Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-04-14
A THRILLING SIGHT.
CAT CHING AND KILLING THE MON
STER FUNNY FISH.

nous Nets In the Mediterranean
Sen and Are Then stabbed and
SInshed to Death with Spears.
One of the most thrilling and won
dcrful sights in the world Is that of the
funny fisheries of the Mediterranean
sea. TIE pursuit of these great and
swift fishes is not Il mere tame operation
of netting. 1t is Il fight between man
and sea creatures such as is duplicated
nowhere except in the whale fisheries.
The funny is IL huge mackcrcl. He is n
prcdaccous fish. and his course through
the seals is that of Il destroyer without
parallel. So deadly is the funny to the
schools of herring and similar food
fishes that he is called the herring hog.
In our waters he is known more gen
orally as the horse mackcrcL
The funny fisheries are distinctly Eu-
rOp"an, and they are the oldest indus
try that is known in the Mediterranean
sea. TO capture them men must band
themselves together in large bodies,
FOR fishermen Singly could do nothing
with these fishes. which grow to a length
of ten feet and weigh over half ton
sometimes. Therefore there is Il sys-
TEN of cooperation on the coasts that
are visited by the funny, system
which dates back to the Phnnicians,
who were great funny catchers in their
time.
The perfection of this system is due,
among other things, to the fact that
the big fishes have absolutely regular
habits. In normal times they can he
relied on to make their appearance at
certain periods almost to the minute.
When they come, it is in huge schools
that can be seen afar, for they scour
the waters like ships of war. ana the
lcapings of their prey and the leapings
of their own bulky bodies beat the
deep into white foam and lathcr.
Since they are SO exact i'll their hab-
its, the fishermen prepare for them al
ways before they arrive. AT some dcs-
ignntcd spot are spread enormous nets,
exceedingly deep and made of the
strongest of line. These are not de-
signed to catch the tunnicS. They are
spread out merely to force the fishes to
edge in and in until they are led to the
real prison net, which Is n vast con-
trivancc set in an immense square and
powerful enough to defy anything that
swims.
AS soon as the last of the school has
entered this boXlikc Enclosure the sides
of the great net are raised ut Il signal.
AT first the imprisoned fishes do not
show any signs of alarm, but as the
net rises. inch by inch. from the water
depths cleaning, SwOrdlike backs ap-
pear here and there above the surface,
darling with incredible swiftness from
side to side of the net. Each instant
more OF these living blades appear
above the surface.
Then the fishes begin to leap. Here
one launches himself straight out of the
watcr-500 pounds of glorious life-to-
ward the sky. to crash back into the
sea with Il ilaillike blow of sides and
tail that makes the ocean echo. An
other and another rises and falls back.
Soon the scene is as if the abySScS of
the SEA were spouting their inhabit-
ants. for hundreds of immense silver
flashing fishes rise everywhere at once
within the net.
But now a new element enters.
Long. narrow fishing boats push into
the Enclosure. In them stand brown
men with lanceS and spears and big
knives dashed to poles. Then begins
fight that is terrible to see. The men
in In,
cs of fishes. The fishes leap and roll and
dive and leap again, hammering the
sea with tails that churn like the
screws of steamships and whitcn the
waves with foam. Before many min
utcs boats and men are drcnched with
bloody water. The surface of the
ocean is red. Ont of the smoking
spray peer faces now and then that are
dabbled with blood till they look
scarcely human.
Now and then n man slips and falls
among the harricd fishes. Then there
are loud screams from his companions
and cries of supplication from him as
he calls to his patron saint, for it is no
joke to fall among those mighty bodies
that are lashing around in their death
thrOrS.
SO the fight continues till in that in
closed space of sea there is not fish
alive. Every boat Is half full of water
and loaded down with living silver.
where tn" slim. piratical bodies of the
beautiful fishes lie, The inhabitants Of
the towns near the scene of this fishing
make fetc day of the arrival of the
funny. for it means food and employ
ment for many hundreds of men. wom-
en- and children. The fish is a favorite
article of food, especially when sailed.
and the roe is Il great delicacy. which
brings farcy prices. The tunnicS that
are caught off the Italian coasts have
to be passed through the custom house
when they are landed. like any other
merchandise. and the streets there pre-
sent a strange appearance then, for on
all sides are whcclbarrOwS full OF tho
Rhapcly. monstrous crcaturcs.-New
York Press.
Red Paint In New England.
AS one drives through the country
towns all over Maine one can hardly
fail to notice the frequent old red barn
and OftrntimcS q whole set of farm