The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-06-01
CHA r CTER

lila SisElR
IrsrralN3PRg sEsys 10 Elstl WHO jaapas
w Of u Isl Own slS
Traits o. 81 sturdy New Enflander.l
FL sailor ana Linn dsn,a d Who IicsSat
;Rsst lii rrcscryed Tish's Family \
Vault n New York city. WI
In the Marble cemetery In New York
city, among tombstones q men more
orslcss infinitely associated with the
early history OF the metropolis, stands
one bearing the inscription, 81 Preserved
5Flsh's Family Vault The Inscription
has "a queer ring to y, suggestive s %.
the odd character whose name iit per-
petuates, According to 5all the tales
Itold iofi him. rresery ca Fish wns IN ce-
centric sort OF man, and that definite.
almost defiant declaration OF owner
ship on his tombstone Is In keeping
with the rugged self reliant character
Of tic man iii life. Il
There Is some doubt about the man
!ner IN which Preserved Fish came By
his given name. According 10 one sto.
| rs, whom a small boy he was picked up
In midoeean5 hanging to, tblt Of broken
spar With that determination which he
evlnced In after lifetin such "a marked
4 degree His Srescuers declared then
and there that Preserved, was the
4 name for the youth, and Preserved he
) was called. " y " ;s
But, according to Edmund Norman
I Leslie, a. relative, Preserved was q
common name among the Hugucnots
prior to the American Revolution, and
!, his ancestors came by his name in the
7 same prosaic manner as many OF the
period, being born the son OF a Ports:
! mouth (R::sI.) blacksmithlin 100, who
7 had been christened Preserved. s
A Like many other boys Of tho time hc
n ran away to sea, shipping MS cabiniboy
q on d 3whalcr. He rose rapidly. and AT
Y twenty.one was a captain. Evidently
Captain Fish appreciated the odd name
he bore, for a story Is told OF him thai
4 while captain OF IA New Bedford whal
er he, was held up by a revenue cut
ter. ii II Y e. "a =
n "What ship Is that ~ demanded TIL
a captain OF The cutter.
"Thc Flying Fish,, answered th'
IS youthful commander &, "a S., q,
VI whats her, cargo?" was the mex \ J:
5f question. X ,as3
S ai"Plcklc1 fish,'t was the prompt: an
swcr. y. Il; A # sl n NJ
And who is captain y
u Preserved Fish, CIT \, " vi H
9 These answers had a ashy sound i
4 the revenue officer; lie ordered the brl
.. to heavc to and boarded her, only, 4
nnd tint the answers were true In g
lf cry detail. - .,3S u 4! Il 4
w Captain Fish turned alandsman
=. 1910, quitting the sea and going In
y" business III New Bedfo HeEenter'
politics, Iand after a most troubleson
43 time suddenly decided TO leave Ne
5 Bedford. 4; Il; Z 81
.i,Sj IL" want you to sell my house, Y ne
s& clared "a to IN nuctlonecrs whom 4
y. CHANGED to meet In the street.
%5 "But We will not get anything II
,s its value here protested the auctlo
sia GER. Il; x " ,s!33i r.:
.tDld say anything about getting
value?! Sell it--value be hangedF,,wast
aS fierce reloinleri OF Captain Fish, s
N sacrificing his property, the capita
left New Bedford and settled In Flus
u: Ing. n. ", as a farmer. 1t was VIII
- living there that "a disagreement are
65 between him and "a nelghbor who b
been Ills closest friend. The twosl
=. came. bitter enemies, and, indeed, Il
,---3 deep was the hatred on Captain Els
1s@ part that on one occasion when 1
neighbor; saved his life after his sc
.boat. had been wrecked in Hell g
- =, he did not even thank his enemy
Y. theyact. w III 3S I'm
4.$8 Soon utter this incident Capt
FISH moved to New York city " TT
se# ing bis back upon political office
-. formed, with Joseph Grinnell,5
shipping house partnership Of Fish
Ize' Grinnell, nnd the FIRST regular line
stp Liverpool spac ketss was started. ", 4
= Captain Fish gotsalong finely in
1900 -----, shipping business until in 1926
went to Liverpool with! bout 500,
I, Of capital and an unlimited amo
ma OF ambition. Two J years Inter
M came back minus the ambition
} ~ two.thlrds Of his5 fortune.
sf It was after that venture that, 4
-; ing formed "a partnership with s
uel Allay OF New York city, I the gro
- - old captain entered the late
morning. y, al
\ ,! % Il hope you are we'll this morn
Ess captain" remarked Ills partner.
i ".This. SIR growled Captain u
- - lis a place for business, not con
mcnts.' Mr.. Allay was hlmsel
man Of some spirit. In less timest
It takes to tell 1T the firm Of Els
Allay became a thing Of the past.
--- the SIGN ,yngf being NJ con vaf.tetl K,