The Republican journal., 1905-09-14
Gloucester Fish Stories.
champion Fish Liars of the World, Live
There. Gloucester and its People.


in Gloucester. Some old fellows,
and dried up like a salt cod, have
at experiences and finish that comes
ling whoppers for seventy years
ore. The best of these are men
nave got rich and retired from the
~ trade. They have plenty of time
-ep in training.
of these old fishermen have had
amazing experiences. They have
ed with swordtish, have been chew
. by man. eating sharks, have had
Die combats with devilfish and met
trightful adventures with all sorts
eird creatures of the deep. Usually
iIoucester fisherman starts off with
tory of the time the schooner Sarah
roma, or Maud Jeanette, dropped
inehor into the blow-hole of sleep
hale. It's terrible thing to an
TO a sleeping whale. Sometimes
.ags your schooner half way to the
Ii Pole, at speed of about two
5 a minute. Usually the schooner
we'd by cutting the anchor chain
rs the whale dives under a big ice
= average inland fish story is weak
;loppy alongside the stories told in
ceSter A fish merchant will perch
a pile of dried cod and talk for
$ of his experience. The Glouces-
shermen seem never to have had
.lmmonplace experiences. Every
was wonderful, amazing, almost
0ible.
foNAH SWALLOW THE WHALE?
cape Ann fisherman is mighty
us man, but he will tell you
ia out that the Bible is wrong
I says that the whale swallowed
ah could come a dern sight near
lloWin' the whale than the whale
come to sWallowin' JONAH" de-
one Gloucester fisherman who
-n for years on whaler.
re never was a whale that could
uW 1 spring chicken, much less
Continued this authority. "a
throat is SO small it would
e 20 death on an apple. I've cut
~ mighty big whales, an l know
m talkin' about. The biggest
Z ever saw had a throat about
sNough to swallow a good sized
without choking. Any fresh
ltfsh has a bigger goZzle than a
30 matter if the whale is 10 feet
, Tory of the whale that choked to
u a herring is interesting, but
tGIBLE swoRDFIsH OF GLoU-
CESTER.
aster is a great place for sword
re fishermen make speciality
ing this dangerous fish. The
he swordtish is highly priced.
-. SW0rdtish is common feature
menu cards. Here is the tale of
rble sWordfish that sunk boat
-Q man:
Vas off Newt un Ian looking for
sl one day" said the fisherman,
i'ill Habson see a big fellow ly-
aep on the waves. Bill rowed
close up and sent his harpoon
into the fish.
sb woke up and thrashed aroun'
1ost sunk our dories, the wash
-. leayy. All of student he shot
low Bills dory, got a good start
4 up again. His sword went
the boats bottom like it was
nd then went clear through
The dory was goin' under when
-l- TO Bill, but he was done dead,
,-aoW."
F}SH THAT FOUGHT A DUEL.
4 amt nothin' to what Eve seen
IA do" broke in anoth er fisher
Why, one time saw two of'em
luarreling and then they swum
zee quiet spot and started in to
ell you it was the purtiest
FER saw.
lad oughter seen their swords
together. One OMEN would
age, but the other fellow was
9o quick and would parry his
y. One time | saw two fell
TO Boston dom some fancy
1t they couldn't handle their
se them fish.
ought there for half hour,
hat, | reckon, and the best
was to get in a few belly
Then, suddenly one OMEN
.leroff his guard and sent his
n through him. The fellow
lowered lest give a side twist
the other fellows sword
a4Nt TO his nose. He knew he
er, but he turned right around
after the one with the broke
] wasn't minute before he
~plit clean open. They both
-ether. l tell you that was a
Fl -ht."
iif DOMESTICATED EEL.
DID '.j fisherman of Cape Ann has
toyced by rheumatism to retire
4 active work. He makes a good
H. ashing for eels and bluefish in
s!"u0d Gloucester harbor. He
I hen he tells of his pet eel that
llay around the house.
"as winter time when | first saw
The fisherman said. "He was
up Squam River, swimming
y SOW and tired like. knoWed he
81 'e hmgry to come up that far.
'. re eel got abeam of me, he
0d looked at me i'll the most
..- way | ever see. He was a
fht. He looked so longing
''lt in the shack and got some
.' led him. He was purity nigh
tell you he was shore a
eeI He wiggled his tail and
by after he'd fed.
ID" You won't believe it, but that
tI'k there in the same place the
at the same time. An he
tor food. | fed him then
'-rdlng him.
rcd got so friendly that he
p himself around my arm
lout of pure friendliness. 1t
cold that winter and | de-
AXE him comfortable. | took
q house one day and warmed