Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1896 — SWORDFISH AGAINST WHALE. [ARTICLE]

SWORDFISH AGAINST WHALE.

A FIERCE BATTLE BETWEEN TWO MONSTERS OF THE DEEP. The Whale Whipped by Its Fiery Antago* ni»L...Something About the Swordfish of the Pacific Oce an. The passengers on the Mttle steamer that makes daily trips between San Pedro Harbor, near Los Angeles, Cal., and Santa Cataline Island, some thirty miles out In the Pacific Ocean, were excited the other day by a terrible battle between two sea monsters. A N. Y. Times correspondent says that the spectacle from the deck of the steamer, alxnrt a mile away from the scene of the combat, was a small mountain of mist tossing in the air, at the base of which a huge black tail churned the water like the blades of a screw propeller. The monster, a very large-sized whale, turned this way and that, all the time lashing its black tail with fury and beating the water so that the sound came like elaps of thunder to every one on board the Catalina Island steamer. The whale suddenly turned and spouting a powerful stream of water and blood some twenty feet in the air, lashed the water with several powerful flops of the tail, and sank beneath the surface of the ocean. The little steamer made for the scene of the battle with all speed, and every one of the passengers was terribly excited at the scene, but when the boat reached the spot where the great whale was last seen nothing but foaming water, reddened with blood, marked the locality. There were several oldtime sailors on board tihe steamer, and they all agreed that a battle unto death between a swordfish and a female whale had been fought before their eyes. The swordfish bad the advantage of the great sea mammal, and was thrusting its only weapon of attack and defense— the long, sharp and pointed sword—into the vulnerable sides of the unwieldy whale. The great mammal could but thrash its tail about in impotent rage, until at last a vital spot was readied by the attacking swordfish, and the whale was vanquished. A dozen or more old men who sit about the docks and the Custom Houses at San Pedro, after a long career in the whaling fields of the Pacific Ocean, say that the battle between the whale and the swordfish was not uncommon. Several of the old tars say they have witnessed just as good fights between similar combatants, and besides, that in nearly every case the swordfish is the attacking party. Many men who have been on whaling voyages have found wounds in the carcasses of Whales that were undoubtedly left there by an angry swordfish. It is seldom, however, that a swordfish is able to stab the whale to death.

The swordfish is utterly without fear, and will, like a buffalo or rhinoceros, charge anything that offends it, often doing an amount of execution hardly to be believed did not the evidence exist. Combats between swordfish are most Interesting, and may be compared to a duel between two expert swordsmen. Such a contest was observed off the long pier that extends out into the ocean at Santa Monica, near Los Angeles. Some fishermen noticed two big fish leaping out of the water and dashing along the surface. Soon it was seen that they were swordfish. The season was When the fish were usually ferocious. They had made several rushes, and when observed were at close quarters, striking each other powerful side blows like cavalrymen. This was unsatisfactory, and finally they separated and darted at each other like arrows, the water hissing as their sharp dorsal fins cut through it.. They evidently struck head on, one missing, while the sword of the other struck just below the eye and plowed a'deep furrow in the fish, partly disabling it so that it turned and attempted to escape. P-ut its adversary also turned, and with a rush drove its sword completely through the body of its foe and held it fast, only wrenching its weapon loose when its enemy stopped swimming. This one lunge finished the battle, and the victor left the field. The vanquished, floating on the surface, was picked up by the fishermen. The wounds in the dead fish were examined by several hundred people in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. They gave ample evidence of the extraordinary ferocity of a thrust by a swordfish. The force with which a swordfish strikes has been variously estimated, but that it is equal to that which drives a twenty-four pound shot from a howitzer will be believed easily after viewing the result. In the waters of California three kinds of swordfish can be seen—Xiphlus gladius, Tetrapturus albldus, and Hlstophorus. The fish engaged in the battle described were of the kind first named. It is the ordinary swordfish, found on both sides of the Atlantic, in appearance trim and shipshape—a veritable privateer. It is a piratical cousin of the mackerel.

The striking feature is the sword, which is a continuation of the upper jaw into a sharp bony sword. The jaws are toothless, the lower one belng hard or bony. The eyes are large and prominent, the tall sickle-shaped and powerful, and the whole appearance of the fish denotes speed’and activity. Jt attains a length of from five to nine feet, and when working at full speed can pierce a wooded hull sheathed with copper. One of the most remarkable cases on record is that of the ship Dreadnaught. One day at sea the crew felt a sudden shock, and soon after that the ship sprang a leak and was obliged to put into port. It was found when she was dry-docked that a large swordfish had struck her. The sword had penetrated the copper, then the thick oak hull, passing through the thick pine sheathing, and finally entering the head of a barrel. The sword was broken off short, partly plugging the wound.

The ship Wanderer was struck in the South Atlantic in the same way, and the pumps had to be manned. When she was docked the terrible sword was found. The United States government has recently collected testimony relating to such cases, and it makes a most interesting showing. Hundreds of instances have been brought to light where swordfishes have struck vessels with disastrous results, one case cited

being the sinking of the sloop Red Hot, which was employed around New-Bed-ford by the United States Fish Company. The swordfish, undoubtedly enraged at the presence of what it considered an enemy, dashed at the vessel and sank it