The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-03-09
QUEER FINDS IN FISH,
The Stomach Of a Cod Is Some
times a Sort Of Museum.


psvoursd by This voraolous Feeder.
The singular Adventure of . Ten
pslisr Gold plses.
One day In 1908 A. 10. Levy Of New
York felt tho piscatorinl fever surging
through his system, 10 took a day on
aud went out TO the ashing banks to
try his luck. Az be was dressing bis
catch that same evening he discovered
In tho stomach Of cod ten dollar
gold piece. with two diamonds sst on
one side and tho Initials r. g. II. Oh tho
other. Leyy was no amazed that hs
sent tho story to the papers. and II was
copied throughout the country.
He hardly expected ever 10 hear from
II. but n few weeks later was surprised
to receive letter from Patrick g. Ev'
ans, residing In Kansas. who claimed
the piece nv his own and presented puf.
ncicnt evidence Of this 10 satisfy Levy,
who accordingly turned II over to him,
II seems that Evans was In New York
earlier In tho, year and spent day
blackhshing In the lower bny. and 40
he was hauling In iish the chain 10
which the coin was attached got caught
In tho rigging Of the sioop, which Just
then rolled. tho chain snapped. and
away went the coin never 10 be recoy.
cred, IN he then supposed.
One OF tho saddent fnds recorded
was that Of a ~. Johns (N. ~ fisher,
man, who discovered n wedding ring In
the entrals OF cod IN 1871 II was
eventually proved 10 have belonged 10
Pauline Burnam. nm Englishwoman
who was lost In tho steamship Anglo
Saxon. wrecked on Chance Cove. ~ r..
In 1861 The lucky fisherman received
q present OF ESQ for restoring the high
iy priced memento 10 the woman's son.
A Havre fiaherman's wife, drying
Goldfish caught by her husband on the
coast Of France In 1904. noticed that
one fish had hard substance inside.
On investigation she found In the fish a
golden bracelet. How the ornament
came into It's strange receptacle Ia. OF
course. not known, but II is conjec.
tured that II must have slipped from
the wrist Of some fair passenger lean.
Ink over the buwarks Of transatian
tic liner and been seized by the cod
Last year the greater part OF the
male and part Of the female population
OF the village OF portlshend. nj the
mouth OF the Avon. IN England. turn
cd anglers for awhile. Fishing tackle
and bait doomed for some time. and
all because one Of the local anglers
shortly before had landed good sized
fish. and when II came 10 be dlssected
on the domestic table II was found 10
Include" n diamond ring declared 10
b" worth $3.50.
While dscharging II fare OF Goldfish
from tho schooner Winnie NJ Getchell
at Gloucester. Mass, In 1856, Captain
John NJ. Getchcll. master OF the vessel
found imbcddcd In the thick flesh Of n
large cod knife Of curious workman.
ship, The ilsh was caught on the
northeast part OF Georges bank IN
seyenty.nve fathoms Of water and
was apparently healthy. The knife
was not found until some time after
the fish had been cured. When found
the knife blade was closed, and the
small or posterlor end or the handle
was nearest the tail OF the fish, the
hesh nt this place being about two and
half Inches thick. The knife when
closed was three and hv,saIghths
inches long.
In 1884 Captain McEachern of the
Gloucester schooner A. i. Clifford
found knife-one OF the kind known
TO fishermen ms haddock rlpper~-ln
the stomach of forty.five pound cod
which had been caught on tho lie Have
bank.
Lars Petersen, m able seaman Of the
steamship Hypatia, which arrived In
New York In 1908 from st. Lucia,
made curious find on the voyage.
After the vessel left st. Lucia Il large
gray shark was seen following II. For
two days IL continued In the wake Of
the ship, when Petersen resolved to
get II. Procuring n large hook. he bait
cd It with salt pork and after some
difficulty landed the monster, which
measured almost twelve feet from tip
to tip. Upon opening Its stomach Pc,
tersen discovered there ring with the
initials l.. ii. h. engraved on the In.
side.
Owing to the fact that cod seek their
food on the bottom and are voraclous
feeders, their stomachs when opened
frequently present curious and some.
times amusing collection Of odds and
ends. Bits of leather, marline spikes,