The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-29
MEXICAN GULF MONSTERS.
The Rapacious Shark anu DAN
Fish.

rb. Rapacious shark and Big Dev"
Fish.
The Gulf of Mexico and Galveston
Bav are both favorite resorts OF many
members of the shark family, some OF
which attain large size, there hav'ns
been for exhibition at the Sherln Oh
flee for months the jaws of one OF these
monsters, armed with three rows OF
savage teeth. which, whom opened'
could easily be placed over the shonl'
ders of large man. The monster to
which these sanguinary appendages
pcrtaincd, measured, when in good
health, seventeen feet from tip OF nose
to end of tail. OF the hundred diner
ent species known, perhaps half-dos-
en- inhabit these waters, and although
both formidable and repulsiye in ap-
pearance there are no we'll authentl-
Gated instances since the settlement Of
the city of their having attacked man.
although they are both Vora-
cicus and fearless when hungry,
as the following incident Will snow:
Last summer. as the quarantine
steamer Hygeia was coming in from
outside the bar, a large school OF por-
polses were playing around the vessel.
when the engineer, Billy" Bristol.
opened fire on them with an old-fash-
ioned 45-caliber revolver, and by chance
shot killed one. The vessel was stopp-
ed. the porpoise, which would weigh
several hundred pounds, secured by
stout moose around the tail. and lett
hanging over the ships side, head
down in the water Within . few
moments a huge shark, probably
eighteen feet in length. made arnsh for
the porpoise, and. although fired upon.
cut it in twain, and then shortly after
made another rush for the remainder,
and bit it in two just above the tail.
which was left hanging, and made Off
despite the fact that two pistol shots
were fired into his head. without any
apparent effect On the last rush the
sharks head was we'll out of the water,
and when fired on was not more than
three or four feet from the pistols mux-
| zle.
No small degree of excitement was
caused in the city during the latter part
of July, 1885. by the visit to the Guh
shores of school of fish known us the
Cephaloptera canpyrMS, or devil fish,
one of which was captured and placed
on exhibition. The fish captured meas
ured eight feet in length. and sixteen
| feet four inches in breadth, and weighed
several thousand pounds. A descrip-
ton given at the time was as follows:
Head truncated in front and provided
with pointed, wing-likc process sepa-
rate from the pectoral fins, and seem
ingly capable of independent motion.
These wings or horns. provided on
/ either side of the head, are two feet two
| inches in length. triangular in shape,
resembling wings. making the trans
verse diameter of the fish greater than
the longitudinal. With tail included.
These pectorals, from tip to tip, meas
ure sixteen feet four inches, while the
body proper is only eight feet in longth
and the tail about three and one-half
feet. The jaws are at the end of the
head, the lower the more advanced,
and the transverse diameter of the
mouth measures two feet ten inches.
The eyes are small and lateral, resem-
bling those of I'm elephant, and are sit.
uated on either side of the protruding
wings, or frontal horns, and are conse-
/ quently about three feet apart. The
tail is enlongated like a whiplash, arm
ed near the root with prominently
serrated spinal protubcrance. The
/ teeth are small. numerous, flat, and ar
ranged in many rows. The mouth
when open could easily accommodate a
| flour barrel. The nostrils are small,
and are situated near the angles of the
| mouth, and openings, which are proba-
( bly, the ears, are situated on tn. dorsal
aspect OF the appendages of the head
4 behind the eyes. Several large linear
openings Give on each side) are in the
stomach. The skin is rough to the
touch, of a blackish brown. and the
/ belly white and very shiny. - Galves-
\ ton k,,ye