The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-15
COURAGE OF swORDFIsH.
Will Attack Anything from n Man
Eating shark to a Ships Hull.

Portland (Me.) Express.
They say" said a Commercial-street
fish dealer. that New York will buy any
kind of fish hat is offered for sale. You
know people around here. with few excep-
tions, don't pretend to eat founders, yet
immense quantities Of them are sold to the
New York markets. Yes, it's a great fish
town. but III tell you one thing that they
haven't yet been educated up to. It's eat
ing swordfish. Somehow they can't seem
to believe that the flesh is good to eat. In
Boston, on the other hand, they can't get
enough of them during the season, and in
fact all through Massachusetts, and Maine
swOrdfish is considered almost equal to
halibut. The fish are usually most plenti-
full around Block island and Vineyard
sound although a good many are taken all
along the Maine coast.
ut is an easy matter to locate the
sharp-nosed prOwler of the sea. for, like
the pirate that he is, he carries "A warm
ing with him in the shape of a big black
fin that rises above the surface of the
water as nc plows along in search Of some
thing upon which TO use his sword. He is
afraid of nothing, and when enraged will
attack anything from a man-eating shark
to a whale or the bottom Of "A big schooner.
THE force of his thrust is terrible.
Weighing, as the fish frequently do, four
TO six and seven hundred pounds, and
equipped in the head with a sharp sword
OF bone three feet long, some OF these
monsters can penetrate the thick planking
of vessels. Many such instances are re-
corded. An English bark arrived at Val
paraisO some years ago leaking badly.
They had been startled when out a few
days from Valparaiso at feeling a sud-
den shock. as though the vessel had struck
on a sunken wreck.
''They found that Whatever had struck
them clung to the bottom of the ship and
shook her so that it was with difficulty
she could be steered. After three days OF
Juggling and twisting the incubus. what
ever il was. cleared itself and the ship
steered as we'll as ever. On arrival at Val
paraiso the vessel was locked and an ex-
animation showed that the cardboard
strake, in this case n fve-inch oak plank.
had been pierced vertically by the sword
OF a swordhsh. with about a foot OF il in
side and about the same or a little more
outside. When the sword had run through
the space between the bottom timbers IL
met with resistance from the sister keels
on a heavy piece of oak timber about nine
inches thick. When striking that the force
of the fish probably was spent. The plank,
/ understand, with the sword still sticking
I'm IT. is now on exhibition in the British
Museum.
II could tell you lots of cases OF an equal
" interesting nature. Some of them the
fishermen have related to me here at the
wharf. and others / have read about. Take
II all around. the swordfsh is a dangerous
sort Of a thing to play with when he is in
his native element. The swords can be
polished so they will CLEAN like ivory. and
there is always a ready market for them.
Many of>the Portland fishing schooners are
now rigging out for the season, and I ex-
pect you will soon have some swordfsh
catches 10 report