The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-04-18
MONSTER sAWFIsH RAMS SHIP
Strikes So Hard That 1t Becomes
Wedged Tightsin Ship.

| New York, April IA remarka-
BILE story of how monster saw-f1sh
lpierced the hull off d three asted
! schooner and the unique method en-
ployed by the skippsf@to rid his ship
of at least part of the huge selachian
fish was told yesterday when the
| United Fruit Company's steamer Ba-
ker, Capt. Oertel, arrived In port
! from the West Ind1&s, Any one who
| doubts the truth OF the strange story
| may journey to Jamaica and see the
/ schooner Annie o., OF Provincetowp,
in drydock, where the flsh's saw is
! being removed from the hull g..
] On the Bakers last trip south
from here, about 4 days run from
Port Antonio, the lockout sighted the
Annie o. Her peculiar mapoeuvers
excited great, curiosity. She acted as
| though she had escaped from the
marine Observation-Disclosures Within
a few hundred yards of the schooner
the Baker hove to and about the
same time small boat put off from
| the Annie o. with three men. When
the quarter boat got alongside a
short fat man climbed the sea lad
der -.
I'm Capt. Gainesehrt, of that
schooner, the Annie g.. he said,
land though I never look for treu-
bic, certainly found it.,today. A few
hours back there was.a sudden jar
aft and the Annie o. fiz~ two foot
out Of the water aft.
1.-The next minute there was a
crash Of timber and q long, fiat
thing, gray in color, damned itself
through the cabin roof, 1t had spikes
half an inch long on the SIDES. At the
same time there was great distur-
bancev in the water just beneath the
rudder post. Without my turning a
spoke Of the wheel the Annie o.
hove to. tried her on. both tacks,
but she wouldn't answer. So / let
her hang while / sent for Jim Ben
son, who is an expert swimmer and
dyer.
81 told Jim to don his low-cut
bathing suit and see what had be-
come so attached to the schooner
Jim is hardly more than out of sight
when he comes up and fairly leaps
out of the water onto the, deck. Now,
Jim's an educated, man, having lived
next to school when he was a lad,
and when he gets his breath he says:
There's an elastndbranchtate
stuck fast in the hull att on the port
side and it looks like it had come to
stay =
What is it," says i, leland is 1t
|serious?"
1ts commonly called a saw-flsh,'
says jim. ...-.-
THE upshot was that Jim got his
saw, went. overheard and went to
saving on the sawfsh.; After work.
| ing between breaths for halt an hour
/ he broke the saw off and that saw
4 fish is not sawed off. Can you lend
4 me a saws" ~;
In a few minutes O. saw was
Il brought up and powerful Jamaica
IlnegFo, one Of the Bakers crew, who
h had been a diver Off the Florida
keys, went with the sehooner's skip
per over to the Annie o. Benson and
the negro jumped overboard with
the saw, which was about five fee
Hong, and started to work, After {
thine the water astern was oolored 2
dark crimson. At the same time Ben
son and the negro roseE to the sur
face. Stout lines were lowered. AS
benson appeared long silver-graJ
IObjeCt shot under him. He cried ou'
in pain and was pulled aboard the
|schooner. f.I
His right. foot had absen torn of
at the ankle. The sword fish, minus
/ his saw, which the men had finally
Isucceeded In cutting away, wa:
thrashjng about In the water. In {
little while he Disappeared. -
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