The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-03-03
AyQlJAsISIlC CHER
RTAlN sRR vi o Fisss sslti HAD
MI IS ovs

iNSsElffhSt
A lELS H. n IS OWN
Ira ~ ~ stpS New
ma sn,ani VIM III
Rest In Isrese "a Ill Iii Is Il anil u
vaait IN sSss 10 CIT i.
In tho Marble come terry n New Sorli
city satnang tombst stones of men more
or less intimately sassoelatel $3withStlc
Iearly history OF the met ropSiis, stands
one bearing the inscrlpt Ion, Preserved
;FSlsh''sS Family Vault The inscription
has a queer ring to Slt, suggestive Of
the odd character whose Sname 1T per!
petuates. According to ali the tales
told of him, Preserved Fish. was q &C.
centric sort Of man, and Sthat definite,
almost defiant declaration 3 81 owner.
ship on his tombstone Ii I'D Keeping
with; the.rngged, self reliant character
OF the man In life. IN
4 There Is some doubt about the man.
ner in5whlch Preserved Fish camo b.
hls given namc. According to one sto.
ry, when a small boy no was picked up
in mldoceanE hangins! to IA bit OF broken
spar with that determination which$he
eyinced In inftor life lii such a marked
degree. His rcscuers declared then
and there that I. Preserved iwns the
name forEthe youth, and Preserved he
was called. l3ii:133
But, according to Edmund Norman
Leslie, a relative, r Preserved was { a
common name among tho Huguenots
prior TO thctAmcrlcan Revolution, and
his ancestors came t,y his name lnsthcy
samc prosnic manner as many 81 tho
period, being born tic son. oil u Forts.
mouth Or. ~ blacksmith In 1900, who
had been chrlstenel Preserved. i$i Il
Like many otllers boys OF tht5 time1lic
ran away to sen, shipping MS, cabin:b
on whaler.s Tie rose rapidly, aud mt
lStwenty:one was d $captaln. Evidently
3captain Flsh3ap appreciated the odd name
he bore, for SstorS5is told{ofilllm tint
amhile4capt,iins IN New Bedford what
or lie vas held upSbyi5i a revenue cut
ter. a " a "A
"Nrhatssllp Is sthatfn. demanded tho
captain offtlie cutter. SS.E85
1.-THE Flying Fish answered tito
youthful commander. III sils55 d,
WHATS her cargo WAS Etlie next
question. ii3 Il "A SS8 Il rs
sPlchlcd 5lsh," was the prolnpt fam
swer.s INK 81 ~
And who IL captain Y.!sssS 81 jf?
Preserved Fish, Ss 4. i.
These answers had ia flshy sound To
the revenue officer. he ordered the}bfigi
to lieare TO and boarded her, only to
find tliatitlies answers were true Iii sey.yS
cry detail, Nj v
n Captain Fisllsturncl 4 landsman III
1910, quitting the sea and going Into
buslrsss in Now bedford. O. He entered,
politics, and after d most troublesome:
time suddenly decided to leave New
Bedford.
81 want. you to5sell my, house. he de-
clarcl 81 to I'M auctionccr whom he
CHANGED to meet in the street. 55t3
"But wcewill not get anything like;
Its value here" protested the auction
Ger. N Il \, \; ii i5 II ~. Z.
Did 1saS3 ttllinggabout gettingItsi
value? Sell iti-yalue be linngcl!',wa the:
fierce rcjoinderS Of Captain Fish.fS So
sacrificing his property I. the captain
left New Bedford and settled In5IIlrsls
ling, N. as a farmer. j : was while:
living there that a disagreement arose,
betwecnyhim and q nclghbor3wlioE llRtl!
been Ills closest friend. The two! he
came bitter enemies, and, indeed. 10
deep was the hatred on Captain Tisllts
Ipnrti that on one occasion when the
nelghbor saved his life after his "a e
:boats had been wrecked IN HellS Gate
he did not even thank shls enemy fey.
the act. yiS
Soon aftcr this incident sCaptaiii
Fish moved to New y ot,rk. city Turn.
Ing his back upon political oilcc, sl!c
formed, h with Joseph GrInnell, tile
shipping house partnershipPof Fish q
Grinnell, land the first regular5lIn ori
Liverpool packets was started. y
Captain Fish got along finely la The
shipping business until $in SEQ slic
went to Iiyerpoolgwltl, oatF$ioo0o6
Of capital and an unlimited amount
OF ambition. Two years later liz
came back minus the ambition and
5two.thlrds of his fortune. l8 "a 81 sj
twas after that venture TINT. haiy ys
Ing formed "a partnership with Sam.
uel Alag of New York city, the g ,rcdi 3
ola captain entered the Office late one one
morning, vi
81 hope you are well this morning;
captain remarked his partner. a.
This sir growled Captain FISH,
rs a place for business, not cot,mrpli.,
m me- y ! Nj. Allay was himself q 4
man Of some spirit. niless time than
Il takes to tell II the firm sof Fish e
Allay5 became a thing OF the past. and
the sign was being converted into
kindllng wood Il