Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-13

| \Mx&GM Nature her bounty to his
N mouth confined.
AN Gave him . sword. but left
~ unarmed his mind"
Old fishermen say
that . temporary insanity sometimes appears
to seize these creatures. While under the
influence of it they will make entirely unpro-
yoked assaults upon craft of considerable size.
1t is not surprising that when harpooned they
should retaliate by attacking their assailants.
Quite commonly they resort to the offensive
under such circumstances, so that the pursuing
sioop or schooner is often obliged to run into
harbor, leaking and almost sinking.
NEAR THE SURFACE.
sword fish, when swimming near the sur
face. usually allows its dorsal fin and portion
OF its tail to project out Of water. 1t is this
habit which enables the fishermen to tell when
tne game Is present The creature moves
SLOWLY under ordinary conditions and the fish,
Ing schooner with light breeze finds no diff
Guilty In overtaking it, When alarmed, how
ever, IL exhibits enormous strength and agility.
sometimes 1t Is seen to leap entirely out Of
water. It's long. 1.-the, muscular body, with
inns snugly fitting into grooves. is admirably
adapted for the most rapid movement through
the water: Prof. Richard Owen. testifying in
an English court respecting it's power, said:
The sword fish at full speed strikes with the
accumulated force of fifteen hammers swung
Of swivel shot and the shock is as dangerous in
its effects as that OF heavy artillery projectie."
THE EARLIEST A1LusIoS IN LITERATURE
to the existence of the sword fish in the western
Atlantic occurs in Josselyn's Account Of Two
Voyages to New England" in which the author
writes: ION the twentieth day We saw great
fish called the sword fish, having long and
strong sword blade on his head. with which he
pierced our ship and broke it off with striving
to get loose. One of our sailors Owed and
brought it aboard" Evidently the creature
was well known in ancient times. inasmuch as
Pliny says: THE sword fish hatha beak or bill,
sharp pointed, wherewith he will drive through
the sides and planks of ship and pierce it SO
that 1t will sink" One vessel engaged in hunt
Ing sword fish has q record OF having been
struck twenty times.
HUNTING THE PREY.
The sword fish never come to the surface ex-
cept in moderate weather, according to DIR. G..
Brown Goode. A vessel pursuing them has
always a man stationed at the mast head,
where, with the keen eye which practice has
given him, he can easily descry the tell-tale
back fins at q distance of two or three miIes
When the prey is sighted the watch gives a
shout and the craft is steered in the direction
Indicated. The skipper takes his place in a
sort OF pulpit" so-called, at the end of the
SSowsprit, armed with harpoon which has a
forms the handle of the weapon with both
hands, directing the man at the wheel By voice
and gesture how to steer. There is no difficulty
In approaching the intended victims with a
vessel OF some size. although, curiously enough,
they will not suffer q small boat to come near
them.
HAnPooNrSa.
Although there would be no difficulty in
bringing the end of the bowsprit directly over
nah oh nj hor
this. When the prey is from to 10 feet in
front of the vessel it is struck. The harpoon is
never thrown, the pole being long enough to
enable the expert to punch the dart into the
back OF the animal close to the back fin. When
the dart has thus been fastened to the fish the
line attached to it is allowed to run out the
pole being retained in the hand. As soon as
the rope has run as far as the stricken creature
Will carry 1t the line is passed into q small
boat which is towing at the stern. Two men
jump into the boat and pull upon the line
until the fish is brought alongside, when it is
Killed with whale lance stuck into the gills
Then it is lifted upon the deck Of the vessel
with tackle.
THE PURSUIT OF THE SWORD FISH
is much more exciting than ordinary fishing.
resembling as it does the hunting of large ami
mails upon land and partaking more of the ma
ture of the chase. There is no slow and care
Iui batting and patient waiting i'll this pursuit
The game Is seen and followed outwitted by
wary tactics and killed by skill and strength of
arm. There is always danger from SO formid-
able an antagonist. Not only is the vessel more
or less likely to be attacked by the infatuated
animal, but there is some peril to the fisher
men themselves Sometimes their boat is
thrust through with the sword. which is most
tremendous weapon, and ON occasions persons
have been killed IN the water by the angry
prey. However, this only renders more inter-
esting the sport, which is said to be one OF the
most fascinating in the world. Old fishermen
engaged in 1t as a business have been known to
fish for sword fish all night in their dreams,
bruising their hands and skinning their knuckies
against the top of their berths while spearinp
the imaginary monsters.
FERocIrY OF THE SWORD rnH
There are any number Of stories respecting
the ferocity of the sword fish. In several we'll
authenticated cases they are said to have
pierced the sides Of vessels, projecting their
weapons through copper sheathing and seyeral
inches of planks. 1t is related that on calm
day In the summer Of 1882 Boston pilot was
rowing his little skiff leisureiy along, when he
was suddenly reused from his seat By thrust
from below by sword fish, which drove its
sword more than three feet through the bottom
OF the boat. With rare presence OF mind the
man struck the sword with the butt end of an
oar and broke it off close to the bottom of the
skif before the fish could withdrawn. Whether
or not this tale Is true, 1t would appear that it
is usually impossible for a sword fish to with
draw its weapon after having thus driven il
into a vessel. Cases are on record Of the find
ing Of such swords broken off in the sides Of
craft which had been pierced. What the fishes
which were thus deprived Of their Instrument
Of offense managed to do without them can
only be imagined. There does not seem to be
any reason for taking it for grsntnd that they
could grow others. Attacks by sword fish are
included by insurance companies among sea
risks.
COMPARED WITH THE SHARK.
Such q large and formidable animal as the
sword fish can fear but few antagonists. Others
of its own kind, horse mackerel and sharks are
its only peers Doubtless the last are its worst
foes. In 1864 there was exhibited to the Bos-
ton Society of Natural History the jaws of
shark in whose stomach nearly the whole Of
large sword fish was found. 1t was q tiger
shark, the most ferocious Of its kind, and ten
or twelve wounds in its flesh gave some notion
Of the conflict which must have.occurred. In
1878 small mackerel shark was captured in
Gloucester harbor, and in its nostril was found
the sword. about two inches long, OF young
sword fish. When this was pulled out the blood
flowed freely, indicating that the wound was
recent. Tremendous combats have often been
witnessed between sharks and sword fish.
Sword fish are q terror to schools of mack
erel, blue fish and other comparatively small fry.
They rise among the prey, striking to right and
left with their swords until they have killed n