Thibodaux minerva., 1853-11-05

The LAST FISH SToRY.-In course OF the
voyage, that dreadful disease, ship fever,
broke out among the crew. One of the
sailors, among the first victims, was accom-
panied by his son, a lad of fourteen years,
who was strongly attached to his father, and
remained with him day and night, and
never could be persuaded to leave his sick
father for moment
A large shark was seen every day follow.
ing the vessel, evidently for the purpose OF
devouring any one who should die and be
committed to the deep.
After lingering few days, the sailor died.
AS was the custom at sea. he was sewed up
in sheet, and for the purpose of sinking
him, an old grindstone and a carpenters
axe were put in with him. The very i'm
pressive service of the Episcopal Church
was then read, and the body committed to
the deep.
The poor boy, who had watched the pro-
ceedings closely, plunged in after his father,
when the enormous shark swallowed them
both. The second day after this dreadful
scene, as the shark continued to follow the
vessel, (for there were others sick on the
ship,) one of the sailors proposed, as they had
shark-hook on board, TO make an effort to
take him.
They fastened the hook to large rope
and baited it with piece of pork, threw ii
into the sea, and the shark instantly swallow
ed it. Having thus hooked him, by means
of windass they hoisted him on board.
After he was dead, they prepared to open
him, when one of the sailors STOPPING down
for that purpose suddenly paused, and after
listening few moments, declared most
solemnly he heard low, guttering sound
which appeared to proceed from the shark
The sailors, after enjoying hearty laugh at
his expense, proceeded to listen for them
selves, when they were compelled to admit
they heard similar sound. They then pro-
ceeded to open the shark, when the mystery
was explained.
1t appears the sailor was not dead. but in
trance; and his son, on making this dis.
covery, had by means of his knife, tipped
open the sheet. Having thus liberated his
father, they both went to work and righted
up the old grindstone-the boy was turning,
the father was holding on to the old ship
carpenters axe, for the purpose of cutting
their way out of their Jonah-like prison,
which occasioned the noise heard by the
sailor. As it was the hottest season of the
year. and very little air stirring where they
were at work, they were both sweating tre-
mendously.
HEARING WITH TIE TEETH.-Many years
ago an old subscriber, who was entirely deaf:
loJ n with ,ho bo1n <,f
slave whom he always took with him, we
were enabled to converse with each other.
In the course of our interview. he remarked
hear the loudest thunder, but added that: to
his great surprise, few evenings before, he
was at the house Of a friend and was seated
by the side Of a piano: his elbow resting
upon it, and his teeth upon his thumb, when
he heard distinctly the tune which the
daughter of his friend had been playing.
Again and again he tried the experiment:
and he could always hear when connection
thus formed was kept up, but could hear
nothing whenever it was broken either by
the removal Of his elbow from the piano or
by placing his thumb upon any other por-
ton of his face. From the character of our
informant we have never had a doubt of the
truth of his narfa,ive-and we give it now
chiefly as suggestion, whether some simple
instrument cannot be framed, by means of
which deaf persons may be enabled to hear
with their ,eeth.-Riehn,ond (Va.) Bep.
CATARACT OF THE NEvADA.-Not only is
California remarkable for her gold fields,
her valleys of unsurpassed beauty and
fertility, her snow-capped mountains under
a vertical sun, her lakes that are lifted to
the skies; but California car boast of one of
the most remarkable water falls OH the
globe. The source oflhe north fork of the
south fork Of the American river of Califor-
mia. is a beautiful mountain lake, that, fed
by the melting SHOWS, is always full, and
unlike. perhaps, any other lake in the world,
has two outlets, that pour their waters in
nearly opposite directions; on the one side
emptying into the Bay ofSan Francisco, and
on the other, flowing into the great central
basin of the continent, to be absorbed by
the sands of the desert. The lake is only
about five miles in length, but rests in a
basin of the mountains, of which the eastern
and western edges are so nearly upon a
level, that the water flows uninterruptedly
from both.
Almost Immediately after leaving the
western edge of the basin, the waters leap
down-not a perpendicular fall-but along
the surface >of an immense convex of granite,
without any approach 10 the horizontal, a
distance of three hundred and eighty feet,
into basin below, that its own action has
worn into the solid rock. The most striking
feature of this beautiful waterfall, is the
perfect regularity of its curve throughout
every foot of its descent, apparently just
touching the rock, the inequalities of which
converting the otherwise clear and beauti-
ful sheet Of water into a perfectly white
foam. 1t appears, on front view, a few
miles distant. like a white ribbon or belt
hanging from the top to the foot of the noun
tain, and is always mistaken as belt Of
snow by those seeing it at a distance, not
acquainted with its existence.
[IZacet'riNe Herald.
UNLAWFUL DETENTION OF LETTERS IN THE
PosroFF1cE-A Suit for Damages.-Suit has
been Instituted in the Second District Court
by Antonio Pons, a fruit dealer, against the
Postmaster of this city, w. G. Kendall, Esq,
claiming dana ges in the sum of five hundred
and sixty dollars, for loss sustained by him
in the unlawful detention, in the Postoffice,
of letter addressed to him. Pons alleges,
in his petition, that letter addressed to him,
with advices and bill of lading of ship