Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-11-09
A STRANGE FISH.

"A OInANUE FISH.
Heavy Without weiEht-what An Athe-
leto Coqld not Lift.
"You look like likely hefter," said
an old Maine fisherman in oil skins,
who was unloading a doryful Of mack
erel at Deer Island to lusty young
man in knickerbockers and white fan
mel shirt.
"Yes, replied the young man. I'm
called pretty strong in the Skowhegan
Athletic Club"
"Did you ever lift much fish" asked
the old fellow.
81 never saw tn .sh couldn't lift -
The fisherman took out clean ten
dollar bill and said: "1'm goihaDpn 81
years old next muster day, but I'll bet
$40 even you can't lift fish that can. ="
Where's your fish?" asked skow-
hegafss -
,"Well, I'll tell you. Here's a fish, -
and he poked among the mackerel, and
pointed to a large, solid, skate-like fish
in the bottom Of the dory. "Let's see,
it's shout five foot up to the dock, I'll
bet you M p" .sn' can't toss the fish
up there" sss-Si1'+'.eis -.ssiss
The Skowhegan athlete thus called
upon, deposited SO with the owner Of
the mackerel canning shop, who had
joinedsthe party, and went down the
ladder into the boat, while the old fish
erman climbed upon the dock to watch
the feat
"StaHd back there" shouted the fish
tosser, rolling up his sleeve, "This
fish might hit you, old man, and knock
some of the blow out of you"
'sHeave away" said the man in oil
skins, tipping a wink at the crowd in
general.
The young man now stepped into the
dOry, and poked away the tinkers
(small mackereD that were sliding
about. Standing ON the edge of boat,
he stopped down, grasped the skate-Iike
fish, and lifted, raising it about foot
Then, uttering yell, he staggered a
moment, and fell with resounding
splash into the water, nearly capsizing
the boat in accomplishing the feat,
which. was received with shouts of
laughter from the dock, the old fisher
man fairly dancing a hornpipe on the
rail. ...
"What's the matter with you?" he
shouted, as the unfortunate athlete
scrambled into the dory again, swear
ing like pirate. Trying to upset the
boat are your"
."Who struck me? Some one gave
me knock on the neck just as was
lifting"
"Nonsense," said some one in the
crowd. "You wasn't touched"
;"I'l take my oeth l felt something
hit me. If this is skin game l want
TO know it," Bracing himself firmly in
the boat he again grasped the fish in
bath hands and raised it three feet, and
Etaen fish, atbiste and all went over
backward among the tinkers. Man,
fish, oars and bailers were mixed up for
moment. At last the Skowhegan
litter made a break for the dock, and, ,
once upon it, sank down on q pile of
boards. He was white as sheet, and
covered with scales from head to foot.
''Send for the apothecary," he gasped,
as the men crowded around.
"Why, what's the matter with you ?"
"I've had a stroke" whispered the
victim. "The minute I stopped to lift
felt it a-runnin' all over ME. Its in
our family, but I've got it bad" and
here he rubbed his arms and legs.
at knocked me clean off my feet"
he added, "and my limbs felt like
sticks. Send" but here roar of
laughter broke from the men, and one
of them, seizing him by the arm, jerked
him to his feet.
YOU'RE all right my lad; only next
time don't 60 fooling around old Amos.
He's hard nut"
Here's your money, sonny" said the
old man, holding out the bill, "you've
earned it.
"What do l mean?" he continued.
"Why jest this; you haven't had u
shock of paralysis. They'll knock
horse if you take 'em right"
The athlete looked vacantly ahead,
toek back his money, and left amid the
renewed laughter Of the crowd.
"He'll have yarn to tell the Show
hegan folks" said the. perpetrator of
the Joke, "but do hate to hear man
blow and thought I'd take him down.
Injured? No, sir ee. He'll feel stiff
for an hour or so, but it won't harm
him.
"What's the use of the shocks :?
Why, reckon they kill fish with 'em
or drive 'em off"
The latter assumption is probably
correct. The electric apparatus of the
torpedo is its defense, and certainly is
good one. The electric organs may
be compared to some extent, to the
voltaic pile, and consist of two series Of
layers of hexagonal cells, the interven-
ing spaces between the plates being
filed with trembling, jelly-like SUBJ
stance, so that each cell can be COM
pared to a Leyden jar. Each torpedo
carries about 4S0 of these batteries, the
whole being equal in power to
about fifteen Leyden jars, making $500
square inches charged to the highest
degree. The upper side Of the fish is
positive and the lower negative, the
shocks seemingly being entirely at the
will of the strange electrician.-[N New
| York Sun.
While one of the judges of the Supreme
Court of the State of California was re-
Gently staying in Paris, he went to visit
a Eronch profossor The Frouchman