Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-04-29
CATCHING A SHARK.
The Monsters ResoIute and Terrible Strug
gle for Liberty.

The Monsters Resolute and Terrible Strug-
gle for Liberty.
Our captain, being man of caution
and prudence. as this incident clearly
shows, determined to cast anchor on the
banks that night, as we had not YET
reached deep-sea room in the gulf, and
there might be somewhere along the
edge of the banks bad places the hydro
graphers not set down in the charts.
Sails were furled, the anchors cast, and
our vessel lazily swung around stern
Cuba-ward. 1t was glorious tropical
evening. The sea was like plain OF
marvelously colored shell. polished and
luminous. Ocean and sky were alone
visible. save where the sailor-dreaded
Orange bays thrust their gruesome black
shoulders out of the sea half score of
miles to the northwest. Suddenly one
OF the crew sang out:
"a shark A shark, sir!"
.sWhere away?"
amidships, sir!''
There was a lively scramble of US all
down the port side to the main rigging.
The rays of the setting sun reflected
from the ships side lit up the water
strangely to the white coral bottom but
three fathoms below, giving every OBJ
iect in the sea a weird, unnatural size
and appearance, and there, not foot
from the vessels side lay monstrous
shark, resting just underneath the sur
face of the water, perfectly motionkess.
looking at us with almost human eyes
of unctuous, sublimated malevolence.
The cook bounded to the laZarete for a
piece of pork and the mate for the
shark-hook-a murderous iron hook
like an ordinary fish-hook, but as thick
as YOUR thumb and fully two feet long
and in less than minute the bait was
placed alongside the sea-tiend tempt
ingly. He retreated bit, seeming to
contemplate both us and the fine piece
of pork musingly. Then. as if rumi-
mating: II would have preferred that
white-faced, literary gentleman, or even
that fat, chubby little Nova Scotian
sailor, but pork is pork anywhere, and
commands a sea price in these lati-
tudesl''-he advanced leisurely.
..Stand byi'' said the mate, quietly.
Eight of us .'stood by with the line,
half as big as your wrist, grasped
firmly. Then the shark moved a little
closer. and of sudden turned belly
upward immediately under his antici-
pated evening meal, and instantly his
awful under jaw rose and fell
with a crash on that pork and
tremendous barb. Then what fioun-
dering, and pulling, and hauling and
cursing were there. We pulled like
heroes, but could scarcely get him out
of the sea. No description could con-
vev the sharks fury. We got him
alongside finally, and then began
drowning him by bringing him into the
air and dropping him open-mouthed back
to ill him with water. Then how grand
he struggles again! Fully quarter of
an hour elapsed before we landed him
on deck; and the greatest care had to
le taken lest he cut away rigging,
traces or guys with his terrible jaws, or,
br change, snapped off man arm
O. leg. A scantling from the ships
dlnnage was found and thrust in his
Mouth. This two-inch pine piece was
slapped in twain like match. Then
ole of the great iron pump-bars took
it place and the sharks Jaws set upon
itsike wise. At short intervals he
caorted the deck with this iron bar |
crshing against things promiscu-
orlly, all on board sud- |
delly finding it more agreeable |
alogside the rails, or fore and aft. In |
TIM he was made fast to the fife-rails |
ant then snbdued by fiye-hundred- !