The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-09
CAPTURING 4 I.soo-poUND FISH
Lanced amer n Chase In Great south Bay
The Monster Described.

Many members OF the Sammis family in
Babylon. l.. l.. are fishermen. They are now
entering upon their busiest season. as blue
fishing may be said to have but fairly set In. In
their eat rugged boats having keels from II TO
% feet long, they cross the Great South Bay In
the afternoon. run past Fire Island. and spread
their nets on the fishing banks In their fish
ing boats is always slowed away an old harpoon.
that has been carried In many chase for
whales. This is to spear the sharks with when
ever one is found in their nets. Sharks are so
heavy that they break the nets. and through the
gaps the fish escape. Instead Of a harpoon. a
lance s sometimes taken. sharp as razor and
having a handle six feet long. Alexander
Sammis was returning to port in the Sea Witch
the other day. as he has hamed his sloop. after
a hard nights work. when he saw on the star
board bow huge black object in the water that
moved rapidly out Of sight. Arriving. he told
his brother George Sammis Of the incident and
advised George to keep an eye out. Next day
was Saturday. and George started down the bay
In the Lady Emma with his boy. John Range
for the fishing grounds Made fast to the Lady
Emma was a row boat When about two and a
half miles from shore. of West Babylon Flats.
George saw the object that his brother had de-
scribed to him. Pitching his lance into the row.
boat and husting the boy in, George seized the
oars and rowed hurrledly toward the spot where
he thought the creature would arrive II 1t did
not change It's course Inc BOAT came up
with 1t moving along slowly and in side
long motion Of its body. II seemed not TO no.
tice the rowboat. nor did II. SHY, when George
stood upright in the bow and took aim with his
lance Just forward OF the fin on the left side.
The boat had rOwed 50 close that George could
moGsrous mons fish ii" He had rowed third Of mile
TO oyertake It. Raising his lance. he thrust II
In the body with Il wcll-dlrected aim. lie had
no line attached to the lance handle, and 50
kept mold OF the instrument as the fish darted
or But blood had spOuted from the wound as
the lance was Withdrawn, and in a few min
utes weakened by loss OF blood. the lashing of
its tail grew less violent. and its speed abated.
| Ii had taken peculiarly crooked course in its
| dropped his lance and hurried to the stern Of
| the boat to push with the pole on the shallow
| bottom. On the way he nearly tipped the boat
| over in his excitement. The boy laid 10 the
| oars. and in ten minutes the boat was beside the
| fish again. Ii was moving slowly. and had evi-
| IDENTIFY been mOrtally hurt George lunged ior-
ward with his spear again from the bow of the
boat; but the fish saw him and partially rolled
lance struck It's nose Between lie eyes, and after
penetrating the bone broke of. little Of the
| cutting edge remained. however and with it
| dend The contest had lasted half an hour.
The fishermen had been so engaged In their
| work that they did not see that Il fishing boat
was approaching. aud they were startled when
| a. voice hailed them. Lookin back, they saw
| Henry Chatterton and Gilbert Birch in their
| fishing boat Daisy from Amityvile. George
| WIS taking two half. hitches around the FISH s
| tail with sea warp. used to rig. nets. He WAS
Intending to tow it 10 the Lady Emma. but on
| attempting II. found the task too much for him.
| Chatterton hitched 10 the tail The carcass
was towed TO tho Lady Emma. and up Bedells
| Creek mile west Of Babylon. 10 where the top
| OF the paper mill wharf at medium tide ID
| Here eight men tugged at the rope hltched TO
| the tail OF the nsh. and with pun altogether
S1 W %"f bsbyyHSS bsyHSa and aSdf a1rs T roahd
| hocked to tho wharf TO see tho ilsh. Many ana
| various were the opinions ahoat as to the name
| OF the fish. The widest was that II WAS u dol
| phin, II measured ton feet from tin of nose TO
| tip OF tall and nine feet around at the thickest
part. Its nose was sharp and It's teeth were
worn while some were entirely gone showing
! that 1t was an old fish, 1t had no scales AND .iS
| skin was perhaps sixteenth Of an inch thick.
! being dull yellow underneath and graduating
| 70 II grayish black on its back. The queer. look
| ing eyes were as large as half dollar and We're
! Of the green color 81 an empty sRrsaparl Ia
| cussion as to the name Of tho ilsh WAS at its
height. Miles sammis az Old whale hunter. ,Gsl
| haven't been soen around these parts for moro
| than twenty five years. That was when Rice
| Jackson found two Of them in the shallow water
| of shore, and they waded in and cubbed en- to
| death" No ono disputed with Miles Sammls
| on such subjects There was no way TO weigh
| tho monster. Alexander Sammis said: You
take the length Of the fish and multiply 1t by tho
| circumference in the largest part, and then
| divide what you get by "a lsome say 81 ana
| that will be the number OF hundred pounds lhnt
| the fish weighs. The fish weighs by that caleu,
latlon about 250 pounds perhaps loo
cass by Miles and Jessie sammis, and taken to
| Babylon to be rendered into oil A half barrel
! was obtained. which was say tho sammlseai a
| too little amount for the siZo OF the fish, In rs
| old age il was lean. On tax ng OIL the blnobeT
| two parallel bruises were discovered that had
! evidently maimcd tho blackish years before.
| They were thought 10 have boon made ~ the
| blow OF n steamships paddle wheel, Tho skin
| boon 50 crippled II would, George says. have
| escaped him easily.