The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-02
cruising FOR SW0RDFlSH.
vurRE AND nov THE DANGEROUS
sPoRT rs PURSUED.



rh., swordHsn visits our Eastern shores
=. ,hs earlier s.mmer months, and fisher
swan are divided In opinion as TO where ne comes
-. The weight of testimony concerning MS
.t,,o II the reports of missionaries are TO pc
81, coda ia favor Of the west coast Of Africa
.stbere he Ia most abundant aud 10 sometimes
found Of such small size as to JUSTIFY the inier-
.nce that his mischievous existence has but re-
cantl. begun. Here, however, he Is always piR'
never less than 100 pounds weight averaging
from go q $50 and sometimes reaching as muoh
as loo pounds. A curious fact noted py our
hsnermen 10 that only one sex oil sworunsn S
caught upon this coast. and that Is supposed 10
M tho male, although no one seems positive
about IL. At all events. the men VINO make
.senuine Russian caviar" out OF all the nsh
yoes they can seize upon, will never get any
proat for their trade from the swordnsh' Tor
none with roes ever caught
One OF the most vigorous and ruthless destroy
ers among the piscine multitudes Is the sword
nsh. lie Is us yOraciOus In disposition hs 'no
bluehsh, and as much worse as ne Is larger
Dashing into a school Of mackerel or menha-
deu, he will strike right and left with his muir
Aerous sword, Staying hundreds where no de-
YOURS tens, and driving their crowded thousands
before him In widest terror. The fishermen VINO
use seines stand in dread Of him, for no net has
fish moment longer than he wishes to stay.
He has often been known to rush IN among
school Of mackerel about being eDcircled by
nurse seine, and, after Cutting his appetite and
killing great numbers OF them, TO dart out
again, making such rent In :ho seine that all
its living contents escaped, Just as soon as he
felt the meshes closing around him. Mo- con-
tent with workini bis wicked NH upon DIS
weaker funny brethren, the swordhsh at times
seems impelled by rage az inst everything
snoat, and In sucn humors often attacks boats
and even big ships, driving his formid-
able DOny snOut through thick DlankiD9.
and ofttimes causing dangerous leaks. lilo Is
also dangerous enemy Of the whale; and be-
tng infinitely more active, aud welding with
fatai CELEBRITY a far nioie elective weapon than
the wnlle carries, the swOrdhsh Is generally
victorious In their conflicts. Some evidence Of
the pugnacity Of the swoldhsh Is the fact that
SELDOM or never is one Of large size found tn at
the sword mas not been broken Of 10 one nalf
or even one-third Of its natural length, and the
remaining part Is always notched and ragged.
Many fishermen. especially those VINO ply their
trade III the light, cedar. lap-streaksd boats,
suoh as those common about Block Island, fear
10 attack the sworuhsn, as they mignt W II
single thrust sink the frau SHELLS but; the
harry sailors Of New London, New Bedford.
aud Dartmouth rejoice wnen the swordnsh
beason begins Many III tue men who eng axe III
shis sport hsve teen whalers and they delis bit
Ia pursuing a fish that ranks next In dithcully Of
capture TO tue leviatnans which they have been
accustomed to encounter. There Is pr0nl, TOO.
M the taking Of swoI dnsh, which ADDS 10 the
Rest Of heir pursuit.
THE CRAFT.
Some schooners aud more sloops engaged
In sword hshing: III are always readily distin-
guished by tue "pulpts" on the extreme
points Of their bowsprits. This pulpit is sin-
ply an iron upright, ABOUT four feet IN height,
with a small board across the Oowsprt at the
bottom aud stout semi-circulsr iron band at
the top. from tue ends Of which depend a SIN al
wooden seat. This Is the perch Of the h
pooner upon whom depends the responsibility
OF capturing the nsh a small seat Is fastened
To the masthead Tor tie "lookout" man, auu
from this perch the FISH may be discerned not
only upon tue surface OF the W ter but at a
depth Of i've faihoms for a considerable dis
lance from the vessel.
To learn Just bow TINS exciting sport 10 carried
Oh, the writer recently Joined ia a cruise from
New Lou1on, with CAPT. JeremiaI Slate, whose
handsome little sioop, the William Wallace, OF
not quite lsh tons hurtben. Is accounted
that famous fishing port. With mainsaii. jib. and
tops II, ana "JlsseI set, We skim out swiftly
from the mouth Of the Thames river into the
Sound, past New London ligDt, tue North I'M
mock light, Noank and stooington, and dirsct
our course toward Block Island. Ou our right,
cleaning white in tue bril- Int sunlight, the
SANDS OF MOntauk. Our FIRST nign- out is eDt
ndiDg at anchor in New shoreham haroor, aud
n daylight We start direct for the swOrdrsh
grounds" which are In the ocean where the
water Is scores Of fathoms deep. about twenty
miles east-southeast from Block Island. A
strong breeze Is blowing from the south and
southeast, and the sea Is running rough. IL is q
bad day for swordhshi4ig, for the high waves
prevent sighting the nsh except when they are
rlose TO u, Gait Slate STANDS IN tue pulpit"
out keenly. Perched ~ on the mas '' above the
Fan IS jim Smalley. AT the tiler stands Ben
Russell GA one siae OF tue deck well Ia front.
stand sam Slate. the Captains brother. aud on
the other Charley, the cook. All are looking In
tentll upon the water in different directions.
All are excited but silent, unti q shout vi warn
Ina rings out from tue skipper, and ns 10 seen TO
raise his spear. But where is the nsn We look
OIL all sides, but some SECONDS elapse before
those On deck Can see ANYTHING but the rushing
Ereeu waves upon which the sioop Is tossing like
Acoik. But the maj aloft sees the nsn, Ind be-
Elns excitedly shouting TO Ben at the wheel.
1heh another catches a sight, aud he com
Dences TO yen at Ben. The skipper also tries to
give directions 10 Ben. The result is a wild ana
sssass Luz iaai' "Hard ap 'is 4 aa.s she
Eoes!" Hard down.!
THE FISH.
"one az a time, damn your howl Ben. half
frantic with the contrary orders. and unable TO
either see the nsh, or know VINO Is shouting. or
what tue skipper wants, as view Of him Is al ut
on by the dlstended sails. The next moment
we III zee tue hsh. a sharp black I'm, much Ike
that Of shark, risiug about eight inches out OF
The water, appears daruDg d own the steep green
slope Oi gigantic wave, a little III front OF and
almost at right angles with tue course OF O r.
vessel In d second, with an electric IA pIdity Of
motion, The skipper has darted down his long
spear, aud we hear the dull thud Of It's stroke n,
the tody OF the FISH. As the spear is rAlsed
again, ITS iron shank-three fourtbs Of an inch
AZ oiameter-is seen to be bent by the force Of
nan minute the line attached 10 the baTbed
point OF the spear. which has been left ia tne
nsh's BODY, runs swiftly out OF its tub. Then II
ceEses 10 fuu, and one Of the men slowly pulls
II from The water and recOiis 1t IN the tue. The
pOiht uAs stIuck lue huge creature = thick back
Done and been stopped by 1t; CONSEQUENTLY as
soon as sfdln has Deeu put upon the line The
poiht has been torn out VI the tender tie h, and
our prey has escaUed US 1t Is the OF je ct of tho
swofdusherinan to 50 drive his spear as 10 avoid
inc Lhckbone and force It's point clear through
the hsh' thht wheu the spear il pulled out it
may leave behind ON the outside Of the ush's
stout shln, the pOiDt-whlch Is shaped like a
bnorl, brOau arrow, with socket for the spear
sbahk, ana hOie for the stout line ON one side
Ihis point, about six inches In length, then
hes across the wound through winch II has peen'
passed" tOgRies," as the fishermen say-and
the me attached to II runs through the hsh's
bodi and holds nlm firmly.
An bour elapses before we get sight Of another
sWoIunsh. Meanwhile the same yigil4nt watch
as btf"re Is Kept up. aud the captain stands
steAullb IN his little pulpit" spear IN hand
soemlbgly UNCONSCIOUS of the wild tossing OF
tne vessel ana the mad plungss bis narrow foot
ihe on tue oowsprll makes, one ins tanL dipping
lhlo Tue angry waves. anu the next tying thirty
iset above them. q Is a tall, athletic, and DOW
erlul man. DrOnzed by exposure. lie saws he
bas been a sailor since he was two wears old
aud, ike true, bravo sportsman, has "A con
tempt for seiDes, and a love Tor such exciting
sport hs Tins. Again We sight the m Of a sword
nsh. inns Time better order prevails. and BEN
directions Tor the management OF tue tiiler are
less confused. Our game is running with Us
ana crosses our bow quartering, giving "a good
US. lac spear IL torn from the Shippers HANDS,
we slender line wnlcn attaches IL 10 the bow
.pilt parts, and away over tue waves, mark nR