Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-18
ADVENTURES WgTH SHARKS.
Coast Pilof's Arm Broken by n
Es.0N From a Sharks Tail-Dyna-
mite Bait.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
''1es. 1t was close shave, and got off easy
with this" The speaker. who was Gulf coast
pilot. held up an arm bound In splints. az
came up from Pensacola to take q schooner
round to Tampa, but shall have to lie off for
couple OF weeks or SO. 1t happened in this way:
started for Fort Pickens in a light boat under
sail about two weeks ago, and when we were
half way down. the man with me speaks up and
says, captain, sharks is sorter thick and I'm
logged if they wern't. Their. fins was a-cutting
water all around the boat. for'ard a-stern. and
on both sides, some going one way and some
another, and | should reckon there was twenty
a-toIierinG us. ] didn't like the looks of eln
myself. but says. they can't damage US in the
din@y-' ! hadn't no moren got the words out
OF my lips. when, biim, came 13-foOt shark
clean out of the water. We both gave a lump
to wind'a ard. and the fish struck about third in
with crash that almost filled us, thraShed tor
minute. sending one OF the oars into the air
and then swung its head round and as was
reaching for the tiller to give it a knock the
tail came against my arm, and broke it clean
IN two. In minute more the shark was over
board. and we sot there baling and half scarf to
death.
Accident? couldn't say; most likely it was.
Sharks otten leave the water when they're
chased, and it may not have seen the boat: but
We didn't waste any time after that. | can tell
YOU The splash OF the fish had collected them
until the water was tull of 'em, and didn't feel
safe until was on the beach"
win they bite" asked the listener. 'Will
duck sWiIn!" replied the pilot. '.Why, my
friend. In July or now, I'd just as soon try to
swim lake of red hot pitch as to swim over
/ from Pensacola to Fort Pickens. There are not
SO many accidents on record there, because peO-
PIE know the dangers and look out for them,
but know OF at least half dozen cases. The
last one happened last summer. A vessel came
in port for load Of lumber, and the captains
boy, quite good-sized lad in fooling about the
rigging fell overheard. The men heard scream
and rushed to the rail-. but the only sign they
/ saw was red cloud in the water. They got
! out the boat. and finally recovered the body
/ but the head and limbs were gone Another
| time soldier tried to desert from the fort and
was eaten by sharks. You see the brutes follow
vessels in from off shore, and get in the habit of
swallowing everything that comes along and
when man goes over they rush for the splash
/ We seen EN- moving around on the bottom like
/ a drove OF hogs. They generally swim Slowly
| when not chased but they can work up ire
/ mendous race when they are chased, and I've
I seen one jump twenty feet into the air.
| ITO show you how hard they can bite" said
| the pilot Il have seen one take piece out of
| an oar Another that was hauled alongside OF
a small boat took the cutwater In its mouth and
nearly crushed it to a jelly, leaving twenty or
| thirty teeth in the wood
'Some time ago Spanish gunboat dropped
/ in there and the officers amused themselves
| shark fishing. They had quite a circus. They
would take small dynamite cartridge bind
piece of salt pork to It, and fix it to float and
wire, and send it 200 feet astern. Pretty soon
a shark would take it, and they would fire by
| the wire, and the fish would fly into thousand
pieces. II one was wounded the others went
| for him and ate him up"