The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-06
LOCKED IN A FLOATING xoMB.
An Invention that Killed Many Aiiigstors
and Topped on with the Invcutor.


81 see by this mornings paper" said
Mr.. Magufin, "thst Mrs. O'Ktantikop Is married
again. Her last husband, Major O'Klantikop,
used to board here. He spent his winters In
Florida bunting aleators, and more devoted
sportsm.n never saw but he never salts
ned with the old method OF shooting vito a rife.
There was n great waste IN the bullets that
glanced Oh the reptiles backs, aud frequently
one would get away before he could hit It In
vital spot. So the MaJ1r went up to Charleston
one winter aud bought a condemned columniad
that Iad been used In the siege OF Fort sumter,
aud had 1t mounted at a bend 10 the st. Johns
river, and trained to command the water sd-
jacent to the point round which all the alli-
Rators must come and having loaded with
ten-inch she'll he waited.
TIE very uext day there came M stream
mnga,Ir sns' seeTsn "cs.so MID soh h az
swung his upper Jaw back t. laugh the Major
thought It was a floating derrick; out when the
animal came within clear range, o lantiko p Jaw
int II was monster alligator. and he pulled
the lanyard. The atm was ID autifu The smell
struck Just inside tue tin OF the lower Jaw. and
II rolled along toward his throat. the change In
the aiiigat0rs expression was remarkable ; he
shut his mouth with a ciip that was heard ten
miles away. and tAirly bumped himself as the
bomb rolled down his Interior. About midway
Of the body the shell exploded. The explosion
could not bring back the happy allieatOr's last
sieeful fancy, but more than restored hs
openness Of countenanoe. Tue Major sad eub.
W
destroying alligators was undoubtedly effective,
IL broke em up too hne and he left the blR
gun To- rust IN the bank OF the river and Invented
a oil n.
"Hls outnt this time was a fishing rod, a
feather aud piece OF scsntine about eight
feet In length Having Z stoned the feather to
the end OF the rod, the Major would walk TO the
edge OF the river, reach over the bank, Snd
delicately tickle all algator's jaws with the
fea her and when lie closed his eyes and op ened
bis mouth to euiny the unusual utilization, the
Major would quietly step In with the scantiing,
and have tae upper Jaw braced back before the
alligator knew what was the matter. Then
OKlantikop would calmly out a bullet down
way he captured sixty-seyeu alltgators In four
months.
Zone day early this spring the pilot Of the
steamer that runs up tee It. Johns saw an Oh
aud which had not even been visible wnen the
boat made her previ us trip. Backing his en-
gines. the pilot was stiii more surprised to see
the obstruction making toward hm. IL looked
something like spar ouoy adrift. ana when II
came still nearer IL was m de out 10 be piece
OF stout scantling sticking up through the upper
jaw Of gigantic alligator. The pilot was
amazed but when the story reached Jackson
VILE, the fate OF MAJOR O'klantixop, who hal
been missing fOv three or four weeks, was no
longer mystery; everybody who was familiar
with the Majors style Of hunting knew that the
str ingely planted piece OF scantling which the
pilot had seen was Major U kl4nukops tomb
stone, and that the Major WAS buried about
theory was that O'Klantikop, made reckless by
UNINTERRUPTED success, had miscalculAted In
placing the too end Of the scantling, aud the
tafters In the roof OF the Aligator's mouth had
locking up the Major in sarco .Ihlgus which,
In novelty Of design and high qualities OF ab
sorption, completely laid over anything in that
way ever constructed BY the Greeks"