Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-12-19
SOMETHING ABOUT SHARKS.

ASW ~ say AAASA0 L 4 ASNA0o OkV
to be found in the First Ward, and e..
pecially along the water front, than
Bill Beach, the veteran sharkcatcher.
He is q man of fine physique, and his
sunburnt features give him the appear.
ance Of an old sailor bronzed by long
sea voyages. But such is not the case.
He has sailed on an extended
voyage, and his weather-beaten appear.
ance has been gained by casting the
line for sharks alongshore, and also as
q life-saver and expert diver. Bill
spins as good 8. yarn as any old salt
afioat, and frequently entertains his
friends with his stories about his hair
breadth escapes during his encounters
with that savage sea monster, the shark.
For more than twenty years he has
made shark-catching his almost sole
occupation, and has been so successful
that he now finds himself, in the shady
side of life, in comfortable circum-
stances. Bill made his first capture
and probably it was the first shark
ever captured in New York harbor-
off the Battery pier more than twenty
years ago. He was fishing off the pier
one day when a school of sharks came
blowing through the water. Bill Sc
cured a hook fourteen inches long and
attaching it to a strong rope, baited it
with meat and cast it into the water.
Many persons laughed at him, declar-
ing that no shark would approach near
enough to be captured in that way,
but he was not easily diverted from his
purpose, and day and night he waited
with line in hand for his opportunity.
At came after several weeks pa
tient waiting, and Bill was rewarded
by securing a monster seven feet in
length and weighing nearly two hun
dred pounds. The capture caused
quite a sensation in the lower wards of
the city, and people f1ocked to see the
shark, which was exhibited under q
tent. For more than two weeks vis-
itors poured in and out of the tent, and
finally, when the health authorities
ordered the removal of the decompos-
ing carcass, Bill had realized about
$4,000 as a reward for his pluck and
perseverance. 81 had so much silver"
said Bill, speaking of this yesterday,
''that | didn't know what to do with
it, and l had to hire clerks to help me-
to take are of it until the show was
over, and then / banked it."
Glow many sharks have you cap
tured since that timer"
"Well," said Bill "now YOU stump
me, but l must have landed more than
two hundred"
"You did not bag them all off the
Battery?"
ooh no. The most of them were
captured around Jamaica and Princes
and off the Highlands and Far
R~ockaway."
How many did you capture off the
Battery?"
"Well, a good many. I have seen
plenty of big schools of sharks there.
In the months of August and Septem-
Der the blue-fishing season sets in, and
the refuse thrown overheard from boats
supplies food to the sharks, and the
fshy smell keeps bringing them in with
the smacks."
"Have you ver been in close quar-
tors with a shark?"
"Well, I should say so. One Incl
dent will illustrate it. [ was diving
for a lost anchor off Staten Island,
when l encountered two sharks six feet
long. When divers go down they al
ways carry a sheath knife in case of
danger. Well, to make a long story
short, I fought those devils for all I
was worth, and after nearly losing my
life I cut them to pieces. I have had
many such encounters under the
"What was the largest shark you ever
capturedp"
"The biggest one / remember of was
sixteen feet long and weighed three
hundred and fifty pounds. He was a
monster"
''What about the stories floating
about of finding old shoes, glass bottles
and such delicacies in the stomachs of
sharks?"
'sThere isn't a word of truth in the
Stories" said Bill, emphatically. Il
never found a single article of the kind
in any of the sharks I have captured.
It's all a ghost story"
''What do you do with the sharks you
capture?"
"Well, when 1 make a capture I send
word to some museum manager and
sometimes obtain as much as fifty dol
lars for one"
This veteran shark-catcher, while
hesitating to tell of his heroism in saw
ing human life. wears several medals
conferred upon him by humane socie-
ties for brave and courageous conduct
in life-saving. Several years ago the
old rotten pier, the present site of jean
nette Park, was a perfect man-trap to
persons crossing to and from South
ferry. More lives were lost here, prob
ably, than any other place in the city.
Bill, who had IN oyster-stand. here,
saved many lives-just how many will
never be known. He would not only
leap into the chilly water in winter, but
would provide shelter for the unfortu-
nate person after hauling him out.
Aided by Policeman James Mulvey,
Bill saved two sailors and one woman
in a single night. Bill wears his justly
earned medals proudly and treasures
them beyond price.-N. Y. World.
1t is q common thing for profes-
sional crabbers in New York Bay and
around Long Island to get caught by
the nose nv savaua crahS whi1o ctoon-