American Life Histories
Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project
1936-1940

Contents

Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Louisiana
Missouri
South Carolina
Utah
Washington

Check for local history books about your town

or search Amazon.com
from here
 

Search Now:

Whales
(Washington)

Folklore

FORM A

Circumstance of Interview

Washington

Peter D. Salvus

Seattle, Washington

December 19, 1938

"Whales"

1. Chris Olsen, Marysville, Washington

2. December 19, 1938

3. Seattle waterfront

4.

5. (Not obtainable)

6.

(Olsen was formerly gunner on SS Tanginak, a whaler operating out of Bellevue, Washington, in Alaskan waters)

FORM B

Personal History of Informant

Washington

Peter D. Salvus

Seattle, Washington

December 19, 1938

"Whales"

Chris Olsen, Marysville, Washington

1. Norwegian

2.

3. (Not obtainable)

4.

Folklore& Folkways

Salvus

Whales

Vails haf a burying ground de same as elephants, but no vun has found vun. Ven I vas a boy I shipped on a vailer from Norvay an ve vailed in South Seas. Shipmates who had followed de sea on vailers told me sperm vails vould alvays come back to de vaters off Tasmania to die, no matter how far dey vere avay from dere.

Ve caught many sperm vails dere-- big vuns. Dere vas vhere most of de ambergris vas found, too. Amergris comes from sick vails, so maybe de sailors yust fig'red dis vas where the vhales vould come to die.

--Chris Olson, Marysville, Wash. Gunner on SS Tanginak, a whaler operating out of Bellevue, Wash., in Alaskan waters.

Folklore & Folkways

Salvus

Killer vails are de volfs of de sea an travel in packs yoos like a band off timber wolfs or coyotes. Dey ain't near as big as a humpy, blue or fin, wid only de big tongue gone and I know de killer vails had been at vork.

Dey travel in packs off about fifteen an keep crowding dere prey so he don't get shance to sound. I shased a finback once that vas being crowded by a pack off killers. I never vant to do it again. I vas standing on de gunner's platform vaiting for a shot at de fin. I couldn't tell ven it vas going to blow an vit de killers blowing all around de bow I yoost swung the gun from side to side like a crazy man. You can't tell de difference between a killer's blow an de blow off a fin.

De killers ain't no good for blubber--yoost like peeling a banana.

--Chris Olsen, Marysville, Wash. Gunner on SS Tanginak, a whaler operation out of Bellevue, Wash., in Alaskan waters.

Text from: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection