The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-11-21
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the east end Is OF Isons rs Iis{tts sss..sd
fsBtock Island, Not Afans s Iss4 nd and
rthas Vineyard the s lsh Is NJ
home IN the hummer months III { !. s!
The grownup sworddsh Is. no box ever
saw a really little one there hey sbcsw
up rs visitors TO this coun try When
they reach, say sevent y-tiye pounds N
ISweiZht. 1t is said that the : Dung are
found only In the AtetiiterTane n. How
the ma turc ones learned Sthc attra ctinns!
OLA sum1ner.at the New England coast;
resorts IS to be guessed by those who
have active ina ginnt lions, and how the
fish find their way over, here year after
year Is equally pulling.
sss They come and feed on the squid,
young macberel and other OF jects or
interest that they encounter. This fat.
tening diet. moves them dong to .
weight Of sometimes as much as 500,
pounds. With their swords and their
amazing powers of loco1hot1on they!
have no fear! Of any thing. and they lie
on the top of the ocean as serene ms If
there was nothing else in creation. The.
big black dorsals fin waves gracefully
to and fro in the air as the fish lies
there, and often the tail sticks out al-5
most as conspicuously. That lis what
gives them away. 1t seems almost In
credible that5o the great eSpanse$o OF
the ocean SO slight n5object should be
noticeable, but it is by discov erinS the
waving fms that the fish are found.
The boat searching for them has q
lookout who scans the surfa ce OF the
sea and finds what he is booking for
too. It indicates that there must be d
lot Of the fish about.
After a swordfish is sighted the next
thing to do is to keep him in sight I'M
til the vessel can be brought around
behind him. Usually she is moving so
fast as to runpast Mt first. Sometimes
the7fsh sees her and quietly sinks him
self out OF sight. but usually he stands
by and the only trick is to keep the
eye on him. The vessel comes up be-
hind to avoid disturbing him, and when
the. bow is directly over his idle and |
impressive majesty a skilled hand takes
up q lance and drives it down into his
back. The arrow shaped dart at the
end dislodges itself from the shaft. I
which comes back to the vessel, and of
goes the swordGsh with the dart stick
ing to him like Il poor relation. He is
no longer a sleepy and loainG idler,
but magnificent fish exertng all his
enormous powers to escape
a caslk is tied to the rope which has
the dart at its other end, and when the
fish is struck the caslS is thrown over
board. Then away it sails, sometimes
out of sight and at other times skim.
ming the water and making the foam
fly as it dashes along. In the course
OF time the fish tires himself so that N
sailor puts out in a dory and picks up
the cask. Then he hauls slowly on
the rope and gently brings his catch L
to the top. If}the fish is ugly there is
opportunity for a lot OF trouble. but
t he comes in penceably he soon gets
cut in the throat from q sharp Knife
Ind goes out Of business sum- 3larily: B
Then the weishty body is hoisted
board and the prize is secured. New. Il
York has no fancy for swordHsh ste;ik. r
which is mighty good eating, but Bos-
on is a ready buyer. and the5wh oiesa1e
rice ranges from G or S to 10 or %
ents a pound according to the aup@5
ly.-Hartford Courant.