Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-04-20
A New Fish Story.


The time has been when the NJ O. Plea
yune was somewhat in the habit of running
saws upon its credulous readers and the gull
lible public at large; but its most extaordi-
dary one Of late is that of running the saw of
sword-fsh into tire timbers of steamer, as
follows -
/" When the good and fast-sailing steamer,
United States, Captain Lucus, was within
three days sail of our city, on her las, trip
from Aspinwall, and while steaming along at
the rate of eleven knots an hour, her passen-
gers were gratifed with performance not al
ways youchsafed to those who .go down to
the sea in ships and do business in the deep
waters. A monster fish, some ten feet long,
armed to the teeth, and fiourishing most for
midable sword, leaped from the waves and
threw himself with all his force upon the mas
sive hull of the vessel. The assault was 90
ill-advisedly sudden and violent, as beyond all
doubt to cause the rash assaiIant his life
Having, as the sequel will show, buried his
powerful weapon some three or four feet into
the bottom Of the steamer, and finding it i'm
possible to extricate it, he had broken it off,
and, drifting towards the paddle-wheels Of the
object of his insane attack, had no doubt paid
the penalty Of his temerity with his life.
On reaching port, Captain Lucas found the
sword or spear left by the animal, sticking in
to the hull Of the steamer, on the larboard
laIdo of 4 h. rbaa IL
Some eighteen inches Of it were visible, and
from the confirmation of this part of it, it was
evident that it had been broken off close up to
the head Of the fish. In fact there were marks
of the conclusion of the creatures head with
the vessel, visible on her timbers near the
place where the sword entered. The captain
tells US that allowing this weapon to be four
feet long, it must have gone through two feet
of solid timber. He expects to find portion
of it protruding bey ond the ceiling inside, on
removing the coal, into which it must have
penetrated
Instances Of this kind of attack on sailing
vessels by the Xiphias .Gladius are rare. yet
there are several on record. There is, in the
- III . L
British Museum, portion of the bottom Of an
East Indiaman, which was sent by the cap
tain Of her to Sir Joseph Banks, the famed
naturalist, and that contains the sword Of one
of these fishes deeply imbedded In it. The
animal in this case, lost his life, by the injury
caused by the shock. Plinyr mentions the
power of the Xiphias to transix vessels, and
the fact must be taken as proven on abundant
testimony. a =stv ans Eaeinsnm iFsnAal
sa We find it laid down in works Of natural
history as an indubitable fact, that this species
of fish attacks the whale, aided by trashers or
fox-sharks. The Xiphias watches his oppor-
tunity and stabs the huge monster from below.
1T is we'll established says the authority
from which we quote, that the sword-fsh Of
ten drives violently against vessels, mistaking
them, as is supposed, for whales
DR.. Smith, in bis well-known history of the
fishes of Massachusetts,, relates four well-au-
thenticated and very curious instances Of the
breaking of the spear of the sword-fsh in the
bottoms Of vessels. In one of these cases, the
WGdpOHS NOub ola ltfOh ~ ohCdtulilS,
three inch plank, and four and half inches
into the firm timber! and it was the opinion
of mechanics that it would require nine
strokes of hammer weighing twenty-five
pounds, to drive an iron bolt of similar size
and form to the same depth in the same hull;
yet this was accomplished by single thrust.
One more very well authenticated case, and
we close our fish story On the return OF
the ship Fortune, Of Plymouth, from long
voyage in the Pacific, in the year 1926 or
1927, the stump Of sword-blade was discov-
cred on the outside Of the hull, which, on ex-
animation, was found to have penetrated
through the copper sheathing, three inch
plank of hard wood, the solid white oak tim
ber of the ship. twelve inches thick, then
through two and half inch hard oak ceiling
plank, and at last perforated the head Of an
oil cask, wherei it remained immovably fixed,
so that not drop of oil escaped ~ -aa -a
H. The remainder Of the bachelor who burst
into tears on reading the description Of mar.
ried life, have been found.