The sun. [volume], September 09, 1917, Section 5 Special Feature Supplement, Page 6, Image 48

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920

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tjJsE
RUSSELL J. COLES, THE IZAAK WALTON OF
Personality of Man
Roosevelt Devilfishing and Whose
Pastime Is Study
By JOHN "WALKER HARRINGTON
TWO men were lighting perfectos
the other Any, In the lobby; of
ths Hotel Imperial Their
face were -wreathed In both smiles and
smoke, for they were pleased with
themselves. One had sold to the other
a hundred hogsheads of Virginia leaf
and the prlco was right for both. They
were nbout to proceed to the latest
story when a Bravo and spectacled
person rushed up and shook the am
pier of the twain warmly by the hand.
"Just a word of congratulation to
you," he said to tho able salesman, "on
your magnificent demonstration that
Cynosclon nothus Is merely an abnor
mal regnlls."
The recipient of the compliment,
which sounded strangely like a recital
of the price list of Havana cigars, was
a much enlarged and very, modern
Izaak Walton. His knowledge of big
game flab and their ways has made
him the friend of many noted men.
He la the author of sclentlflo mono
graphs which have attracted the at
tention of Institutions of learning and
also a contributor to tho collections of
the foremost museums of the world.
Likewise he Is n Judge of all kinds of
sea food nnd w other things to be later
enumerated, ills best friend Is Cot
Theodora Roosevelt, who thus de
scribes him In the current number of
Bcritmer's Mngnjine In an account of
a devil fl.ih hunt whloh ho undertook
as the guest of this stalwart brother
of the harpoon:
"Russell Jordan Coles, by vocation a
tobacco dealer of Danville, Vs., and by
avocation a sportsman and field nat
uralist, especially an Ichthyologist.'
He Is both Walton and Nlmrod. The
son of Cush began early, to be mighty
on the earth, It la recorded In Holy
Writ. "Russell J. Coles of Danville,
Virginia, sah," an In booming voice he
always announces himself when mak
ing calls, business, lchthyologlcal or
social, began to be mighty on the sea
while he was a very young man.
He was brought np in the train of
Princess Nicotine, his ancestors hav
ing been planters for generations. All
the same he had such leanings toward
marine biology that in his reckless
youth he would have gone out for
museums as a deep sea explorer at a
alary so small that It would have
been mere white bait compared with
Ms present Income. He took there
fore to fishing naturally, as a means of
recreation while he was developing'
Into one of the best sellers of the
virgin leaf upon the road.
A' Mndrrn Isaalc 'Waltasu
Izaak Walxon according to most
authorities .was a linen draper and
milliner and very much In trade. His
deep Interest In angling, Just as the
enthusiasm of Russell J. Coles has
done, brought him Into contact with
all sorts nnd conditions of men. He
started with a little shop only five
feet wide nnd seven feet deep and
throve so well In Piccadilly that he
was able to retire at fifty years and
to devote himself to tho placid pur
suit of angling In the brooks and
streams of merry Englnnd.
Ho had seriously slven himself to
commerce and yet out of his recrea
tion grew the finest rewards of his
life, for he, tho tradesman, became
the friend nnd biographer of some
of the most eminent persons of his
time statesmen, poets and divines
nnd also the author of a classic In
literature, for such Is the world's
greatest book on his nrt, "The Com
plcnt Angler." One of theso days
Russell Jordan Coles of Virginia may
write the plncatorlnl biography of
the Colonel nnd relate his own many
perilous experiences, although he Is
not so grently bound to literature as
was his seventeenth century prototype-
When the fnther of angling was on
enrth clergymen wero forbidden by
the laws of tho church to Indulge In
venery nnd hawking. They might
not pursue the boor nor slay the
deer, so they drifted Into that pastime
nf the contemplative man. fishing.
Now nobody would cnll Russell J.
Coles nn Introspective person. He
laughs tn the welkin, nnd when he
speaks the deaf may hear again. He
1 the big gnme hunter afloat. Just ns
Col. Roosevelt nnd the Rev. Dr.
William P. Ralnfnrd nnd Carl E.
Akeley are nlmrods of tho African
Jungles.
Tnll, great of girth, tipping the
scale easily at 274 pounds, Russell
Jordan Coles could never be mewed
up omong dusty tomes. Scientist he
Is Indeed, but a scientist so full of
everlasting pep that ho could never
enonfi his ilnvs lioiiJlncr over diagrams
nnd necking through microscopes. '
Ho was n lilg lirother of the angle
before ho became the Walton of tho ,
harpoon Once In the presence of nn
amazed group he caught a BOO pound I
shark with hook nnd linn and landed!
It scientifically with n slender pole, j
However, Mr. Coles decided to seek yet,
jnoro adventurous sport, nnd this Is ;
how It happened tlmt he went after tho
greater denizens of tho sen with gun
ii nd bomb nnd lance.
lluntrr of Ilevlln.h.
Ills favorite outdoor sport Is the
siaying in wvuiisn. mere is a popu-, tho High part of tho back of the manta
lir Idea that u devilfish Is kin to the just as tho two great bluck fins were
octopus, that creature of clinging ten-ung madly Into tho air nnd almost
tacles. .s a mntter of fact. It Is very) moetlng over our heads deluged us
like a flattened whnle. It often mens-! with many gallceis of water. Then the
lues 2.-. feet fiom tip to tip across Its; two fins crashed down on the surface
g;cat illpprrs, Devilfish rango in 0f the sea with u noise that could have
weight up to six tons. j i.en hcard for mlleSi nnd tll8 manta
Thn big flhh do not look for trouble, hnstnntly repeated the performance a.s
but when nroused they have an In-! I yelled to tho engincor, 'Keep her
fernal temper. It takes n man like Kolng!'
Russell J. Coles to go after them ln "just as the boat was sliding from
true form, for even the Fight of tho , the back of the manta another huge
creatures, with their horns, their wide ono rushed up from below, striking
nnd yawning mouths nnd their Satanic full m our port' bow with sufllclcnt
tulls, would be terrifying to the uver-j force to spin tho boat around until her
ago cltlon. i direction was almost reversed. Atone
A classic light of science was Mr. time nil four of tho great pectoral fins
Coles's killing off tho coast of western , were towering nliove us nnd floods of
Florida of the enormous devilfish from ! water wero bolng flung into our boat,
which n huge model is being made to "First tho stern and then tho head
be exhibited In tho American Museum ! of tho craft was highest ns she pitched
ol Natural History. .Mr. Coles had 1 from side to Bide. Then I heard the
found that both sharks and raya often i chug chug of tho propeller blades us
continued fighting long after both they gashed tho tin of tho tin of the
their hearts and brains had been
pierced by lance and bullet. Ho there-j
fore designed for his marine hunting a
huge lance, more than three times ns
heavy as tlnj largest whalo lance. He
calls It n spailo typo on account of Its
having a cquaro cutting edge four
Inches m width.
The manta or devilfish when
Who Took Colonel
of Sea Monsters
wounded retains so nraoh of Its won
derful vitality that It has bean known
to tow a hundred ton vessel out to swa
by the cable after first pullhtf the
anohor up from tho bottom. Mr. Coles
recalls one occasion when a manta
which had been shot, harpooned
lanced was still strong enough to poQ
eight boats lashed together, and ths
crews, in order to save themselves, had
to cut the rope. He therefor Invented
a drogue or drag, a structurs of planks
to which the line bearing a harpoon la
attached. Such a device Is used la
whaling to Impede the movements of
the Ironed cetaceans.
The sportsman-scientist la of a breed
that takes the bull by the horns. In
stead of waiting for the devilfish to
crush his boat he employs a system of
strategy in which are Included soma
startling stunt It take a skilled
crew and a steel nerved and wire
thewed harpooner of ths Coles stamp
to execute his brands of feats, but he
enjoys the risk and the trained men
whom he hires get to crave the excite-
if hi imm the
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5VSl?LL COLES and COL ROOSEVELT WITH
CAPTVRED OEVILFISH- .
fOTO COUTt AMtSlCMI MVIIVM NMMtlU. SltTOSrf
raent of them. It Is a sport which only
a man of Inborn daring would ask to
learn.
Coles and his crew were In a motor-
boat near Hllnd Pass, on the western
coast of Florida, and In the midst of the
devil fishing grounds. In 1915. when
there came n terrific shock, and four
of tho party who were standing up
looking for signs of the quarry were
-thrown violently down Into the bottom
of tho vessel.
."Tho .boat," to quote Mr. Coles,
"which was running under full power,
had met tho head of a manta rising
to tho surface and coming toward us at
moderate speed. The shock of the
collision wus so groat that It almost
stopped tho headway of the boat and
her bow was lifted more than a foot
out of fater.
"Our sneed carried the boat un over
first mnnU. The engineer kept tho
engine going nt full speed, but the
'blades of tho screw wero not catching
tho water now and for a short distance
wo wero carried upon the brond backs
of the two monster devils of the sen.
"Scarcely a word was spoken until
in tho midst of a wild upheaval of tho
two madly, frightened manta beneath
slVVKHBSsssssssssssssssssssssfsssssssssssssssssssssH
SSELL J.
COL. ROOSEVELTS HOST
AT DEVILFISH
2 y iv
us the boat was flung from their backs
and was turning over, when I shouted,
'High side!' which order was Instantly
obeyed. Two of the crew, except for
an arm or n leg, threw themselves en
tirely out of the boat. The craft
struck head first and shipped a lot or
wnter over her bow, but we were now
clear of tho two manta, which raced
together on the surface for a short
distance.
"Almost In an Instant," to quote
from tho article, "My Fight with tho !
Devilfish," In a recent number of the
American Muteum Journal, "the boat
was cleared of surplus water and we
were In pursuit of the two manta,
when suddenly they went below. We
saw them manv times nfterwnrd fnr '
they were easily recognized, being nl- t
wnvs together. Tho first showed th
bleeding fin tlD which hod been cut bv !
our propeller, and Its mate had lost
about eight Inches from the tip of one 1
of Its fins in some former encounter."
In a fight with n large she devilfish, !
Mr. Coles said that after the creaturo 1
wan hnrpooned tho boat was so well,
nunaieu inai noi more man once in a
dozen rushes did the devilfish roach
the surfaco without finding the boat
on her back. On each occasion ho
drove the lanco through her heart or
brain ono or more times and after the
fight she showed twenty-three wounds. I
"A sensation hard to describe," said
Mr. Coles of this experience, "which 1
must h. (ho htnnn- i,,.f nf ,
must be tho blood lust of primitive parod with his accounts written or
man, makes tho hand lanco tho weapon ' spoken for the popular clientele,
thnt yields the most satisfaction. No This same Russell Jordan Coles, to
matter how frightened or excited a . bacco dealer and big flsh killer, is nl.so
man mny bo. Just let him put every I tho man who composed tho mono
ounco of his brute strength behind the ! grnph, "Natural History Notes on tho
thrust of a hnnd lanco and all sense of l Devllllsh, Manta blrostrls (Wnlbaum)
fpnt lnnv.r-u ttlvi. ou V. ! ... .. 1 lnn Ifntuiln nlfanl I , , 1 1 , . I, , t i
drives homo nnd recovors the lance I
OVCrv sensation but slmnln htnnrl luat !
ovcry sensation but simple blood lust
nppenrs to bo dead.
"Through nil this flght the great
mole mato of the wounded manta kept
near us until the flght wuh ovor and
three times nenrly capsized us by
pushing tho bunt from the bnck of tho
fcmnlo. Onco Just nfter we had been
nearly capsized by a henvy blow from
the head of the' male and the female
THE SUN, SUNDAY,
SKATE
WHICH
RESEMBLES
THE DEVUriSH
IN CONTOUR
5V 3
COLES.
HVNTING
MR COLES AND A
was fighting most violently, when we
were all covered with tho blood of our
victim and the boat was almost filled
with water, Luther Dixon, tho young
est member of the crew, thinking that
the end for all of us was near, tried to
force a harpoon Into my hand as he
screamed, 'Iron the big bull nnd let's
go to hell In tow of n team of devils."
"Then the dying manta raised her
head against the side of tho boat and
gave a loud, harsh bark or cough. As
I exclaimed, 'Watch her eyes rolling
two ways at once!' tho stricken crea
ture slowly moved one of her eyes un
til with that one only sho seemed to
look at us all behind her In the boat.
"The light was now over. Tho big
manta that we had como for was dead.
We at once secured tho fish to our
stern and headed for Hllnd Pass, more
than a mile away. Wo renched It In
an hour of hard towing and then met
an ebb tide against which we could
mako no headway. So, making the
specimen fast to tho beach and leaving
lances, I run the boat Inside and hired
another boat to assist with the towing.
Then, returning, we made both boats
fast and the long trip began."
The gigantic specimen was finally
aruwn tu mo utuiuji wnurc wio uiiuij
of the naturalist was situated al-
or ir.e naiurausi was siiuaiea, ai
though most of the time a heavy
squall was raging nnd the body once
broke adrift. Hero the sportsmnn- ,
Bi.cuwoi ..n m.nj iu u.. ,.. .miiwus
ft Piaster cast of the carcass,
HclentUt as Well nn Sportsmnn.
Such reports of tho prowess of Rus-
sell Jordan Coles as this attracted the
nttentlon of Col. Roosevelt, who en
tered Into correspondence with him.
The result w.sb n specially conducted York and Its ways, and Is not partial
excursion to devilfish haunts In which'. wn th -, ,i, 1-
Mr. Coles wns tho host of the Colonel. ,
'The former President has recently re-
lted his own experiences nt Hllnd
1 aa where he killed several of tho
devils of the deep under tho nble dl-
rcctlon of his mentor.
Keen ns Mr- Coea Is ns a sports-(
"r mo t-uiumw, iiiu,mn.n do not Impend, He can sit with
imiuiwwi uuu., Kin .ur iiKi mere iuvu ,
of slaughter, despite his confession of
primeval bloodthlrstlness. Tho ob
servatlons, made by him on his trips
have been compiled by him in a scion-
tlflc form which Is stripped of all but
the plain facts. In fact his scientific'
atyle Is almost too bloodless as com-1
rwirnrt with ! nrnnnnt ,vrittn nr
the author of a brochuro entitled I
"Vntps nn thn fmlmn, nf aaw.fnl!
Notes on tho embryos of several
species of rays, with remarks on the
northward summer migration of cer
tain tropical forms observed on the
coast of South Carolina."
The editor of that official harbinger
of Ichthyology "Copelu" testifies to tho
valuablo contributions of Mr. Coles on
a wide variety of subjects. Mr. Coles's
demonstration that a certain kind of
SEPTEMBER 9, 1917.
weakflsh, the Cynosclon nothus, was
after all merely an abnormal recalls,
which had bean an Individual aberrant
from the true type, may be found by
reference to the archives of science.
Another notable achievement of Mr,
Coles was his Investigation of a oaaC
nlballstlo Peterophyrne, which ha duly
dissected and described. All that Mr.
Coles does for ths advancement of
human knowledge la a labor of love.
Ha receives no salary for his re
searches from any source and the col
lections hs has given to such Institu
tions aa the American Museum, the
National Museum and the Musee Hls
tolra Naturells of Paris hav been
gathered at his own expense.
When he has leisure from his busi
ness of sailing Virginia leaf, as likely
aa not he will be found eagerly dis
cussing his observations with scien
tists. One week he may drop tn on
Dr. Bashford Dean, the Ichthyologist
of this city, and the next he may be
collaborating with that brilliant In
vestigator of marine life It. Hussakof
In the preparation of a paper. During
the winter he may take part In con
ferences at the Cnmegio Institute or
prepare papers for the Washington
Zoological Society or confer with
Government experts on the many
phases of what to him Is recreation
and to them work.
A plain man who comes out of ths
FLESHLY KILLED SHARIO
world of the every day, most of his as
sociates are scientists who print their
names as a prelude to an alphabetical
recitative of ucademlc degrees. He
keeps his secretary busy while he Is at
home with the despatching of letters,
some of which announce thnt within
a few days he will coll with some won
derful propositions In his line, while In
others ho expresses his vlows on new
species in the world beneath the waves.
Rrcrratlon In Flablns; Trips.
"I have to work at least eight
months of tho year." said he to me the
other day, "so as to have money
enough to go on theso fishing trips, you
see. They cost considerable, what with
hiring and buying motor boats and
launches and employing high grade
men to help along with them.
"If It were not for this avocation of
mine I would havo been married long
ago. I'm suro of that. Hut here I go
on, year after year, getting together
those collections and giving them awayJ
gladly in tho hope that by so doing I
,,.,. . - , , ,.,,'
knowledge and be of use to my fellow
men."
Let no one get the Idea from the
. flhnVA hnf niluonlt T rVtla. I - In n
K,ns. ,,,,' . .,
Kalln"t of. mcn and ls nover 80 1,aPP' .
as wh(m ho ,g .., guliant compll-1
paying gallant compli
ments. Like honest Izaak Walton, i
who C01lId reo0gnlro the beauty of a '
pretty llIkmald , t))c Krcen 8PttlnK
0f lne B,,rlng, this Chief Of
tho devil-
flsh killers knows hn- fn miri.rlte '
m, ,..
A typical Virginian In manner and
speech Is he nnd much like Wnlton,
too , hs undcr.,tan(llnK Umt n fly ;
a net Is nil tho hotter for having been
nmrt hv n iino -mn w iiu.-
to a svll.ihnh nf vriir hv- .h .m. nt I
,no havcock. Tho llL-ht nf th. .'hira :
is welcome to him. but not so much
BO, atter niti nH tlle gow of a C(mp (lre
ma(j0 from the henping driftwood of a
sandy bench'.
jr0 )s happiest when tho works of
n ensure with ramrmtio f hi. hunt
ing and seo above him the vault of
blue and beyond the henvlng wave
of the sen l.n lni. IIlo .n...jln.,
cornstalk hat Is thrown aside hlV
shirt, open nt the thront shows h Is
macular chest and hta Strong "rm I
and skilful lands nr" ofTe.f 3
....... .. onr" '"IK .
... . . . , ,
with tho cookery of tho out of doors.
None knows better thnn Russell J,
Coles how to convert nil the abun
dnnco of the seas Into a lure for tho
pnlnte of mankind. He is n Savnrln
of the cicinn, Ho can make a dish
for the fnstldloiiM out of n lady skato
stingray
pnd a pieco de resistance from a
He can give Just the proper dash
of sherry and the appropriate modicum
of yolk of egg. All matters of gas
tronomy como to him by unerring
Instinct. He would tw no more capa
ble of putting Ice In claret than he
would of using tho wrong lanco on a
right whale. His excursions Into
eptcureanlsm are exnet and delightful.
The description of the proper cook
ing of ths trout ss given by honest
Iseak is no more tempting than the
preparation of pompano by able
Russell. Like Walton he does not
despise the meek and lowly as be
neath his skill with the skillet.
Tou remember that wonderful rec
ipe which the great exemplar of
fishing gave to his brothers of the
angle anent the cooking of the chub?
Now the chub of England la about
the same kind of creature as the
mud sucker of the Western rivers In
this country. Its flesh la rather coarse
and rank, and, as Walton remarked,
"It hath a watery humor," but all
the same it was properly prepared by
him and duly appreciated by his
friends.
Russell J. Colas, like gentle Izaak,
cooks that h may show the way
In which even the plainest piscine
fare may be made palatable. Like
Walton he would give cheap fish to
some poor body who can appreciate
It It Is the same Idea 'which he
has about sharks and rays, which he
believes are eminently good to eat,
for he has eaten them after his own
cookery and recommends them to
others.
If there Is anything which he de
tests In this world which he finds
otherwise so bright It Is food prejudice.
"Food habits and food prejudices
vMlM
Ew-vNHIPjsBBgBVIMHE
V s "-eaggsssHsBBSBsr
"... . V- - - - TEBB5JS?iassB!fsl
NURSE SHACK KILLED BY MR COLES' PARTY. ITS
FLESH IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
HOW TAFFY,
TAFFV was a Wei
an exceedingly at
but he was tho 1
shman, and
amusing one,
biggest nui
sance In the company, or In the bat
talion for that matter. Early In August
1914, he forsook his trade os a miner
to tako up arms for his country, and
twenty-four hours later he would havo
. 1. . . ... ,
been glad to be back at his civilian
ob-
uLs Rrcat trouble was that he hni1
a rooted oblectlon to dlclnlln In Hv
. . ... .... '
Iorm or sal'e. aitnougn m
his favor
it must bo urged that this objection
was passive rather than aggressive,
and usually accompanied by a smirk
ct am'se(1. If injured, tolerance at any
correction. When moved to feelings
be'ond control ho took ref ugo In tho
language of his forefathers, which was
Perhaps as well ulnco n
l"stood ot It. i
T.he drafl '" "e"
ravelling .slnco
early morn and It was now close upon
6 at night. They hnd arrived In nil I
varieties of garb, mostly by now ron-!
dered unrecognizable by the prevailing
mud, but Taffy's was tho most con-
splcuous nmnng this motley of curious 1
raiment, for a startling check en-
veloped his person. It was one of
those checks that you could have com- 1
. . .
.11 "'"."'"y01' '",on "e
.t.wv, uiini, u i. . mm iM'anir ii u
. , J " "'""iV" "
J U fhTh"" BT,P ,hU,- KV"'T
"!!m h' drP
witticism which would draw n roar
roar
of lnughtcr from his companions, but him. Ills laugh, which In tho past
his general tone denoted n decided had often been heard nt Inappropriate
lack of approval of things of the mo- moments, was now welcomed on fre
ment. quent occasions lu themselves enlcu-
Twelve to u bell tent was the order, luted to mnke for depression. His kit
accordingly Taffy was bundled In with t nt Itkspoctlon proved to bo Intact,
eleven others und left to his fatn for while ho hod developed a hnblt of
the time being, Thn following morn- j fnthcrlng tho test ot his section, til
ing he wns arraigned before his com-. eluding tho corporal, In n manner
pany commander upon n charge of quite nmnzlng.
"causing a disturbance nfter lights Ilo was a perfect magpie In the
nut." Evidence In the shape nf a manner In which he stowed away
black eye being ehll!td by "otic or things likely to come In hnndy at
the eleven i ther occupants of the tent, hlnek moments, and that witty tongue
It was explained to THffy that, while n 'of hl wngied every moment nf i'
militant spirit wns to bo encour.iueil. i,ij ;S olll.ers Penan to view him
he must not practise the arts of war . with u more lenient eye and oven the
upon his comrades for so trivial n mat- sergeant major grudgingly allowed
ter as lack of breathing room, which, 1 that "thcro might bo good In the fel-
THE HARPOON
which are unreasonable," said Mr.
Coles the other day, "keep the Ameri
can people from eating millions of tons
of perfectly good sea food which they
might Just as well have as not.
"Out tn Australia the scientists are
making the effort of their lives to get
tho natives of the Antipodes to eat
blueflsh, yet they are making heavy
weather with It, despite the fact that
they are continually telling that we
Americans are so partial to such fare.
Likewise we have been throwing away
menhaden as fertiliser In this country
when that fish, properly cured and
smoked, Is an good aa If not better
than the finest herring.
"Now It's the same nonsensical
squeamlshnesa that we have about
sharks and rays. I consider that moat
sharks are a perfectly good fish for
eating purposes. This last summer I
tested them quite considerably, for I
ate nine varieties of them and about
ten kinds of rays.
"First, tho shark Is a much better
and cleaner fish than most people
know. Onco In n while we find some
Individual that develops the scavenger
traits or takes to man eating, and hav
ing once got a taste of human meat
looks for more, but on the whole tho
shnrk Is aa cleanly a creature as the
lobster or ns that highly esteemed anl
mal from which we derive our Smith-
field hams.
"Why, sharks are quick, clean
eaters. They kill their prey In the
open, and they live off the choicest
food fishes that come their way. The
hammerhead shark, for Instance, makes
his meals almost entirely off the Span
Ish mackerel. Other kinds follow up
the sting rays, and what Is better In
flavor than those same rays?
"However, seeing Is believing, and
the Droof of the food is largely in the
eating, I spent two months and a half
this last summer experimenting on my
own responsibility regarding the edlbll
Ity of certain kinds of flsh, and I am
convinced that we have been missing
our chances of having plenty of good,
cheao food,
"Sharks are often especially good to
eat. I know of no more delicious meat
than that of the small dogfish, whlcn
Is canned theso days and much relished
at that under the name of grayflsh.
I have hauled these smooth dogfish
aboard my boat down at Morehead
City on the North Carolina coast and
A BAD 'UN, ROSE TO FAME
ho alleged, hnd started the rumpus.
"e was namonisncn.
Tho samo day he took exception to
j his dinner, which perhaps was not al
together to he surprised at, since camp
culinary nrt wns in no sense highly
developed in those days. As the fault
oould not be adjusted to his satisfac
tion he struck and refused to go on
the subsequent parade. "No food, no
work," was his motto, and his attitude
I at company oltlce the following morning
1 a one of "sticking up for his rights,"
, ' I"' '"'"" i.iainiy i.r mm. am no
count In mitigation, and so, helng fed
. up with tlie army, lie decamped, re-
nialning nbsent until ho wns nppre
lieniled by the civil police.
Now this sort of thing, If Indulged
In to excess, breeds retaliatory meas
ures, ns happened in Taffy's case,
Crlmn after crime wa registered
ncnlnst him until, when the timo of
emliarkation for France arrived, his
conduct sheet was easily tho worst In
the bnttnllon
On tho actual sea Journey he mnn-
aged to lose his rifle, nlso his cop nnd
his water bottle, whllo his uniform,
which hnd been Issued to him brnnd
new a week earlier, was positively
filthy. He had by now become the
bano of his, company sergeant mnjor's
existence, whllo his platoon ofllcer
shuddered nt th very thought of what
........... ... ......
"mll1 happen to tho fellow under real
,i I tin ill. I ui in.
w"'
, '
"
fur
tut tho prophets wero all con-
nded nnd days went by without
further fnults being recorded ngnlnst
partaken of the cooked steaks wrth
much relish.
"The spring shark fish or the V,n
shark Is almost free from odor and is
one of ths most wholesome and tooth,
some fishes In ths world. Sharks can
be used as we do blueflsh, mnckurel or
pompano and are as good; other varie
ties of the genus, such as the mir.ia
shark, the cub, the sharp nosed shirk
and the sand bar have some odor, hut
they can be readily treated so that
they become very presentable ami in
vltlng. ' Where thero Is a notlre,ii,0
smell I have "found It possible to over
come It.
"Cut the meat Into slices nlmut
three-quarters of an Inch thick, salt it
heavily for thirty minutes, tin- n Punk
the salt out, parboil again sllctuly,
wash and remove surplus wnter with
a cloth or by hanging up the meat tu
drain, then cook and servo hot. Tho
meat of these varieties can be fried
or, better still, baked. For the oven i
recommend a Spanish kind of dre.ini;
made of onion, tomato, mustard, vine
gar, sugar, potatoes and plenty of pep.
per."
Mr. Coles, for the sake of sclenc
and for the reduction of living rostn,
has been trying all the ray family
Especially does he commend ths
smooth skate as without odor and con
taining excellent food. Tho clear nose
skate or briar ray he finds has a flavor
similar to that of shrimp.
The small electric ray, supposed tn
have currents about him with which
he can knock a man down, Is ptroni;
only potentially, for Its flesh Is praised
by Mr, Coles as beyond compare for
fine savor. Likewise he gives high ap.
proval to the small devilfish ns well
worthy of the attention of an epicure.
All these varieties of sharks and rays
Mr. Coles would see canned and mar
keted. Pood Resource Overlooked.
"I can conscientiously suggest to my
fellow citizens,' said he the other day,
"that they can eat these creatures, for
I have tried every one of them. Aftfr
catching; the specimens I would hav
some of the flesh cut off, and with my
own hands I would cook It In a per
fectly clean aluminum vessel which
had been specially sterilized and mads
ready.
" 'See here, men,' I said to my crew,
'you watch me for twenty-four hour
after consuming the new diet, nnd If
there are no 111 effects I guess you can
pitch In yourselves.'
"They always waited nnd by nnd by
they tackled this food nnd soon wo had
guests at dinner where we served omi
of these delicacies we had been testlnc
I was perfectly willing to take th
chance. I had been trying to go with
Col. Roosevelt ns nn officer In his di
vision which might have gone tn
France, but as long as It did not I wa
serving my country In somn measuro
by testing out the food supplies and
Increasing the same."
Mr. Coles obtained the cooperation of
the Rurenu of Fisheries In his work nn
the North Carolina const and through
it distributed hundred pound portlonj
of shnrk meat on Ice to Individuals nnd
dealers who were disposed to tako a
chance with It. He has nlso been In
touch with the United StateR Food Ad
ministration on the same subject. Ml
his Ideas on this subject have met tho
approval of Col. Roosevelt and recen'h
they were Issued In tho form nf i
statement, after a conference at vhn 'i
the Colonel presided. At the p im
meeting there were also present Pr V
A. Lucas, Dr. John T. Nichols nnd ur
Flavel S. Luther.
That many of these practical gas
tronomic experiments of Mr. Coles's
will bear fruit there en be no douht
He Is' as patient an investigator -h
Izaak Wnlton wns an angler, mid I
philosophy of life has always 'wen ti
do the work his hands find to ilo w h
! all his might
I He has been gathering dc.'1h
I which aro good for little prc- ns
curiosities, and yet at the same t 'ir
he has collected a vast fund nf 'Hh
I lore which he believes will at this time
stand the nation In good stead LlK
his English predecessor, Russell Jor
dan Coles, by vocation tobacco do-iler
and by avocation Ichthyologist, he
not worry over trifles ns he proc-.
along the road of life "to Tottenhim
High Cross." Ho combines bis bus -npss
and his pleasure, for he nukes
play of his work and work of lilt, pl.iv
Above nil else n cheerful, hnppy man
Is he, thankful as was the good JMs
cator of old, "for stomach nnd meat
and content and leisure to go tlvhins "
low If he'd only give It n chance to
como oui.-
The battalion lay. shrouded In t''
cold mist of an e-arly morning nuit,rg
tho order which would send them i'
battle, for It was tho morn of Looj
Taffy's company was In support nf
"A," but when they came up two ir'n
utes later tho former had melted aw v
as wheat before the sickle. Tin- s
porting company fared little bet"-
but curiously enough Taffy s .' '. t
came through almost unscathed, ex
cept for the corporal, who w.is t
tarly In the advanco ity general . r
sent Taffy carried on ns lender. "d
quickly had his bit of trench cm- -
j dated ngalnst tho inevitable .oi-'-r
annex
This came at f o'clock in t'm r -nlng,
when ten men held cm 1 kn p- m
denth to an advanced strong i
which hnd become Isolated th-T h
fnlluro on the part of sections mi
right to keep touch.
How such things happen It im
possible to say, for had te ;t
beon pressed with any roscihit-.w i
small post must have been -
whelmed ut the first rush Three- i i
In varying stages of col'.npse
found when a relieving fcrr -pushed
up half an hour later .c'
ferlng from grievous wounds n
was left alive of the gallant tc-n
Taffy's case was pitiable in t e
treme. His left nrni hung ti-o
his side, nnd blood, which hnd i '
ntod the featurc-M of tils llvnl f.c .
still oozing slowly from a J.iKs-e l
nbovo the temple, while his c .
had been literally but tied off hi.-
by the bursting of a shell close- ! . '
the pain must have been torture
Ho was moved away Willi a
ties.s that was touching. Tho (
himself wished the Wnlshimin
spend .us he was cnrriecl p.c-t '
q larters to the e!resing station t
had already become known wh i
that hacl s.n ed the sltualtoii
His suhseiueiit rec-o cr. nnd
tlture with the nistliiRul-hul c
.Medal for his services are tint
which he Is not n little proud, 'n'
Ihln'Tnt which ho ne cr cn,i--es i .
vol, so he will tell you. is thnt
a whole five weeks In l-'rnc n -
never a black murk ugainst hi nnm-
fetVU.'i