The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-02-13

EXTRAORDINARY ACCOUNT OF SHARK.
We remember some years ago, while sitting
on the quarter deck of West Indiaman,
borne rapidly along before the trade wind,
and the captain and passengers were anu
sing themselves by telling stories and crack
ing jokes to beguile the sameness of the vow
age. 1t came last to the turn ola gentleman.
remarkable for his love of cigars and tacitur-
nlty; one who enjoyed good anecdote, but
abhorred the trouble of relating it himself
lie was, however, so strongly importuned
on this occasion that without much reluc-
lance, he related the following interesting
tact, by fits and starts, filing up each pause
/ Dy vigorous whiffs of his faVorite weed =
In the year 1920, the good ship Rambler
sailed from Greenock with goods and pas
sengers, towards Jamaica. She had cross
ed the tropic, and one day, when nearly be-
I Gained, the steward, who had the care OF
the captains plate, had occasion after din
ner, to wash some spoons and other articles
in bucket, and thinking he had taken them
all out of the water, he chucked it over the
gangway, when to his vexation he found he
had thrown GU: with it valuable silver
spoon. lie sawit shining through the clear
blue ocean, and wavering from side to side
as it sank from his view. Several sharks
had been observed near the ship, and it is
known they generally dart upon any thing
white, piece of rag often serving for a
bait. He did not however, observe any OF
them near the spot at the time land the
I'captaln beng testy man, he kept the Sc
cret OF the loss to himself, and the matter
was soon forgotten.
| The ship in due time reached Jamaica,
and when the circumstance became known.
the value of the spoon was deducted from
the wages Of the steward. The vessel Law
| some time at Kingston, received on board
a cargo of sugar, and proceeded on her
homeward voyage. When crossing nearly
the same spot on the aqueous world where
the spoon was lost, number of sharks again
showed their tail fins above the water as
they cut along the ships side or in her
wake; and a shark hook being baited with
a piece of salt pork, was lowered over the
stern. Presently one of the largest ofthese
devourlng monsters, or as the sailors call
them, &" Sea LaivgerS," half turning ON its
side, took the huge bait into his pig-like.but
tremendous jaws, and was securely hooked.
The fish was with difficulty hauled along
side and hoisted ia upon deck, where It
Tapped about and showed prodigious
strength and tenacity of life. When its
struggles were ended by blow on the
head with mallet, one of the men pro-
ceeded to open it. His jack-knife soon
| came IN contact with something in its belly,
ami" said the narrator, with eargemess,
what do you think was really found ?"-
Why, the spoon of course!'' exclaimed
the listeners simultaneously. "The spoon %
he Iejoined with smile, "No! No "
What then?" they hastily enquired.-
"Why, nothing but the entrails, to be sure ~
The taciturnity of our waggish messmate
was not again disturbed FOR another story
during the voyage.
The following amusing anecdote was related
by the Editor of the New Haven Eagle, after
travelling in the western part of the State Of
New York
."The Bridges are serious obstruction
to the mode of travelling on the CANAL
More or less lives are lost by them every
Summer, in consequence of their being SO
low. Still, perhaps, considering the i'm
mense number who pass and repass every
season, not more than happens to the same
number passing i'll stages, and these acct
dents do not of late occur as often as form
erly. There is generally among the passen-
gers, or the hands on board, those looking
out to warn the careless of their approach.
Some time before we passed, young
man, as was related, had been knocked off.
and his head and limbs considerably bruised.
He was taken out, his wounds dressed. and
lay on the sofa or settee,a at one end ofthe cab
in. At dinner there was long table filed
with gentlemen and ladies'. He was too
much bruised to relish dinner, but having
a goodly portion of the true philosophy, he
concluded he might as well laugh and sport
with his pains as groan and grunt at them.
So when the whole company were engaged
in eating, he suddenly roars out. "Bridge
Bridget Every head dropped to the Ia
BILE in an instant, to avoid the supposed dan
ger; and some of the young ladies brought
up butter and gravy adhering to the nose
and chin of their fair faces, having been
brought in contact with the loaded Plates
forgetting their faces that their heads might
be out of danger. The joke was pronounc-
ed good one--the table was in n roar
and some proposed to make up purse for
the young man who was believed not to be
opulent. Il was done; and the young la
dies whose fair faces had just been daubed
with butter and gravy, and consequently the
butt of laughter for the company, joined
heartily in the mirth of the moment, and in
the contribution to the young, wounded, yet
laughing philosopher, who had caused it."
WAVES. The common cause ofwaves is
/ ha Of fhs. Al
of the water. Little ridges of elevations
first appear, which, by continuance of the
force, gradually increases until they become
4.