The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-21
ADVENTURES WITH SHARKS.
A Coast Pilots Arm Broken by Blow from a
Sharks Tail-Dynamite Bait.
New York Sun.


New York SUM-
eyes, it was close shave, and got off easy
with this" The speaker who was a Gulf coast
pilot, held up an arm bound in splints Il came
up from Pensacola to take a schooner round to
Tampa, but shall have to lie off for q couple of
weeks or so. 1t happened in this way: l started
for Fort Pickens in 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 wernt. Their fins a-cutting water all
around the boat, for'ard, a-stern and both
Sides some going one way and some another, and
| should reckon there was twenty a-folleriug us.
l don't like the looks of 'em myself, but | says
they can't damage us in the dingy.' / hadn't no
more'n got the words out of my lips, when, blim!
came thirteen foot shark clean out of the
water. We both gave jump to wind'ard, and
the fish struck about a third in, with crash
that almost filed us, thrashed for minute, send
ing one of the oars into the air and then swung
its head round, and as l was reaching for the
tiler to give it knock, the tail came against my
arm, and broke it clean in two. In minute
more the shark was overheard, and we sot there
baling and half scarf to death.
Accident [ couldn't say; most likely it was.
Sharks often 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 full of EN- and 1 didn't feel safe until
| was on the beach,
will they bite!' asked the listener "Will a
duck SWIM" replied the pilot 'FWhy, my
friend, III July or now, I'd just as soon try to
swim a 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 a good-sized lad in fooling about the
rigging, fell overheard. The men heard a
scream and rushed to the rail, but the only sign
got out the boat and finally recovered the body,
but the head ard limbs were gone. Another
time a 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. I've seen 'em moving
around on the bottom like a drove of hogs. They
generally swim slowly when not chased, but they
can work up a tremendous race when they arc
chased, and I've seen one jump twenty feet into
the air
TO 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 jelly, leaving twenty OF
thirty teeth in the wood
Some time ago a Spanish gun-boat dropped
in there. and the officers amused themselves
shark fishing, They had quite a circus They
would take small dynamite cartridge. bind a
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 a thousand
pieces If one was wounded, the others went for
him and ate him up"