The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-11-01
MISCELLANY.
BATTLING WITH A SHARK.
The Struggle of Two Fishermen With a
Monster of the Deep.


The struggle of Two Fishermen With "a
Monster of the Deep.
Captain Reybold, of the steamboat Dela-
ware, brought to this city the carcass of a
monster shark, measuring eleven feet and
weighing 400 pounds, which was captured
in the Delaware Bay by two fishermen
residing at Port Penn, after an exciting bat
| tie which lasted three-quarters of an hour
The shark was placed ON the wharf as cur
iosity, but during the night q crowd of boys
rolled it into the river, and it is now pre-
sumed to be floating down the Delaware to
its old haunts. On Monday last John VIII
liams and James johnson, of Port Penn,
fishing settlement near New Castle, went
down the bay 20 fish for surgeon. Several
hours were spent in casting and recasting
their long net without getting even the sight
of sturgeon of any kind. High water
came about eleven o'clock and the two men
began to hope for better luck. eve were
pretty well disgusted,n said Mr. Williams
yesterday, in speaking of the affair to re.
porter, and when we had cast the net fol-
the last time l told my partner, jim, that if
| we didn't strike anything in the next haul
we would go home. He assented to this.
just as we began to make the haul johnson
cried out in glee. He said the net pulled SC
hard that it made him think there were
/ two or three surgeons Laundering around
in it. Suddenly the water was disturbed on
the left side of the boat, about thirty feet
distant, and while we were exchanging
| opinions as to the cause of the eommotion
we saw huge fin cut the water, and then
an immense fish sprang half way out of the
bay. 1t was enyeloped in SO much spray
that we did not at first think it was anything
more than an extraordinary large sturgeon.
We At once hurried to close in the net, and
in ave minutes the disturbance had entirely
ceased Thinking that the fellow had es-
capped through the net, we were tardy in
hauling in the rest of it. When the circle
was twenty feet in diameter all of a sudden
the monster renewed his capers under the
water, which boiled and foamed as though
It had burst into a whirlpool. Johnson
and held on the net for dear life, for by
this time we were thoroughly excited and
bent on capturing the fish, which we began
to suspect was other than the cowardly stur-
geon. Foam few in all directions, which
so blinded us that we were hardly able to
see. l thought frequently the old net would
go to pieces, for it was never before subject
ed to such rough handling as it received
that morning. In the midst of I'LL this the
thing jumped out of the water not more
than seven feet away from the boat. IF
it amt a sharkl" yelled johnson, who inn
niediately seized a Ratchet that lay in the
bottom of our boat and stood ready to hack
| it to pieces as soon as it came within reach.
But we did not succeed in capturing him as
easily as we calculated upon. The next
time he appeared on the other side of the
boat which he came near capsizing by diving
under it. The net became entangled about
him worse than ever at this juncture, and
after foundering about for two minutes
Johnson leaned over and buried the Ratchet
N his side. Then there was circus. The
shark sunk out of sight and came near
swapping the boat, by pulling on the net,
which had fastened to cleat When he
came to the surface he dashed wildly at the
boat and strained the bow SO badly that it
began to leak terribly. Both of us pulled
on the net with all our strength. The water
all around us was red with blood. Johnson
again succeeded in cutting big cash in the
tail of the monster, which he followed up
minute later By spearing him with the gaff.
Then it was the shark, maddened with pain,
boldly tried to crunch the side of the boat in
his huge jaws. Now give it to him = I
screamed to johnson who began to ply the
Ratchet at a very lively rate The monster
maintained his hold ON the boat all the time
Johnson was dealing him such terrible
wounds about the head and belly. The
blood spurted out of the fish every time he
sank the Ratchet in him, which covered us
from head to foot. We were well scared
must say because we thought it was a case
/ of life or death with either the shark or our
selves. We were miles away from the land
aud we knew that if the boat was swamped
and we escaped the shark we could never
swim ashore. The knowledge of these facts
lent us additional strength, and although /
was well nigh exhausted I seized bar of
iron which lay at my feet and aided Johnson
in beating the shark about the head until he
ceased to struggle. We finally got him
quelled SO that we pulled him into the boat"
PHILADELPHIA Record.