New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-29
bird MCGUIRE LANDS
GIGANTIC SWORDF|SH
Oklahoma Congressman Has
Desperate Fight with Mon
Ster at Catalina Island.
TT WEIGHED 1876 POUNDS
Struggle Lasted SO Minutes, and
Congressman Was Bruised
and Exhausted When
1t Ended.

Guthrie, Okla. oct. 2S-Representa-
tive Bird s. Mcclure member Of Con-
gress. has been known all his life as an
athlete. He is powerful of build. In
his school davs he was the champion
wrestler Of Chautauqua County, Kan.
Yet. when ne reached home several days
ago from California. he bore marks of
wrestling encounter with an opponent
that weighed perhaps q few pounds less
than himself Mcclure won. but said it
was the hardest battle of his life.
McGuires wrestling place was the
Pacific ocean. off Catalina Island, and
the opponent that taxed his prowess was
"a swordfsh that weighed 1S5 pounds,
which Mcclure landed in fifty minutes.
This is said TO he the record time in
Catalina waters for a swordAsh of that
size.
I'm fishing for the swordhsh the best
bait is a flying fish. which ranges in
length from eight to fourteen inches.
The moment a swordfsh strikes the boat
Is stopped and plenty Of slack line Is
given, as tautnoss might cause the bait
to be taken without hooking the fish.
The hook is about five inches long and
an inch and a half wide from shank to
point. 4 second jerk indicates that the
fish has been hooked. and now the line
must he kept taut. The swordtish Is Il
master of strategy.
McGuire's fish struck with about six
hundred feet of line off the big reel, and
started for deep ocean water, running
cut a Thousand feet of line, leaving only
orc hundred feet on the reel. dangerous
reserve supply. as further straightaway
yum might snap the line. The fish now
began leapirg. clearing the water often
IT &. height OF six or eight feet
lie vas 80 far away that Mcclure WAS
unable to tell whether the fish in sight
was the one on his line. The boat was
whirlcd and driven straight ahead tow
ard the fish. now often seen loaping high
i'm the air and shaking its head TO dis
loLse the hook. Mcclure reeled in slack
a., fast as he could turn his reel.
The boat vas worked i'm the direction
of the fish for eighteen minutes. Up To
this time the nsh had not begun sound
ing or going deep down into the water.
Now. however, he plunged downward
TWO hundred feet. He was brought
gradually 10 the surface and came
within twenty feet of the boat which
the fish apparently had not observed.
The captain reached for the gaff. only
"a is, .snfl of Tho Is
took fright like a Texas steer and away
ne went straight to the bottom of the
sea. depth Of seven hundred feet.
where nc lay and sulked.
AT the end of about five minutes the
bic fellow started FOR the surface at an
an lie of ~ degrees. The boat was
steered for the point whore lie might
riss. The fish was three hundred feet
from the boat when ne came rushing
from the water and began leaping.
ch1rning the water around him to
white foam. Then he would sound,
pulling all the time for deeper ocean
water. After a fight of lfty minutes
from the time the fish struck Mcclure
landed IT,
Mcclure discovered that he had been
i'm real fight without realizing how saw
age It had been. He had put on gloves
when he began fishing, but they had
been torn apart, and the palms of both
his hands were raw and blistered lie
had received 4 deep cut near his elbow
and his arms, leg; aud body were
bruised and black whore he had been
struck By the end of his heavy rod.