Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-12-14
CAPTURING A .sWORpFlSH.
A Vicious Monster. Being Wounded
Pferces a Block Island Boat.

Pferces a Block Island Boat.
A man stands on a little platform in
front of the bow armed with harpoon
having sharply and deeply barbed
point. so that in piercing the fish. if it
goes in far enough, it cannot be easily
got out, let the fish be as ugly as he may.
The iron is so arranged. in connection
with pole and cord, that the cord can
be detached from the harpoon, the pole
pulled back, and the harpoon left firmly
fixed in the now maddened fish--the
line. very strong rope, 800 feet long,
being fast to the iron and the other end
secure OH the vessel. This end is imme-
diately fastened securely to an empty
barrel, which is then thrown overheard,
and it marks the course and position of
the enraged fish.
1t also enables the vessel to send out
life boat to haul in, tire out and, if pos
sible, capture the ugly fellow. And ugly
he is. if he is young fish. If he is old
and heavy, he is much quieter-even
with a harpoon in him. 1t is the
younger. liveler fellows that are SO full
of ugly courage-that attack and kill
whales, and attack, indeed, pretty much
everything in the ocean, unless it may
be the sea serpent and the devil fish.
That they will attack q man, even
bather, who is in water not over his head,
and kill him, too, unless he can make
wonderful time in getting into shallower
water, was proved a few years ago III the
case of a young Catholic priest who was
attacked while bathing on the California
shore, in water just above his hips; he
was fearfully gashed and nearly killed
before he could get ashore. Sometimes,
in its fury at being harpooned it rushes
at the small boat and thrusrs its ugly
sword up through the boats bottom.
Woe to the man it hits!
Our harpooner fastened to fish that
was secured, as it happened, with little
trouble, though the harpoon only pene-
trated little way into his big carcass.
lie proved to be 10 feet 8 inches long,
and weighed undoubtedly $50 pounds.
Much larger ones have been caught, but
rarely. We also secured two others, not
SO large. And it was with the second
one that there was an exciting time. He
proved to be IA young man" among his
fellows, and an ugly young fellow, too.
Having him well harpooned, and the
barrel going dancing at great rate
against the wind-for it is curious and
hitherto unrelated fact that & swordfish,
when harpooned, always rushes off to
windward-the life boat put out to secure
him after duly playing" him. In it
went a Block Islander belonging to the
vessel and two courageous passengers.
By the time they reached the barrel, they
were mile from the vessel, and could
be seen, with a glass, pulling in OH the
line.
They worked the fish good while.
When q swordfish, finding himself har-
pooncd and hopclessly held, really gives
up the fight, he suddenly turns and goes
to leeward. The men at the line under
stand what that movement means. They
were still playing" this fellow, and eX-
hausting him, when, having several
times had him hauled in close to the
boat, SO that his blue figure was dis
tinctly visible. and as often permitted
him to so 100 feet off or more, some
thing happened which caused the captain
of the steam yacht mile Off, looking
through his glass, to exclaim: They re
in troubled he has struck the boat!'-
and to order an instant start for them.
He was none toe soon. Tho enraGed
fish, Withdrawing some sixty feet, had
illstdS Ollc cl lIlCSc &TOWllhS IuSiieS upon
the boat, which can be eQualei in it.
velocity by no other fish in tie sea. The
sword pierced the bottom of tho boat ;
little one side of the keel, near tho center
, coming up nearly two feet. Fortu
nately men have learned ere now not t.
sit down in boat engaged in hauling il
swordfish. By standing Gas we'll a!
they CAM their feet present a smalle
surface, and hence diminished chanc,
of being hit. Last year one mans boo
heel was partly hit, knocking him head
long.
In the present instance one of the mel
had a narrow escape of hardly ten inches
3 Bat the men were saved. Indeed, tin
5 boat, being a shell lifeboat. would hardl,
9 have sunk, although it was already hal
r full of water and the men hard at worl
| baling when the steam yacht reached
, them. The vicious fish was repeated,
r lanced through the head and neck till h
got comparatively quiet, when. in haul
&, ing him up the side With the harpool
purchase at the shoulder and the lon
graphing hook at the tail, a slipknot wa
successfully got over his wide forlied ia
o and THEY'VE had him. But for TIL
l last grip he would have t. h od the boa
t over. But the way he ~ .ied the Sc
$ with that tail was a caution. -Hartfor
Times.
l Another Cure for Insomnia.
$50 MANY CI1rpS for have loar oJvf