Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-08-19

himself uTlnIN lHipdleu 10 lle S1utS Vi
his yawl. One Block islander was
cleft in that way only last summer off
Block sound, and a year or two ago
another hunter of the marine swords
man was spitted in his seat. the bone
blade going up into his body. and he
died few days later of the flightful
thrust.
A day or two ago the Sun had I,
story of a harpooner on the Matte and
Lena schooner from Stonington, whose
boat was cleft by a sworddsh's wea
pom, which went through both its sides,
and the thrust barely missed trans
fixing the sailor. Such accidents are
not uncommon; the greater wonder is,
such is the wrathful fury of the sword
fish at the fearless temerity of the
hunters, that more men are not main
ed or slain each season in this most
perilous modern sport of the Atlantic
seaboard. Indeed, a wounded sword
fish not rarely attacks the schooner il
self, and only few seasons ago one
big fellow drove headlong lnto an is
land vessel, and his saber went through
its thick walls as if they were Of paper,
protruding by several inches into the
vessels cabin, when the giant in his
furious wrenchiug to free himself
broke the end of the blade, which fell
on the floor.
1t has been only within the past three
or four years that men began to hunt
the big ugly chaps for a steady and
profitable vocation, Before that time
the world fancied that the flesh of
swordfsh was unit for food, ana the
Atlantic fisherman hunted them only
for the sport it afforded to the ilders
at summer Seashore resorts. Then it
was learned that swordfish steak is
about as fine and SayOry a mursel as
may be garnered in the broad ocean
by far superior, in the opinion of
country epicures, to halibut steaks
since it is jucier, with Il peculiar game
tlavor-and since thea there has been
plenty OF money in swordfishing, but
on the New England coast alone-and
more than a score of swordfishermen
80 forth weekly to the ocean hunting
grounds from ports as far down east
as eastern Maine. SwOrdhsh steaks
juicy, thick white slabs of tender meat
are sold everywhere in the New Eng
land markets at from l. to IL cents
pound but Boston is pre-eminently the
great market for them. Very singular
ly, New York, the great fish market
of the continent, either has never tested
or fails to be pleased with the fish,
and not pound, it is said, Of swordfish
goes to the Gotham markets. Most of
the big fish, from ten to forty in num-
Der to each craft, that the fleet sailors
from Block island and StoningtOu
bring TO port twice and thrice a week,
are shipped directly to Boston, though
a fair share of them are booked to
Providence. There is IA steady demand
for the swords, which may be hand
sOmCly polished, 50 that they CLEAN
like ivory, ON the part of summer
visitors to the seaShOrc or curio col
lectors at the uniform price of 80
cents each. They are beautiful unique
ornaments, Enthusiastically suggestive
of the sea. SWordtsh range in size
all the way from 25O TO 600 pounds,
and few have been taken twenty
five miles southeast of Block island
that weighed 800 pounds. There is
very little waste about them. their
hide is fairly smooth, though tough
and thick and hairy. They cut up
finely into steaks an inch or so many
inches thick rs YOU are pleased IN
have them cut. They are packed in
big boxes iced, and sent fresh as a
smelr right TO the tables of the New
England consumers
SwordtSh have been taken in won
derfully great numbers this season,
and all the sWTdfShermen are max
ing money hand over fist at the sport.
Then, too, the fishermen have learned
better how derby and successfully to
hunt and land them, and almost every
home-retuIning craft now bears on hel
deck the long. fierce. powerful bodies
of from fifteen to forty fish, weighing
all the way from go TO 400 pounds
each. On one day this week sixty
four fish, averaging 300 pounds in
weight, We're shipped to Boston from
this port alone. Success has Stimulat-
ed the fishermen TO devise superior
methods for taking them, and Captain
Frank Dodge of Block island fitted up
a steam zach. this week, in which he
crnScd for the game. With steam, Of
course, H. is not SO greatly handicapped
at tiros 10y the cruising vagaries Of
the big game. His best record for
s'u-lo cruise 10 his new craft is n load
of twentySNe n fish. In returning
from q hunt, IS he approaches the is
land. he signals to the people on shore
the number Of his catch with blasts
from his steam whistle
NEAL WILL OPPOSE MCKINLEY. |