again in March and April. It is possible that they will breed in captivity if their lives are not shortened by indoor life. ”

“ Porpoises are rather dangerous enemies to the shoals of fish. A porpoise, before taking in a barrel of herrings for its dinner, will often whet its appetite with a cod’s head and shoulders, leaving the tail part for some poor fisherman. ”

“ Do not let us be less wise on this occasion.”
“Certainly not,” said Porpoise; “and as discretion is the better part of valour, we will try and tow the cutter offshore. It will prolong the time till our visitors can overtake us, and will give us a better chance of having a breeze spring up. If we get that, we shall be able to laugh at any number of such fellows. They are only formidable when they can find a vessel becalmed. After all, I don’t say that those are pirates, and if it were not for the ladies on board, we would very quickly learn the truth of the case.” ”

“ The Porpoise is one of the cetacea, and nearly allied to the dolphin, but it has not the beaked snout of that animal. The length of the Porpoise, from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, is from four to eight feet, and its girth about two feet and a half. The figure of the whole body is conical; the colour of the back is deep blue, inclining to shining black; the sides are grey, becoming white below. The tail is crescent-shaped. There are only three fins, one on the back, and one on each shoulder. The eyes are very small. When the flesh is cut up, it looks very much like pork ”

“ This Black Sea porpoise is readily distinguished from the Atlantic species by the contour of the profile of the head, which, in place of forming a continuous curve from the muzzle to what represents the neck, has a marked prominence above the angle of the mouth, followed by an equally marked depression. The teeth are also different in form and number. The absence of porpoises from the Mediterranean is explained by Dr Abel on account of the greater saltness of that sea as compared with the ocean in general ”

“ After reaching the New York steamer at Norfolk the cooling of the porpoise tanks en route was greatly simplified by the use of the steamer’s salt water hose.
The shipping of porpoises alive is therefore a simple matter. The adult animals readily stand transportation, while the young do not. If carried in long, narrow boxes large enough to accommodate them without rubbing, and if kept supplied with sufficient cold water to support and cover them, they can be handled easily enough. ”

“ Porpoise-steak tastes pretty good to a man who has been nearly two months without fresh meat. A porpoise is really a small whale, and is roughly about the size of a swordfish. There must be com­par­a­tively few people who have not seen porpoises. The meat is much like whale-meat, but more tender and better flavored.
A fine oil is extracted from the porpoise, the best coming from the jaw. The porpoise jaw-oil is used for chronometers and watches. Mr. Baker thought we might as well get every­thing the porpoises had to give, and he had the blubber tried out, and the jaw-oil. ”

“ A better or braver fellow never stepped,” answered Porpoise, warmly, putting out his hand. “I’ve no doubt you are worthy of him, youngster. We’ll have a yarn about him by and by. However, just now, we must try to get the craft in sailing trim again.” ”

“ The next instant the Porpoise was riding the waves of the little bay, dancing about as lightly as a cork, though, from the nature of her construction, she was quite low in the water, only about [15] three feet of freeboard showing where the platform was located.
"Well, she floats, anyhow," remarked the professor. "Row out and fasten cables fore and aft," he went on, turning to the two machinists. In a few minutes the Porpoise was fastened to a small dock with strong ropes the two young men had carried out to her in rowboats. ”

“ Alongside was the active porpoise, rolling over and over on the waves, and seeming, by the regularity of his progress, to measure his speed to that of the ship. Every now and then, too, a lively bonito, either from mere sportiveness, or to avoid some approaching and voracious enemy, would leap bodily into the air, and, after performing a perfect summerset, drop into the deep again, and be seen no more. If the eye pushed its survey further, the ship herself, viewed from the quarter-deck, presented [133] much to arrest its attention. ”

“ The porpoise, which is sociable and gregarious, is usually seen in small herds, and frequents coasts, bays and estuaries rather than the open ocean. It is the commonest cetacean in the seas round the British Isles, and not infrequently ascends the Thames, having been seen as high as Richmond; it has also been observed in the Seine at Neuilly, near Paris. It frequents the Scandinavian coasts, entering the Baltic in the summer; and is found as far north as Baffin's Bay and as far west as the coasts of the United States. ”

“ Their hearts still beating loudly from the closeness of death, the adventurers continued their way. On every side were fish, big and little, and, though some of the larger ones thrust themselves to the men and boys, as if wondering what strange creatures they were, none of them offered to attack.
Led by the professor they made a complete circuit of the ship that was held fast in the ice. As the inventor had surmised, the Porpoise was nipped only above and below. If she could be freed at either of those points she could rise to the surface, or sink down under the ice. ”

“ Note the small size (usually less than 5 feet [1.5 m] ) , the small triangular dorsal fin, the dark brownish color of the back, and the lighter color of the sides and belly intruding higher up in front of the dorsal fin. Harbor porpoises frequent inshore areas, shallow bays, estuaries and harbors, and reportedly do not approach moving vessels nor ride bow waves. (Photos by J. D. Hall.)
Figure 168.—A harbor porpoise harpooned in Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick. Harbor porpoises have from 23 to 28 small, spade-shaped teeth in each upper jaw and from 22 to 26 in each lower jaw. ”

“ Striped porpoise Description.—Length about 7 feet; beak not prominent; 44-46 conical teeth in each jaw; anterior edge of dorsal fin curved; color of upper parts greenish black; sides with one white or gray stripe posteriorly; underparts white.
Remarks.—This is the common porpoise in the Straits of Juan De Fuca from about the vicinity of Port Townsend to the ocean and in immediate off-shore waters. One specimen was obtained 100 miles off Grays Harbor. Rarely seen in Puget Sound.
Grampus rectipinna (Cope)
Killer whale Description.—A large porpoise, 20-30 feet in length ”

“ A porpoise is rarely seen alone, and if he by chance wanders from his friends, he acts in a very bewildered and foolish manner, and will gladly follow a steamer at full speed rather than be left alone. ”

“ So it was; and in hot haste she seemed indeed.
“Something is the matter on board that craft,” said Porpoise, who had been looking at her through his glass. “Yes, she has a signal of distress flying.”
“The Lord have mercy on the hapless people on board, then!” said I. “Small is the help we or any one else can afford them.”
“If we don’t look out, she’ll be aboard us, sir,” sung out Snow. “To my mind, she’s sprung a leak, and the people aboard are afraid she’ll go down.”
“Stand by to make sail on the cutter; and put the helm up,” cried Porpoise. ”

“ August 1.—At 12, meridian, anchored at Cape Mesurado, off the town of Monrovia. We find at anchor here the U. S. brig Porpoise, and a French barque, as well as a small schooner, bearing the Liberian flag. This consists of stripes and a cross, and may be regarded as emblematical of the American origin of the colony, and of the Christian philanthropy to which it owes its existence. Thirty or forty Kroomen came alongside. Three officers of the Porpoise visited us. All are anxious to get back to the United States. ”

“ The Common Porpoise (P. communis) is the species that is so often seen close to our shores and in the harbours and estuaries, swimming in shoals with a graceful undulatory movement. Porpoises move forward entirely by the vertical action of their powerful horizontal tails, and extend their flippers only to change their course or to arrest their progress. At short intervals they rise to the surface, exposing their slate-coloured backs and dorsal fins for a moment, and then immediately dive downwards in such a manner as to appear to turn a series of somersaults. ”

“ It is now chiefly carried on by a few French Canadians living along the north shore of the lower St Lawrence. It is not called whaling but porpoise-hunting, from the mistaken idea that the little white whale is a porpoise, instead of the smallest kind of whale, running up to over twenty feet in length. It is dangerous work at best, and a good many men {165} are drowned. As a rule they are very skilful, and they nearly always jab carefully while sitting down. ”

“ We have accomplished something no other living man has done and I am proud of it. Proud of all of you, and proud of the ship!"
Several hours later, when it was deemed safe, the Porpoise was sunk beneath the waves, and once more she speeded along through the water at a fast speed. The ship seemed to know she was going home, for never had she made better time.
"We have solved every problem that we met," said the professor while he, with Jack and Mark, were in the conning tower, as Washington was preparing a meal. ”

“ The term “porpoise” refers to the small, beakless Delphinidae, which have a triangular dorsal fin and spade-shaped teeth. The name “dolphin” embraces all other members of the family, except the larger forms, which are called whales. 5 The porpoises mostly belong in the genus Phocaena, the best known species of which, the Common Porpoise (Phocaena phocaena) , never reaches a length exceeding 6 feet and weighs 100 to 120 pounds. There are some six species. The finless black porpoise constitutes the only other genus with a single species Neomeris phocaenoides. ”

“ Cape Hatteras is the only point in North America where a porpoise fishery has ever been regularly conducted, and where such animals can be taken near the shore and beached with drag seines. The Bottle-nosed porpoise winters off our South Atlantic coast and is quite common in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras during the fall, winter and spring months. Schools of porpoises may be seen passing every day just outside the surf. ”

“ The total exports of all commodities amounted in 1800 to £1500:—oil, timber, grain, oxen and a few furs being the chief items. Oil was the most important product; it came from the "porpoise" fishery. What Nairne calls a porpoise, is really the beluga, a small white whale. The fishery is an ancient industry on the St. Lawrence. [15] The creature has become timid and is now not readily caught so that the industry survives at only a few points. At Malbaie it has wholly ceased; but in the summer of 1796 sixty-two porpoises were killed at "Pointe au Pique." ”

“ I was anxious to get some pictures of the white porpoises, but it would have been useless to think of photographing in all that rush of wind and spray, so the four men put off in the canoes while I continued work upon the dead whale. In about three hours they returned, each towing a full-grown porpoise and almost exhausted. It had been hard and dangerous work to kill the whales and bring them in, for the wind drove with tremendous force across the clear stretch of river, catching the tops of the waves and whirling the spray like snow. ”