New-York tribune., 1902-02-16
DEEP SEA FISHING TALES
YARNS-SEA SERPENT FULL
OF FISH
OF FISH.

When forty weather beaten captains Of deep sea
fishing steamers get together around the
festive board there is limit TO the number OF
good stories which are told When the home ports
from which these captains hail are spread over a
stretch of coast from Eastport Ne. TO Galveston.
Tex the variety Of tales is equalled only by their
truthfuluess. There was such gathering at the
Astor House a recent night. when Captain
n. p. Church. president of the Fisheries Company
gave dinner 70 the captains OF the menhaden
fishing fleet There was much to eat and more 10
drink, but this account has 10 do with what
said when the covers pushed aside
You've all heard about that sea serpent that
Captain Cavanaugh caught year before last off
Sandy Hook said Captain Francis Beckwith, the
gray haired commodore of the feet. All whispering
tongues about the table were stl, for the captain
Is famous as teller of stories. Well" he con-
tiuued. 1t wasn't circumstances compared to the
one We caught in the Arizona of Barnegat last
ySlIow monster wouldht have won the prize for
TEL the story. commodore" came from half
dozen shippers IN different parts of the room
Il lows that the best way to tell story is TO
begin at the beginning and not in the middle. so it
starts Ike this: We left the breakwater morn
ing 20 TAKE a IooK along t9e Jersey beach for
school school OF those oily menh9den. and not fipper
nlets where dsh should have been found / wasn't
going oack without d catch so l told the mate TO
send her out 70 ssa tee miles or so and let her
dr5 bat m m9EPns d6sb r9eP Peg r8e5 bd n on deck and
in a swell. The mate was up IN the bow look
r5ceat ea Ii sRP R2'' ""e's 'eFe Wa" "e OF Pn0SPno
IT'S a big whale just under the surface says
:. Too long for whale says he to me.
ordered to run her ahead ouictIv When cioser We
made out string OF light Almost two hundred feet
-. = rs a sea serpent, saws Herb bigger than any
My but didn't / wish we'd been fitted with
an old brass cannon like Cavanaugh had when he
got MS sea snake OF The Hook OF course: this big
twisting critter was full of menhaden. for every
one knows that is what they feed on. II we could
capture the brute and bale him out we'd have
prize catch. First thought of rammlnG the serpent
Arizona Wa, AFRAID of the thing Every time we'd
get close enough for rush the wheel would stick,
rev VINO would throw at the Thing though some
Il had my choice OF losing an expensive seine
the seine There was little trouble surrounding
him for ne had stopped swtmminS Tor some reason
ing in the net and bringing MIN alongside, that
he knocked over of the seine boats and spilled
the mfn in the water II was d coid night, but
mon were nearly burned. Then the critter rammed
his mead through the seine and was thrown into
"A rage by one of the ropes knocking his big.
red eye, which w2s as bright as steamers light
The seine got so tangled up in his twists; how
We finally got Line around md, his middle ~ ,.o,r
Of the fuss he made. decided to tow him to
H9y. NJ got him alongside the dock cut a hole
in his deck and the elevator took out seven hun
fnr n bu{ nv Old friend Captain Ketchum of the
Alaska, win tell you how true il is. He knows.
for he helped tow the thing in
The Alaska is always ready 10 help the Ari-
zrna when she gets job that's too big for her to
handle alone" Captain ketchum's rather
doubtful corrobOrdtion
And that reminds me- said another captain |
that | to tell a story about the race between
the Walter Adams and the George w. Humphrey.
I'm the few who know the true story or
that exciting contest. and know you'll like It.
'Yo know that there has been "A bitter rivalry |
for years, betwe Roly' Mason, of the Adams |
and Mart Leeman. of the Humphrey. As luck |
would have It, day last August found them
nshing off Atlantic City. Both had fair success.
and their holds well filled with menhaden- |
Mason decided 10 the factory at Lewes, |
Del and unload that he might start fresh early I
he morning Leeman made up his mind to /!
the same thing, and both boats were under !
way. II from the start, and the pen !
alty for losing a long wait while the other /
unioaded. which meant late arrival at the fish /
ing ground.
TT was a FIVE hour run to the factory With en- ,
gnes running like watches and fires well cleaned, /
there was chance to break the record At Herford !
Point the Adams well ahead. and Captain |
Mason yelled down the tube to McClain. the en- :
something doing on the Humphrey There was /
hardly smoke coming out of her stack, but she [
was slowly cutting down the lead Seven miles from
I.ewes she passed the Adams, and all the swearing /
was no explaining the change in the situation. for
the Adams tearing through the water as fast Z
The Humphrey kept going in A way that
would make the presidents heart jump with JOY.
Adams got into the harbor. The sudden burst OF
speed a mystery until Captain Mason learned
that the Humphrey had landed only twelve hundred
barrels
that's not worth coming TO the factory with. We
got sixteen hundred on board II I've got a barrel