Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-26
Westinghouse summeriag on the
Massachusetts Coast.
CAPTURE OF 4 BIG SWORD FISH
How the Fishermen of That Region
Hunt the Monsters.
DANGERS OF THE CHASE
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Ma

Captain and Mrs. Newbold of Washington
| are visiting Colonel and Mrs. Carey. who
are also entertaining their son. Lieutenant
Ed Carey. and his bride, just arrived from
Fort Douglass, Utah. Mr.. A. Zapphone Of
| the accounts division of the weather hu-
reau, with his wife, spent day here this
| week.
| Colonel Geo. B. Davis, who was promoted
| to lieutenant colonel by the retirement of
| Colonel Winthrop, is summering here at
the Pequot. The guests honored his pro-
motion by decorating the table used by
| himself and family and special friends with
! flags, while over the table was suspended
| a large United States flag. with the salute
Hail to the colonel made of ivy leaves.
On the table were large bouquets Of scarlet
| nasturtiums white petunias and blue bach
elors' buttons. arranged in stripes OF red,
white and blue. AS the colonel and his
| guests took their seats all the other guests.
over a hundred in number, rose and sa-
| luted. fine course dinner was served.
| and an immense cake, decorated with
| flags, was placed before Colonel Davis,
| which he divided among the company
Gcv. Altgeld of Illinois, with his family,
accompanied by E. r.. Brainard and family
| of Chicago was here this week. and made
| a number of good catches of fish,
A Big Swordfish.
Speaking Of fish. the largest swordf1sh
ever seen here was landed this week by
Capt. Hiram Luce. an old Vineyard pilot,
| who Is now fishing with the schooner Hec-
| tor. When hauled ashore and placed on
the scales the fish's weight was recorded
at $50 pounds. The average weight of this
species of fish is but 200 to $50 pounds. A
| number Of years ago, Capt. Luce says, one
of the same size was caught near Nan
tucket, while he never heard of one weigh
inc T1a oi,,s, Ia
scription Of the tussle with the monster.
| which measured IA feet inches from the
tip of the sword to the end of the tail is
exceedingly interesting. He says: At
about pm. Tuesday we were making the
Gay Head wharf, when the big fish was
sighted swimming at the surface only 300
yards from shore. The harpoon, the keg
and coil of rope were Immediately brought
out. and the schooner made for the fish,
who was apparently asleep, they run
alongside of him all right The harpoon
was plunged into his back and the rope
thrown overheard.
For half a minute the monster lay as if
stunned. first making a deep dive then
starting away for the open sea with the
speed Of an arrow, the key making the
water fairly boil in its wake, but in the
course Of an hour, after going many miles,
he tired. and boat was sent alongside.
when they lanced the big prize. and old
swordy was hoisted aboard the schooner
The fish was harpoored by the mate who
halls fl ON Gay Head. an old salt who has
speared many big whale in the arctic.
The fish had been on exhibition here for
several days and was then taken TO New
Bedford, where it will be on exhibition
during the conclave week. Swordfshng
is risky business, and almost as danger
Gus as the vocation Of a. freight brakeman
The modern swordfsherman is a whaleman
to all intents and purposes. and crazy
swordfsh Is just dangerous as an ugly
whale He has the very essence of deviltry
hiS eli II olr
he swings his horn sword around with
such vengeance that it is as wicked a
weapon to face as blade of steel. He does
not jab, but slashes with a twisting. saw
ing motion, like fail full of business
The Approved Boat.
The most approved boat now used in
swordfshing is the cat, though other craft
are also employed. but a Cape Cod cat
boat is, after all as safe a craft as one
can use. especially when handled by men
who have made a living by sailing them
from boyhood. They are out in all kinds
of weather hammering the big waves OF
the ocean or banging into the tide rips of
the sound, and like the cat in the familiar
song, they always come back. The iron
that kills the swordfish, when properly d.
rected. is a rod affixed to q pole
At the end Of the rod the barb-a piece
of metal with lanyard-is attached. When
the IRON is sent into the fish a yank on
the pole diser cages it, the pole is with
drawn, and the barb with it's line remains
fast in the flesh of the fish. To this line
is fastened gaily-painted key, which
serves as float to locate the fish as he
swims away from his tormentors. The fish
Is allowed to tow the float, and the boat
chases after bin to the end. while in kill
ing awhale, the whaleboat is towed by
the leviathan until the big creature is tired
out and gives up his struggles to escape,
10 1fpYQ loav NIT n 1oy,
swordflsh swims near the surface of the
water when In pursuit Of food. They eat
fish, and are considered murderers among
the finny tribes. but very seldom swallow
their food without first killing. When in
the midst of a school the sword does won
derful execution, flashing the wat er into
foam with wide swinging sweep that
would break a mans back In a fifty There
is not the slightest suggestion of a thrust
IN the motion, merely a series of lightning
like sweeps. The swordfish is easily To-
Gated BY the boatmen, as he rolls along
the surface. The curved back fin and tail
furnish mark that can be discerned q
long distance. If there IL sufficient wind
the boat can be brought over the fish so as
certainty. but in a calm 1t is a case of watch
and wait. Frequently the men go after
the fish in a tender, if one is at hand but
as rule they prefer to wait for wind so
that the fish when struck will not swim
the float key out of sight and carry away
the gear.
Stories About SwordGshes.
Several weeks ago the fishing schooner
Centennial of Gloucester ran into fish off
Gay Head, and the creature at once butted
thirty-foot seine boat in tow at the ves-
sells stern. The boat was stove in and
$1,000 worth of seine went adrift. About
the same time fisherman near Edgartown
happened to be in a dory handy to a
preaching fish. The dory was smashed,
and, according to witnesses, the fisherman
was hurled a distance of thirty feet by the
conclusion. He could not swim, and when
his partner got to him with boat hook
there was no time to be lost, for the VIC
tim of circumstances was sinking for the
last time in $50 feet of deep blue sea- A
f1fteen-foot boat hook was required to haul
him out Of his predicament. Some years
ago whaleship was al New Bedford dock,
discharging a cargo of oil casks. One of
the casks could not be lifted from its DO
sition near the keel. When 1t was pried
away a wicked sword was found protruding
through the ships bottom It had cut a
three-inch plank of oak. a two-iuch hard
pine piece of shea thing and entered the oak
head of a cask and then broken off near
the nose Of the fellow who had SO de-
terminedly directed 1t.
Many narrow escapes are told of by the
Marthas Vineyard fishermen. number
Of fharn ha va heen injured nv s,uor3 sud