Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-11-13
ESCAPING EVERY SPEAR.
The Big Sturgeon Of Shipman's
Eddy.
A Fishing Expedition In the OIL Regions of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Surgeons by
the Light of Crude Petroleum
"A Tremendous Fish.
IGlade Run (Pa.) special.I

IGlade Run (Pa.) Speciall
Over against the eastern hills a great
Jet of natural gas burned a hole into the
night The moon had gone down, leav-
only q vagrant star and the trailing faint-
ness Of the Milky Way to distinguish the
dark sky from the blackor earth In the
Allegheny Valley the dim outlines Cf the
hills alone showed the bend and wing of
the river. 1t was n'ne O'Clock when we
cast loose from the landing under the
Glade Run bridge aud headed our boat up
the river. Save for the wheez ng of an
oil well engine on the hill hi h above our
heads the night was still, and the harsh
gratingsof our spear hand es on the stony
bed OF the river foun an echo against the
buff bank at our left Faint wreaths
of mist fl )a.ed down with the current
and rolled over the boats bows like fur
ries of snow, giving warning Of cool damp
night. For nearly two hours we pushe
up stream. Then the pilot said that we
had gone far enough. We ran the bow OF
the boat upon the shore and prepared for
work The boat was of the f1t-bottomed
variety of craft, about twenty feet long
and six feet wide, with a heavy thwart
amidships. Standing upr ght through
two-inch hoe in this thwart was post
about five feet in height, which was sur
mounted by a four-gallon keg filed with
crude petroleum. A half-inch iron pipe
led from the bottom of the keg to per-
forated T pipe prof jscting about three feet
beyond the Gunwale of the boat Around
this 7 were wrapped several thicknesses
of rags saturated with oil When the
details OF the arrangement had been
Trorerly adjrs.e1 the p lot held a match
under the T, and in an instant big blaze
of burning oil lit up the r.ver and the hills
about it.
"a | in," said thu pilot. and we clam
b rel back into the boat
Let her go, now; easy, So" and with
this somewhat indefinite direction the
boat was swung broadsids to the cur
rent. 1t wentoR slowly, the big blaze
o: fire making the bottom of the river as
light as day. We were after fish, aud
were adopting with modern variations
the ol l-tims Indian method of spearing.
Twenty years ago. when this part of the
Allegheny River was headq Iarter3 for
most of my fishing excursions, the favor
ite fish ing trio was made in an Indian
dug-out by the light of a bunch Of pitch
pine kuots burning in a rude jack con-
siruCtsd OF strips of sheet iron. In
cases where the jack coull not be pro =
cured Pine torch was held over the
water by a boy. The people of the
present practical and luxurious age have
made several allie red impr " ements on
the old picturesque style They burn
oil instead of pitch pine, ami use big
lat boat insteal OF a canoe. 1t is all
Nvall for Ia hot RI 90 Aah-
ing in q ferry pat or barge. but to the
old-time sportsman 1t is a tr .h3 c )mmon-
place and uninteresting.
We fioated down slowly near the shore.
sudd my the piIo-'s spear flashed bright
in the tire-light for a single instant and
then went whizzing into the water a few
feet beyond the boat. Whom it was pulled
up a lussv young bas, was struggling on
the sharp barbS.
"Good enough for a starter" said the
plot pnttins a foot on the fish and pull
ing out the spear with a lark. Snow
keep your eye pee ed!
Something wriggled in a clump OF grass
tdst in front of me. 1 threw my spear
down hard and pulled it up quickly. A
shiny, lack thing, with gaping jaws,
squrmed on the spear points. The boys
yelled with delight.
''An alligator!' they cried. 'You begin
well" 1t was that disgusting creature
known to naturalists as the AIegheniens is,
half alligator, half water dog, and
havoring of crocodile. A more viIlaiuous
looking thing l never saw. Taese crea-
lures have the cordial detestation OF the
inhabitants of the Allegheny Vale v, for
they interiors with fishing, eat the young
spawn aud make bathing q matter of
great uncertainty. The specimen that
had the misfortune to catch was about
three feet long, with short thick legs, a
sinewy body, and powerful jaws.
Down upon the head of the first ripple
we found school OF suckers, and our
spears bsat lively tattoo upon the river
bed. We pulled in half bushel OF suck
ers in about five minutes, ending the sport
by grounding up on a sand bar. Floating
down through q1iet eddy one of the
boys gave very graphic account of his
adventure with a big sturgeon while
spearing Ia that stretch Of water a few
weeks before. He had been floating down
with three frienos watching for bass. The
light was burning low. The boys were
telling stories just as we w re then to
pass away the time. In front of them
NY hOb.SS0 QOWnWaTQ with
the current As it looked like an ordinary
log no attention was paid to it. After
some little time, however, they noticed
that they were drawing nearer to the log.
One of the boys reached out with his
spear handle to push the log one side,
when the supposed log made a great
splash with its tail and sank out of sight.
The boys threw their spears and shouted
like madmen- The big sturgeon-for
sturgeon 1t was--Aad disappeared, and no
amount OF spear throwing and shouting
could bring him within range. The boys
procured fresh supply of petroleum
from an oil well close by and spent the
rest of the night in cruising up and down
the eddy for that sturgeon.
Just as the story was finished one of the
boys Strengthened himself up with sud
den jerk.
"Whishtp he said, in a thrilling whis.
per, slowly posing his spear. "See
therep
Down In froat of rs was an object that
looked like q floating log. We thought
that we could see it move Was it swim
mingE Inc light was burning SO low that
1t was hard TO tell. We poised our spears.
wait till / give the word, /" said one.
"and then let him have 1t. I"
It seemed an hour before we got within
throwing distance OF that dark, suspi-
cious-looking objsct We stood Ike stat
ues, but the boat shook with our sun
pressed emotion. At len tn we ioated
within reach and drew back our cruel
spears
.NowI" breathed the pilot.
-Four spears hlsaed bright In the red
glow Of the fire and with unerrinr aim
buried themselves over the barbs IN the
soft wood Of q water. soaked loxI
The big sturgeon at Shipman's Eddy
still livesl