The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-14
SWORDFISHERS' CRAFT SUNK.
SHE'D CAUGHT SO FISH AND WAS
HARPOONING ANOTHER
when the Russian steamship Ssrstov Game
Out Of Fog n Gut Her Half In Two
All IN shepherd Kings Crew Save
Themseives-They Are Mostly Yankees.

out Of the Fog and cut Her Half In Two
Thcmselves-Tbey Are Mostly Yankees.
The steamship Saratov of the Russian
volunteer feet. which locked last evening
in South Brooklyn. has aboard Capt. J. o.
Brigham and ten fishermen. mostly Down
Casters. Of the bowspritless Yankee w
masted schooner Shepherd King. which he
Saratov ran down in a heavy fog 100 miles
EAST by south Of South Shoal lightship. of
Nantucket, at s:45 O'Clock on Friday MORN
ing.
Capt. Brigham had been nine days out
from Boston swordfshing and had in the
~schooner's we'll eighty-six fine specimens.
worth 10 cents a pound in the Boston mar
ket. That meant about s.. 200 for him. and
as the fish were running in great style he
expected to add several hundred dollars
more.
The skipper himself was in the pulpit
with harpoon poised ready to launch it into
the body Of a big fish whose fin showed
above the surface of a crestless swell, when
Frank Watts. a Newfoundlander. of the
schooner's bow in a dory ready to capt
ure the fish after it had been h~arpooned.
shouted.
There's a steamer coming right at you
h skipper held his post for a moment
shouting to the man at the wheel. Charlie
Noble. a young but able seaman Of Maine.
Stay there, Charlie!" Meanwhile the man
at the foghorn blew three hoarse blasts.
Then the stem Of the Russian was upon the
little craft, shifting her on the starboard
side.
1t was a glancing blow, but 1t ven almost
half way through the oak and haokmatack
hull of the fisherman. She had four dories
mouth up" on the deck, and the skipper.
who had jumped from the pulpit" and
his men launched the nearest dory in a
jify. showing her stern first over the port
side. Ten men in all got aboard The
buoyant little craft. As it touched the
water the men at the oars showed Oh vigor-
ously to prevent the dory from being Drawn
under by the suction of the vanishing
schooner.
The Russian stopped within a few lengths
and started to lower a boat. This was
not necessary. however. as the dory was
able to take care Of the castaways, with the
help Of the other dory in charge of Watts.
who rowed to the rescue Of his shipmates
as O az he Jaw the liner ram the Shep-
herd King. Five of the men in the dory
launched from the schooner were trans
ferred to Watts's boat and all hands rowed
alongside the Saratov. They clambered
aboard the Russian by a sea ladder. Not
a soul had been even wet. but there were
two who were without hats and one bare
footed.
There are. as usual, two versions OF The
collision. The skipper Of the schooner,
who naturally had the right Of way, de-
clares that he was sounding his foghorn
at the proper intervals and that the steam
ship was not blowing her whistle as she
should have done and was going almost
at full speed. Capt. S~chichmareff of the
Saratov says he was going at about quarter
speed and blowing his whistle at least once
every two minutes. He heard no sound
from the fisherman.
Capt. Brigham had a half interest in the
schooner. which he says was worth Si2. 900.
Z. A. Rich and William j. Emerson OF Boston
owned the other half. The skipper declares
that the schooner, her cargo and the per-
sonal property Of himself and his crew will
foot up about $4,000 and that he will put
in a claim against the Russian line for that
amount.
Sword fishing is a profitable industry up
New England way. The head OF each fish
is worth is cents for I he oil in it and the
flesh is a delicacy.