STOUGHTON, Harry

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles

STOUGHTON, Harry B. “Shorty” (1886-1930)

In the News~

July 14, 1908 [LAH]: “S. S. Spier of Los Angeles yesterday went out with "Shorty" Stoughton in the launch Myrtle, off Catalina, and had an exciting two-hour fight with a black sea bass. Spier lost the fish but put up a game fight for possession. It was the first time he had ever had a sea bass on his line and was at a loss as to how to proceed, and during an unguarded moment the bass snapped the line with a swish of his big tail and was off. Spier is now thoroughly excited over the sport and does not agree with some fishermen who have expressed the belief that the black sea bass is a "dead one" when it comes to fighting. He also postponed a trip to the east so as to have another try at the big fish.”

April 5, 1913 [San Pedro News Pilot]: “Jack Novak tossed by merciless gale. Avalon fisherman runs short of gasoline and makes fight for life in heavy northwest sea. A harrowing experience which bid fair to cost him his life and little fishing launch befell Jack Novak Wednesday night while attempting to make his way back to Avalon against the heavy northwest sea. Novak was fishing about ten miles out when the heavy seas began running, and when starting his engine for the return to Avalon he was confronted with the fact that his gasoline had become exhausted, and his little craft not being equipped with sail his only recourse was to row into safety, a most difficult undertaking under the most favorable weather conditions for one man with a heavy launch, but with mountain-high seas breaking over his boat Novak's position was indeed a perilous one as he faced his ten-mile voyage. At about 8 o'clock in the evening when the fisherman had failed to put in appearance considerable anxiety was felt among his friends at Avalon and a launch manned by Boatman Harry Stoughton was started in search of the unfortunate man, and being out for more than an hour Capt. Stoughton discovered Novak in the neighborhood of Pebbly Beach in an exhausted condition, he having rowed steadily for almost six hours against the heavy odds of sea and wind. Novak was taken aboard Stoughton's launch and with his own boat in tow they reached Avalon about 4 o'clock.”

November 29, 1919 [San Pedro News Pilot]: “Disabled launch rescued at sea. Capt. Joseph McAfee of the launch Catalina Flyer, Carey E. Taylor, Leslie Adams and Vernon Keyes today were little worse for an exciting experience at Avalon when the launch became disabled in a heavy sea and for a time was stranded on the rocky beach. Harry Houdini, the "handcuff king," was cut and bruised when he made a vain attempt to swim with a line to the disabled launch. A motorboat manned by Harry Stoughton finally reached the disabled craft and towed it to safety.”