Jonah Sunday school class April 22, 2007
Surviving inside a whale? Perhaps!
The source of this interesting story is from
the BBC Homepage
While, thankfully, the chances of anybody being swallowed by
a large marine creature are extremely low - there's probably
more chance of you being hit by a bus or an asteroid - there is
hope for those that do come face to face with this situation.
being swallowed by whales though very unlikely, doesn't mean
that it doesn't happen. Jonah surviving inside a sea creature
has stirred up lots of controversy. Strong opinions have been
put to paper that something like this could not possibly occur
and that the story is pure fabrication.
While some believe that Jonah's experiences have more to do
with analogies than reality, or that this story is just a
fanciful tale, there are much more recent accounts of
individuals becoming trapped inside marine creatures' bellies,
only to emerge some while later still alive, if not necessarily
in perfect condition.
Whale Attacks
Records of whale attacks on whaling ships have been around
since the 19th Century. While similar attacks may occur in
modern whaling, the structural integrity of ships and enhanced
sensor equipment mean that catastrophic attacks are less likely
to occur.
Bartley and the Star of the East In the late winter of 1891,
the whale-ship Star of the East was in the vicinity of the
Falkland Islands when it came within sight of a whale. Two boats
were dispatched with harpoons to snare and kill the beast, but
the lashing of its tail capsized one of the launches, spilling
the crew into the sea. All were accounted for except for a
single sailor, James Bartley.
Ultimately the whale was killed and the carcass drawn aboard
the vessel to begin the process of salvaging valuable resources.
By the next day good progress had been made in removing the
layers of blubber from the beast, so a tackle was attached to
its stomach to hoist it on deck. Sailors were startled by
spasmodic life within the belly of the whale, and upon further
inspection the missing sailor was found.
Bartley was quite mad for two weeks, but upon recovering his
senses he recounted what little he could recall of being dragged
under the water.
Struggling for his life he had been drawn into darkness
within which he felt a terrible and oppressive heat. He found
slimy walls that gave slightly to his touch, but could find no
exit. When his situation finally dawned on him Bartley lost his
senses completely and lapsed into a state of catatonia.
During his time inside the whale the gastric juices affected
his exposed skin. His face, neck and hands were bleached a
deathly white with a texture like parchment, a condition from
which the skin never recovered.
Bartley believed that he would probably have lived inside his
house of flesh until he starved, as breathing was not a problem.
There are, however, reports that suggest that this whole
story is nothing more than an early Urban Legend.
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Researched and edited by Chris Hansen at Stanislaus County
Library reference desk.
