Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-08-19
GULF MONSTERS.
Rapacious Sharks and Big Devil-Fisf
Found In Galveston Bay.

Rapacious Sharks and Big DevilFish
Found In Galveston Bay.
The Gulf of Mexico and Galveston
Bay are both favorite resorts of many
members of the shark family, some OF
which attain large size, there having
been for exhibition at the sherif's of
flee for months the jaws of one of these
monsters, armed with three rows OF
savage teeth, which, when opened,
could easily be place over the shoulders
of large man. The monster 10 which
these sangulnary appendages pertained
measured, when in good health, seven
teen feet from tip of nose to end OF
tail. Of the one hundred different
species known perhaps half-dozen
inhabit these waters, and although both
formidable and repulsive in appear.
ance there are no well authenticated
instances since the settlement of the
city of their having attacked man, al.
though they are both voracious and
fearless when hungry, as the following
incident will show: Last summer as
the quarantine steamer Hygeia was
coming in from outside the bar, large
school of porpoises were playing
around the vessel, when the engineer,
"Billy" Bristol, opened fire on them
with an old-fashioned forty-fve-calibeI
revolver, and by a chance shot
killed one. The vessel was
stopped, and the porpoise, which would
weigh several hundred pounds, secured
by stout moose around the tail and
left hanging over the ships side head
down in the water. Within few mo-
ments a huge shark, probably eighteen
feet in length, made rush for the por-
poise, and, although fired upon, cut it
in twain, and shortly after made
another rush for the remainder, and
bit that in two just above the tail,
which was left hanging, and made off
despite the fact that two pistol shots
were fired at his head without any APP
parent effect. On the last rush the
sharks head was well out of water,
and when fred on was not more than
three or four feet from the pistol muz-
zle.
No small degree of excitement was
caused in the city during the latter
part of July, 1885, by visit to the
Gulf shores of school of fish known
as the cephaloptera vampyrus, OF
devil-fsh, one of which was captured
and placed on exhibition. The fish capt.
ured measured eight feet in length
and sixteen feet four inches in width,
and weighed several thousand pounds.
A description given at the time was as
follows: "Head truncated in front and
provided with pointed, wing-likt
process separate from the pectoraI
fins, seemingly capable of in
dependent motion. These wing,
or horns, provided on either side of thu
head, are two feet two inches in length
: triangular in shape, resembling wings
making the transverse diameter of tn,
| fish greater than the longitudinal, will
tail included. These pectorals from
{ tip to tip measure sixteen feet fou
e inches, while the body proper is onl,
, eight feet in length and the tail abou
three feet and six inches. The Jaw
t are at the end of the head, the lowe
t the more advanced, and the TRANSFERS
d diameter of the mouth measures tw
e feet ten inches. The eyes are SINAI
a and lateral, resembling those of al
d elephant, and are situated on eithe
:, outer side of the protruding wings, o
e frontal horns, and are consequentl
n about three feet apart The tail
|! elongated with whiplash, armed nea
y the root with a prominently serrate
!, spinal protuberance. The teeth ar
d small, numerous, fat, and arranged i
d many rows. The mouth when opene
d could easily accommodate -four bar
l. rel. The nostrils are small, and al
t situated near the angles of the mouth
a and openings. which are probably tn
d ears, are situated on the dorsal aspet
r. of the appendages of the head behin
= the ears Several large linear oper
ings five on each side1, are in tn
:, stomach. The skin is rough to tn
&c touch. of blacklist brown, and the bell
d white and very Shiny. - Ga'Uesto
3 fTe[l Nesrs,