The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-21
SPEARING FISH AT NIGHT.
ELECTRICITY LENDS ITS IID TO
THE SPORT NOWADAYS.
Pire Knots were First Uses TO Furnish the
Light, hut Electric lamps Are Employed
Now-Skin Required 60 Use the spear.

| Pise Knots Were First Uses TO Furutsh th,
Light, hut Electric lamps Are Employees
| Now-Skin Required 60 Use the spesr
| There appears TO he an unwritten law in th
| opinion Of some sportsmen which holds tn,
| spcarer Of fish TO be n scamp and a pot hunter o
| the most malignant type. without discussin,
the Justice OF this widespread opinion IL may b,
said that those who are most emphatic in ex
pressing II are the very men who have leas
knowledge of using spear, and often are mer
who have never even tried 10 use one
They reason that az the fish il In tn,
water and the spear in the hand, IL 1,
only necessary TO thrust the spear dowr
TO get the fish. When one OF then
Is tackled and asked what allowance should bt
made for refraction in the case Of FISH lying al
depth Of say. three feet, he discovers that the
art is more difficult than he imagined Thrust q
stick into the water and the lower part will ap.
pear TO be bent. The deeper the point goes the
greater will be the angle. Consequently II q
man wishes TO strike fish he must not strike
directly at the spot where IL seems to be, but
must allow for the refracton, Just the same as
he would allow for the speed of a goose or duck
that was flying across the range Of his gun.
And beyond the difficulty presented by refrac-
tion the spearer may practise, II he chooses the
great art Of casting the spear as done in Cana
dian territory or on our own larger waters
The old method Of spearing fish was TO wait
until the evenings began to be COOL and then
when the sun went down. To take the old iron
cresset or devil " out Of the barn. stick IL down
In the nose Of the boat pile IL full of well dried
pine knots gathered during the summer pour
over IL half a pint Of kerosene, touch the whole
Off with match. and then to glide awsy
to seek the finny denizcns with the fragrant
,iuo s,,oL, hI,,,in, ohou, Tbis ,,os so,tstoc-
go, o.. -. r,'e,,, 4, 80. ,i.a.,, ~, ~.
tcrE lot years. linen u was discovered that the
light was not thrown sufficiently over the side
NJ tho boat and soma comma yae s,ruct with
,,,a H., 20 -, s,,'n,'.I. -, ,. ~.
the ldea OF making an upright OF iron, afixing
nine closing tho nroioc,ing ond ,vi,h
~ w r -, ."u WIN WIN
an iron plug, and boring holes through the pipe
at the closed end. These holes he covered with
a ,rco, haIl 40 Too, ,yra,,,, o.o,,nd ,,,a H.
!. - y. , ,o'". 'I' p'P' 's
max was wrapped around the dlstan oil the Old
spinning wheel Then quart can fitted with a
tiny spigot v,as soldercd IN tho otbar and NJ tho
,iny sp'eo. was soluereu 10 inc o.her enu OF the
pipe over the upright The can being filled with
raa nine IN the tow and when iuni,ed tho b,oye
- . - $50 Wv o,''No
rh% Oh the 00" ana
Tbon 4, uas found I'm, tho hon, -, ,ho h,.,,r.
-, i',,"n, ,t, S. Wv, ~ .t' y, .no o,aN.,H
OIL Durneu the lace, ana that the glare IN the
ewes was too strong 20 the next Improvement
,vos IN mn, IN roeec,ors Tb.so ,vor. e,onoran,,
- W p.' va -, - -, 80 a'
like surface. Next the idea was tried OF using n
iar,,o sha,I LAM, "i,ni ,n,nos sa,,,n u' ,hS,
large smell lamp :+x-4 ihches' having three
concave reflectors OF thick mirror glass at the
back and an ordinary piece of glnss i'm front.
inc i'Hn, was prouuceo ny large kerosene
lamp inside the shell lamp. and the whole was
worked on pivot rod which, attached to the
bow Of the boat; rhi: WINS the invention, of Sol
trivcd many ingenious things. His lamp was
very good one but IL did not throw the ligh:
under the boat or near enough to the side, and
this was deemed impossible to do without AN
moving heat, until the present year. when cleo
tricity. that great magician of the present age,
stepped In to- and.
An outfit made for an enthusiastic spearer
this year. from his own designs, consists of IA
rigid standard about five feet high set AZ the
bow OF the boat. To the upper part OF the
standard Is attached an arm OF about the same
length, which. by means of slot connection
and screw can be set and firmly held at any
angle desired either over the side Of the boat
down near the water or M in the air. AT the
end 81 this movable arm j. fixed an eight
candle power electric lamu Of the ordinary type,
having an ordinary reflector at the back. which
can be set at any angle. From this lamp run
plunge battery The whole outfit cost the
owner $40, and he can buy the prepared
matter for charging the cells for 30 cents a can.
two cans being sufficient To give light for about
seven hours. The same battery during the sum
ner can he used for running an lS-inch fan,
Ihhera1mT q, SEWING MACHINE; or dong any o.
OF u motor.
. Ii is not everything to have man who can
polling the boat. II the poler does not know his
business few nsh Will he caught. He must
know the shadows and depths Of the river, and
where the hat-bOttomed sharpe can go: he
must pole neit her too slow nor two fast. and he
must know where the bottom is rock and where
and lets his pole strike hard upon a rock
bottom. the conclusion will be carried