The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-08-24
AN OCEAN ADVENTURE.
Tales OF tho Prowess of An Armed Mon.
ster of the Briny Deem,

ster of tho Briny Deep,
Captain E. w. Smith, OF the schooner
John w. Smart, whose duel with a
sword-fsh few days before had
brought him to the cot, replied to the
questions of reporter:
ave were cruising off Sconnett
Light last week after sword-fish, when
1t died away to dead calm. just
about then we sighted sword-fish.
and tail of the fish sticking out OF
water, as they swim about feeding on
menhaden that always school near the
surface. So / took two of the crew
and dory and pulled quietly up along
side of him and stuck the iron in him.
We use the ordinary lily iron fastened
to pole yard long. IL WORKS on a
swivel. When the iron goes in the
swivel turns, and acting like the barb
to hook, prevents the iron pulling
out. We have forty-fathom line
fastened to the end. Well, we pulled
1 him in and landed him, and soon after
/ got another fish with out much trouble.
"When we struck the third one |
knew he was fighter. We pulled him
up and | stepped to the stern of the
dory and stuck the lance into him back
OF the gills twice, when he sounded.
The water was clear and l leaned over
the stern watching him. He went
down about two fathoms and half,
got his bearings, and shot up straight
/ for me. | watched him coming, but
couldn't move. He smashed a hole
about fifteen inches square in the side
of the dory near the bottom and drove
I the sword into my right thigh clear to
the bone. l pushed the sword out OF
my leg and through the hole in the
dory and fell back in the boat. My
men pulled for the schooner, landed
me and then went off and killed the
fish.
There wasn't breath of wind STIR
ring, and if it hadn't been for the COM
mander of the cutter Dexter, who
brought me here, l reckon I'd have
kicked the bucket"
Ever hear of many such accidents?"
"Ies, lots of 'em. The same day a
sailor named Scott on the schooner III.
w. Pearse was struck by a fish and
| badly hurt. Sometimes fatal accidents
occur. A Rockport sailor was standing
on the thwart of his dory once when a
sword-fsh that had been harpooned
struck the bottom of the boat, throw
! ing him off his balance, so that he fell
backward, impaling himself on the
sword and killing him. Then, few
years ago, cousin of mine struck a
big fish, got his foot caught in the line
and was carried down. We never saw
him again. Very often sword-fsh
strike vessels and set them to leaking;
and / have known of schooners being
scuttled by fish that have been har-
! pooned by their crews. Most of the
fishing is done off Block Island, about
eighty sail being off there during the
season. The season begins about June
10 and lasts about month and half
Eight or ten a day is good average
catch, and they are worth on an aver
age so apiece. The fish for the past
two years have been more plentiful
than ever. Small schooners from eight
to thirty tons, with a pulpit or stand
built at the end of the bowsprit where
the lanceman stands, and carrying
crews of from three to eight men, are
the kinds that go out. The swords
average about twenty-six inches long.
The fish run from 100 to 600 pounds.
The smack Grocer Phillips, of New
London, captured sword-fish weigh
ing 700 pounds, which is the largest on
record" Just then the supper for the
different patients was brought in, and
among other appetizing dishes the re-
porter noticed nicely fried and Drowned
sword-fish cuts.-Boston Letter.