The Press., 1904-11-30
AQUAINTCHARACTER
CAPTAIN PRESERVED FISH, WHO HAD
 TWILL OF HIS OWN.

In the Marble cemetery in New Yorl city, among tombstones of men more or less intimately associated with ths early history of the metropolis, stands one bearing the inscription, Preserved Fish's Family Vault" The inscription has queer ring to it. suggestive ol the odd character whose name it per petuates. q According to all the talet told of him, Preserved Fish was an ec centric sort of man, and that definite almost defant declaration of owner ship on his tombstone is in keeping with the rugged, self reliant character of the man in life.
 There is some doubt about the man ner in which Preserved Fish came by his given name According to one sto ry, when a small boy he was picked uT in midocean hanging to bit of broker spar with that determination which he evinced in after life in such a marked degree. His rescuers declared ther and there that Preserved" was the name for the youth, and Preserved hs was called.
 But, according to Edmuhd Norman Leslie, relative, Preserved was g common name among the Huguenots prior to the American Revolution, and his ancestors came by his name in the same prosaic manner as, many of the period, being born the sone0f Ports. mouth (R. I.) blacksmith in~1766, who had been christened Preserved.
 Like many other boys of the time he ran away to sea, shipping as-eabin boy on whaler. He rose rapidly, and nj twenty-one was captain. Evidently Captain Fish appreciated the odd name he bore, for story is told of him that while captain of New Bedford whal CT he was held up by revenue cut ter.
 'What ship is that?" demanded the captain of the cutter.
 'sThe Flying Fish," answered the youthful commander.
 ''What's her cargo?" waSz the next question.
 Picked fish," was the prompt an swer. .
 "And who is captainY
 Preserved Fish"
 These answers had Aehy sound to the revenue officer. He ordered the brig to heave to and boarded her, only to find that the answers were true in ev- cry detail.
 Captain Fish turned landsman In 1910, quitting the sea and going into business in New Bedford. He entered politics, and after a most troublesome time suddenly decided to leave New Bedford. ,,.-s
 'T want you to sell my house." he de clared to an auctioneer whom he chanced to meet in the street.
 ''But we will not get anything like its value here," protested the auction eer.
 ''Did I say anything about getting its value? Sell it-value be hanged! !' was the fierce rejoinder of Captain Fish. So, sacrificing his property, the captain left New Bedford and settled in Flush ing, N. r., as a farmer. 1t was while living there that disagreement arose between him and a neighbor who had been his closest friend. The two be came bitter enemies, and, indeed, so deep was the hatred on Captain Fish's part that on one occasion when the neighbor saved his life after his eat boat had been wrecked in Hell Gate he did not even thank his enemy for the act.
 Soon after this incident Captain Fish moved to New York city. Turn ing his back upon political office, he formed, with Joseph Grinnell, the shipping house partnership of Fish X Grinnell, and the first regular line of Liverpool packets was started.
 Captain Fish got along finely in the shipping business until in 1926 he went to Liverpool with about $1OO,OOO of capital and an unlimited amount of ambition. Two years later he came back minus the ambition and two-thirds of his fortune.
 It was after that venture that, hay ing formed partnership with Sam uel Allay of New York city, the grouty old captain entered the oRce late one morning. sB "I hope you are well this morning. eaptain," remarked his partner.
 '4This, sir" growled Captain Fish, Ifs a place for business, not compli- ments." Mir. Allay was himself a man of some spirit In less time than 1t takes to tell it the firm of Fish X Allay became thing of the past, and the sign was being converted into kindling wood. 8
 Captain Fish could never forgive any one for failing to be punctual. To him the man who failed to keep an appointment was wholly unworthy of trust in the future. Once in the early days of the shipping business the pilot who was to take a vessel to sea at a certain hour on certain day was prevented from getting to the ship at the time agreed upon. though through no fault of his own. Captain Fish pi- loted the vessel to sea himself. and when the pilot appeared he discharged him without a hearing.
 Captain Fish was married three times, but had no children, and his life was ''preserved'' to the good old age of eighty-on An oil painting of him ia to be seen in the Chamber of Con- merce building.
 The bones of several men of note rest in the Marble cemetery, among them those of Stephen Allen, at one time mayor of New York md the man who, while state treasurer. installed the Gro ton water system; William E. Tread well, inventor of cracker making ma chinery, and two South American gen. erals.-New York Tribune.
 uDisastrOmS Wr0cl<s. 8tg.
 Carelessness is responsible for many & railway wreck, and tho same causes are maktng human wrecks of sufferers from