The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-08-23
A Big SHARK.
Adventures Of a Crew or the Coast Of
Maine.
A Feat Performed by an Immense
Monster.
The Like was Never Seen Before

MoNHEaAN ISLAND, Me-, Aug, 4.-"Hard
starb'd," yelled the man in the crosstrees
of a mackerelman OFF Monhegan Island:
"Daown with her, he hoarsely shouted
again at the man at the wheel who was
winding away at II as II for life or death.
The schooner shot into the wind, her can
vas auivering to the chorus OF the clanking
blocks and dashing water.
whats the matter with yer shouted
the mate, staring about, and seeing moth
ing. "We're off soundings, amt WEI"
The man aloft pointed TO the eastward
and yelled back. "Wrack /" Sure enough,
about 900 yards off the beam and dead
ahead on the former course was wreck, OF
something that appeared like fair'slzed
coasting bottom up, about thirty feet OF her
hull showing.
"Looks to me like big center.boardi
sloop," said the mate, who had climbed
into the rigging. IT we'd a'struck hef
we'd a-been swimmin' naow."
H. certainly looked like center-board. 1t
was about four leet high, separate and dis
tinct from the rest of the craft, and rising
above it. Above this object cloud
of birds were lowering, whiie many more
were roosting upon it. The schooner fell
away on her course, and now rapidly APP
preached the strange object,
"Holy Moses!' exclaimed the skipper,
who had been examining the wreck with
his glasses, "it's shark as long as the
schooner. Amos, get out that lily. I'm
going to have that liver or give up
THE TRUE PROPORTIONS OF THE MONSTER
were now visible. 1t was of dull,
brown hue, and what had been taken for a
center board was its enormous dorsal mn,
upon which was perched several large guns;
while others walked about on its broad
81 MI
upon an island. All was confusion aboard
the schooner. She was now lying to, and
Amos, who could not find the lily iron,
was bewildered by flying invectives. But
finally the big sein boat was manned by
crew of six rowers, steersman ana mar
pooner, and slowly they pulled toward the
floating mass of flesh, which, after all,
might be dead. The oars were lifted gently,
and gradually the boat drew nearer
the great creature. 1t looked
more like whale than shark, and seemed
to be about fifty feet in length. The bros
rose with plaintive cries as the boat came
on. Then, at word from the harpooner,
the LII en- backed water, the steel harpoon
flashed in the air, and with slosh sank
into the great fish.
"Starn alp shouted the mate. as the
huge fin swayed to one side. All hands
made rush. A seething whirlpool for a
next they were rushing Oft behind the
shark, which carried wave ahead that
fairly rose above the little craft. The men
were crowded in the stern, yet the bow was
nearly submerged, and finally the order
was given to stand by and take in the line.
Two men took it in hand, and slowly the
boat was hauled toward the unseen steed
whom every haul seemed to spur on to
fresh endeavor. Suddenly, alter a terrlnc
e fha Inn olankQnq6
"Look out, my lads !" yelled the steers
man, grasping an oar and ready to turn the
toat in any direction. But the fish was
not coming up under them, and moment
later great black mass rose in the air Sc
that the water line was beneath it. 1t was
shark of gigantic proportions, that fell
back into the water with crash that could
have been heard a mile sway. :.
~ never. see shark do that afore," SAID
the harpooner, who now had a lance III
hand.
"Give way, lads !' shouted the mate as
the fish was seen rushing along at the sur
face in direction nearly toward them
On il cine, the immense dorsal cutting
water like the cut-water OF yacht
In second they were along
side, and the lance was sent whiz
zing. The blow caused the fish TO turn
and with desperate lift of his tail 1t fairly
hOisted the boat from the water, throwing
the crew, oars, and various instruments pei
nell TO one side.
stand clear the line!" yelled the mate
rs everybody scrambled 10 windwaTd. Inc
warning was none too soon, as almost De
fore the boat had righted she was rushing
away, bow under, in new dlrectloh
throwing the spray and taking everythinl
as it came. This pace, however, soon SLACK
ened. showing that the last dose OF stee
was taking effect. The line was manned
again, and slowly they
DREW NEAR THE GREAT FISH.
Slosh went the lance again, the man ialrly
leaning on it. The men backed watei
again, and then laid by to watch the
furry. The shark nearly doubled itsell
in two, and then seemed 70 straighten out
like a spring, hurting the water into th'
air and beating 1t WITH his powerful tan
A few such gyrations and desperate
attempts to leap into the air and rid itsel
of the harpoon and the game was up
The great shark floated on the surface
dead. The schooner that had been follow
ing the movements of the crew was soon
alongside; a rope was thrown around the
tail, another around the fore fins, and the
shark Was shortly hauled alongside Dy the
"Wall,n said the skipper, surveying
the fish, "I've caught a master sight
o. sharks, but this ere beats the hull lot
nothin' less nor a whale"
The fish by actual measurement was
tbirty.five feet long. II belonged to the
variety known as suntish, basking or bone
sharks. They are not voracious, living
upon small sea animals, which they strain
through a series OF rays or fringes OF an
elastic, hard substance, arranged along the
large gill openings. Its scientific name if
Selacbus maximus. IL is the largest tishi
"a far as Is known. that swims. One OF the
earliest industries known in the United
States was the pursuit Of these monsters
which we're followed so closely that they
were weli:nigh driven OF the coast, and are
nov only occasionally seen. One was cap.
tured of Long Island several years ago that
measured twenty-eight feet in length, and
was sixteen feet In circumference. Dekay
saw one thirty.two teet long, and Sir Charles
Dwell observed one that measured hny-hyt
feet In length. IL came ashore in gale o
wind AT Rsthesholm Head, Stronsa. Parts
Of this giant are now in the British mu