American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1822-09-17
FOR TIE WA7'cHMAN.

During the excursion that some OF our townsmen
recently made to Cape May, they had an opportu
nifty of examining great curloslly-a fish OF the
Raw kind, of large size. I had hoped that some
one of the company would have favored the public
with description OF it but that is not likely to
be done, send for publication such particulars as
were gained from conversation with one of the
persons who was present.
After fishing in the neighborhood of Egg Island
part of one day, the packet with the company on
board, ran out to the &c FIVE fathom banks" to take
" Black Will :" but the wind coming round to the
eastward, they came in under Cape May for shelter
Here they met eighteen sail of fishing Smacks from
the Eastward, which were also driven from the
Banks by the same wind.
While they lay waiting for an opportunity of pur.
suing their intended business. some of the boats of
the Smacks were in pursuit Of very large Ray
that had been harpooned by them-others of the
boats remained with the Smacks.
At length our friends observed from the Soop
they were on board of, one of the boats pulled of
into the bay, and as they watched her attentvely,
they observed them to strike fish. They were
then at a considerable distance, perhaps one mile
from tbem they however we're sufficiently near as
TO calculate from the motion of the boat that the an
imal they had made fast to, was very powerful
one.
OF the three men in the boat, one stood fore and
attended to the harpoou line two others sat in the
stern TO bail the water which, as she was drawn
through it with grea, velocity flew over them in
every direction The FISH wen, first to the bottom,
and thence Oft to the middle ofhe bay as fast proba
bly, as the incumbrance attached to him would per
init. Al length however, by other boats and men
(rom the Smacks) joining in the chase, they sue
ceeded in drowning him, when they towed him
ashore near where our company were. By the aid
ottty men from the different vessels (and it requi-
red all OF them) he was drawn upon the beach. AT
once the Yankees began TO examine where his vtals
lay that ii in future should they meet with fish of
the like kind. they might know how to secure them
with less trouble than this had cost, as they PROBES
sed themselves TO be entire strangers the species
No very accurate measurment was taken OF the
fish--but one person by means of his pocket hand
kerchief (Which he has measured since his return
honey gives his width al I6 feet to the extremity oil
bis flaps, and 9 feet long to the extremity OF the
tail, which was quite short and ended in bony
substance about one foot long. His supposed thick
ness about 80 inches in the middle, and weight
about one ton at least.
His mouth was very large--sufficiently so as 10
admit man, withou, teeth, on each side of which
was flap or shovel supposed to be intended to
convey subsistence to it. He had but one fin, which
was near the tail, triangular, and small for the size
OF the animal.
The fishermen had struck an animal of the same
hind previously, and which they believed to be much
larger than the one they got possession Of
II is to be regretted that there person pres
ent of sufficient curiosity to examine it narrowly
and wait its dissection, that the public might have
been grati6ed with particular and scientific ac-
count Of remarkable creature, which is the first
of the kind that have heard Of being taken in our
waters.
have ventured without sufficient authority per.
haps, to denomnate it one Of the Ray Genus--as on
examining Goldsmith, found that Labat had des-
erlbed one somewhat resembling this fish and which
the author says was animal of the Ray kind =
Goldsmith says they probably are the largest fish,
and inlimates that the Kraken Of Norway (mention.
ed by the Bishop was of that genus. He however
treats the account as fable. But we almost en-
tirely ignorant ofthe depths Of the Ocean," where
the Almighty performs his works in silence, satisfied
with sell appreciation
A FRIEND TO INQUIRY.
FOR 7HE WA1cRMAN.