The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-06-04
By Frederic y Haskin.

geas1aueass euEaoance1sn
one of the most peculiar fisheries
\ In the world Is thar which has for
It's object the capture OF the porpoise,
that foolish sheep OF the sea, the
cousin OF the dolphin which figures
! IN many a strange, neurological tale
1Strtctly speaking, It IS not fishery
! at all. because the porpotse Is not a
fish It belongs to rae whale family y.
end Is a mammal 1t suckeS It's
| young as does COW, and no creature
which thus feeds its offspring is al
fish. Despite which fact the por-
poise is commonly called blackhsh
from Florida to Newfoundland. and
the products of its capture and re-,
fnement are credited to the fishing IN
dustrieS
| The porpoise is sort OF little
brother to the whale In the schools
OF these creatures, with which every
individuals range in length from two
to twenty feet. They are thick and
blocky and half as high as man
when lying stranded on shore. They
range IN enormous. herds throughout
the north Atlantic, and different var1e-
ties OF them are to be tound in the
other oceans.
Along the coast OF North Carolina
from Cape Hatteras to Bear Inlet Is
fayorite run OF the porpoise. The
bays OF New Jersey offer natural traps
for these foolish creatures. Back of
Cape Cod. which reaches its elbow
cut from Massachusetts,. they often
strand themselves by the hundred. On
! the Farce Islands, to the north OF
Scotland, they are captured in great
er numbers than anywhere else.
When the nets OF the fishermen
haul catch of porpoise onto the
beach Of New jersey, the young AM
mails among them scream as might so
many frightened babies. The older
captives emit deep bass notes not UNI
like the grunting of hogs The entire
catch sets up such a foundering as
NAV be resisted only by huge nets
specially prepared for the purpose
The American industry that isl
based upon the b1ackfsh Is most in
terestfng among the fishing towns
that are scattered along Cape Cod
For 200 years the blackfsh has sent
thrills down the spineS OF the sturdy
| fisher folk that dwell IN these villages.
To understand this. 1t is necessary to,
study the psychology OF the porpoiSel
| Itself
These foolish creatures travel ebout
the seas in schools. Each school will
have a leader. and wherever the
leader goes the others Will follow If
| the leader comes to. the surface and
makes leap above che water. thereby
exposing his sleak shiny back, all his
(, following will do likewise II he
chooses to play far out In the deep
Atlantic, they follow without question
! If he reconno;ters in shore, they fol-
low close in his wake. It is on such
expeditions that the strange folly OF
the b4ackfsh often leads 1t to destruc-
/ ton
Uf a school enters a bay. access to
narrow channel, its leader has no in
telligence that viii guide him out
again. The herd may play about this
bay for weeks All the time 1t is in
great danger If the leader or any
member OF the herd gets into water
so shallow that bottom is touched.
there is an mediate panic. It i'm
mediatel yplunges forward with all
the force OF ITS strong body. 1t ITS
nose is pointed into deep water the
result may not be disastrous But II
land Is ahead Of the blackhsh, the
forward dash is. taken Just the same.
SO the frightened poropfse takes
header directly onto the shore. Bvery
| member OF the school Immediately
follows suit. Contact with the beach
1 OUT enhances cue 11SAEy VI G3S4A AAAoAAe
4 and they flap and struggle further and
| further up the beach The result Is
that the whole school strands itself
in such a way that it may not get back
to the water. II has presented itself
as free offering to whoever would
like to refine its fat into marketable
oil.
Cape cod cuts of an arm Of the
4 ocean in such a way as to oner
natural trap for the foolish blackhsh.
1 So It has happened from time to time
| chat these schools have run asore
/ near the different villages. In such
/ cases, finders are keepers. and the
fish belong to the men who hrst put
their marks upon them As each hsn
| is sure to net the man who gains title
to it from ten to twenty dollars. the
stranding Of school is likely to re-
suit in the stampede Of whole VII
1ase to the beach
A story typical Of the spirit that
prevails in these towns with relation
to the stranding OF these schools Is
recorded as having taken place on
| quiet Sunday morning The village
preacher was in the midst OF his ser
mon and the browse OF the Saooafa
/! prevailed up and down the beach
/ suddenly the cry OF --bdackdsh" was
heard from the outside The congre-
cation rose as one man and started
h for the door. The minister in the
pulpit lowered above his congregation
and demanded that 1t stop So mas
iterfuI was the man that his parish1n-
ers halted In the aisles and he strobe
down among them When he had
reached the door he said:
Now we all have an even start