The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-07-02
KILLING A GREAT SAWFlSII.
H.fRPOONrD IND THEN PENETRATED
BY EIGHT RIfLE SHOTS.


TN SATURDAY. IpD III. 1871. | WAS nj ENlJ
Cannon Fin Win Commodore Thomas I Falls
of shonrhni We had moIc tho RIM down tho
Tr1ion r,v.r In Tho ouis, , trim, li,ic soi
Lnn, o,,oiust n etiT bo,d wind ,Our yui,to ,v.s
E1,viu Snovr ~ Port Or,pgc F,ia ie nm o,th,
sinsti, fisherman. and his hnat wns filled with
the most costly tnckle. Several lilv irons or
Grains Of ehillnd stool ,artcularlv mira nd mo
attention Th,v worn If ihe most onnrovnJ
r,tt.rn. Tho noiuts wore rounding ike thc
,oint Of nm oyster knife. and as shnrp as "A
razor. The nukcs which were hidden I'm littlc
grooves at the sides. few out like an arrow
head and never failed to hold after "A fish had
been struck. The iron was fastened to wooden
hundle ten or twelve lent long md the line WINS
',,.a1 -. ,h, , hail, ia ,s.
rcr''l >" 'ha' u.e n"hu'v "o"ln conc our ni'cr
being thrown. Tho spud would thus bc left in
.o V'S W .i' '''' ,ii'' .''o i','V l','' '' V'e'
the DOW untii the ilsh was played out ana Sc
cured. Falls told mo he brought down these
miniature harpoons To- catch renntee sharks
" ,'''', ne'
hhu saNhs"' h' ulso hopc' W PieA w an ocea-
sional alligator
Tho day WIS bright with n fair hreezn. Tho
roar OIL inc o,eah was "uuip'' uut inc view WIS
banked by the vivid green OF the mangrovo
islands nestled nlnnu th. brnrh Tho ynter WINS
'',,''N 49,, We
'l'"r' anu '.'' ""ll suvil'rE'u SUM u,ls-"'lo
covered with terms and shcurwaters. Falls pro-
- ,''', - 50 ~, s''' W a.. an
sawilsh' shipping Tom PANE as pl,o', iul
sail was hoistcd, and We headed for Barker's
cut ono OF In, dozen channels lending TO
t'',,., ,.,., t,,., r,h H. h,,, 10 n,,,,,Iroo
miles wide. its bottom ridgcd with oyster beds
Many of them are SO near the surface Of the
water as to be dangerous. They would take tho
bottom out OF a boat If it should strike at full
spced. The oysters however. are the largest
and fattcst south Of the Chesapeake. They
grow in great clumps or lunches. A Princes
u" rn ,t "''" 1'" ,, h',s Il, ,ra,ar
use. me natives stand on the beds IN water
! nivnlvns '''''
Is We noarcd Barknrs cut the oyster beds
| The bottom WAS sand and the channel very
narrow Tom Paine resigned the ticr to the
! niy iron mi" anchor VAS slowed und"r deck.
ana eyerythinA, cleared away.
| nm, move H. hasn't s," IN us Vel ''
Tnc blood begun to Iump in our veins. on
| the leeward bow Isawa rolling swell ~ though
| n hiy hi Vas -,ir' In, ni"n'7 I'M sL.al wni-r.
I'm" tide had ifst iiirnc'i. and the waves wcri
crawling over the sand flats. The nsh showed
| ,, Iis,''' d a., i..,'. ~, eIntn'l thTn Turned
-. tl,,,.-l n al vt,th titJ''ffh 81 water
0nIthn rnliini. s,y,.ii W1,ain moved toward tn1
II"uu 'i .r-..th ,,,. Ill., ,li H. and
| nnfn.iion Ills h.t.t ,.es st,ari lied ms he
",,,,,, i''1' ~, - - ". 49,, S'"' "'0' 40 '0
e" Nv ., i,.f' ,,,,,,',,. ,i,rs ctan1ov etcod.a-
ay h.. V,ri,s,,,r,i ~. ,hc rolling swell cam.
within reH,hin.d ,-innoe.
,in.i.,'. n,, rsn17s6.d hs ianln rho ar"at
nsn snw him. and swerv.i. hit TOO late. Tom
.,nt tb,. irn -f,i,l I 4 t,riy. i.rt n. m
h. h6nt N toot him under thn ,lor.al I'm,
F whore the hIdn l. iou.n. ami tbcre was no nos,
siiilitv ~ H.. ,uitin'. a., MI, monster mover
hrns~ ,.at,N IN .n'f. NV ,lV tut Tom had seen
/ him " ,,iii I'M vi, ~e l. % ,,,s ouiy hy tho
Sw"N he.r he was struck. however. the sw"ll
/ rolled AWAY ik. a tidal wave and the limo
hmm. ~ i.. th.. h, vs.. L.l.
Sin.l H. ,f sh~.t' vsiiol,t Connodorc;
ont No.. ...f,.. nl,,,t 80 ih !, rii.
Antr.l ..,,.iv. ,tut th'' Inc n,irht foul wa
toDk rtn ~ ani SOM. INFUSION ri we'd as
/ ,N 90 ,,,ri i,.ii, ma. . n,ninsnil
/ ni.nr. hu Tam mid on his royal higln.sa
| Win .N..llsnt judgement testing The ful
| ,tr.ne,,h al ~. IN, ana niavint, Rim u.e nm
| Ola fisherman. The ii-h began tn tow the boat.
! wh.rnuusu down went th. mainsaii and we
| prepared ;oclo-e. Within three minutes the
| monster began t. siIk lie had run uut into
sloal water two or three times and had again
reached the main chnnn.l
| modorr nov thoroughly warmed To - work.
| And a. Tom slowly puil.d uu to the N-l hand
over mani. th~ 'hm ~ 'r'tN l"Ni" i, NWNn
! forty bore Remington. We coL.d ~'c the
grent fish lying on tho sundy bottom awaiting
teen ',.t cong ana ~ big around as 70 Whi~Noy
/ inrr.l Al H. crack of IN. RIM, the water Il w
| The sawiish broke. but Tor "a second only. and
/ another tldai wave roil'i away as smn1'hly rs
/ the boom Of 70 gun Once more tho monster
ran in,1 shallow water. md began hi- trrn,n-
/ oous i.iiud rings lli- LONE saw nnsncd i'm tho
sunlight ana he Surrounding waves were
tu-,i VITA blood Beyond this there was no
| ~Irn al his weakness HrdUd not rst.tliatr nnr
.f1wi,nv t.nir"r. an ~ morris were ), mt To-
vari rsrapr. Asccond tiinc he sulk"i. and
| Second time tn Commodore tirai.d him with "a
| bullet Tho blood began % flow more copiuusy
| hut tho cirrling. nni.in.s rushing. and houn-
derine did not ceas, IN inr an hour.
Ellht r'i, shots cNhuustrd Dui dil not kin
the great fish H., turati on his side and be-
Kan io blow lax" q porno So His STRUGGLES NJ
length beranln SO f'il. chat w. held hItu 10 the
storm or ~. boat. ana the rudder WIS rcd with
the blood thnt l:u-hrd from his throat 4 cloud
If i.1l- had lrnu with, --ts OF the fight and
were aas...ng around us with Wild rtams
IUr -pu4r minutes The monster had lain without
movement. W. nn.ird him dead. AMI u-,'d
the peak ballard hu Ks Ia ra So him from the
water. 80 al. 10 SECURE his saw ~ ntronly. Ia
a. short time half his bulk iny across our storm
bringing tho gunwalas we'll down To- tle water
We were grouped around the Commodore and
just rs hc had raised % Ratchet 10 chop N the
saw Ia" great nsh made his final struggle. He
rakcd Inc Louise with his saw from gunwnlr to
/ runwale barely nliss!n. the Conmodorrs head
and Su. n - l,s-
In a twlnk.ing every man was under cover
We had "a narrow cScnn.. for thu saw was i've
feet long ~ foot vide and s.rrnt,d wltA teeth
that would have dunc good service IN a saw
min. While We were crourhe,i nrar the bow
hearing the -pintnrs iiy. the sail rip. and
tho CnmirodD re- swear Tom Paine stunned
tho monster Us striking the point ~ tle SAW
with an axe rr,.lu. i'm. IOt ,ii~- 90 of the hrn d.
"a. ..t B. tl.t