The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-03-14
SELECTED.
TOM FINCH.
A MAN-FIsH WHOM SHARKS Would Nor
BITE.

TOM FINCH.
A MAN-FIsH WHOM SHARKS WorLD No1
BITE.
At O'Clock in the afternoon of JUNE
81 1859, was in the crows nest or look
out on board the New England whalel
Yankee Land, and we were bearing ~
for Valparaiso from the .Jnan Fernando
island when caught sight of floating
human body on the lee bow, and half {
mile away. We had only light breeze
and the sea was scarcely disturbed, ano
| from NV perch aloft could see even the
fish as they played about us.
| had scarcely hailed the deck when tn,
tioater raised his head, kicked his feet
under the surface, and, after waving his
arm as signal, he began swimming
down to us. The sight of a man out at
sea, provided with nothing whatever
to float him, was queer enough.
have seen the natives of almost every
country in the water, but | never saw
ANYTHING like the speed this noater made
as he came down to us. He just smoked
through water like yawl with her sal
set to stiff breeze. All the men muster
ed forward to get sight of him, and as he
came alongside he checked his way took
a long survey of our craft, and coolly
called out:
what ship is that?'
"The American whaler, Yankee Land. "
answered the mate.
"Want any hauds?"
''Yes, We will ship you," replied the
! captain
VERY well, sir-l'll come aboard"
Ihey threw him rope and he soon
stood on deck, the only unconcerned
person on the ship. lie asked for chew
OF tobacco, wrung the water out of his
clothes, and when the cook brought him
some grub he did not appear over hungry
He refused dry clothes, saying that he
felt better when damp, and when he had
finished eating he explained:
my name is Tom Finch. | quit the
English brig Saxon two days ago. | can
steer boat or fasten to whale with the
best of you. Give me lay and let me
turn to-"
you quit the Saxon two days ago?'
queried the captain.
"Yes sir"
"Where was she?"
"A matter of fifty miles to the north
west sir"
AT sea?'
Eyes, sir"
GLOW did you quit?"
"Said good-by to my watch and jump
ed overheard, and have been floating ever
since"
There wasn't man in the ship who
believed his story. Indeed, what intell-
gent man would believe it! And vet it
was the gospel truth as we discovered
when we reached Valparaiso. The Sax
on was there, and half dozen of her
crew had seen him go overheard as
stated.
A man fish had come aboard of us
There never was Il mermaid nut he GER
tainly was norman. He was next to
amphibious. He was with us for six
teen months, and during that time was
the wonder of our crew and of every
other crew we met. He was stalwart,
good-lookng chap of 35, but his interior
must have been built on the fish principle
He swan as swiftly as some kind of fish.
and 1t did not seem to tire him. He
could not be drowned, and no shark
would bite him. said he was a queer
man. The reader probably agrees with
me. l give my word and honor that
every statement shall make Is true, and
can be proved true.
Our carpenter was laid up with brok-
en- leg, and when Finch announced that
he could use tools he became carpenter
temporarily. After we left Valparaiso,
no longer doubling the story of his two
days float, he gave US q marvellous ex-
hibition of his skill as swimmer. In
running back to the south we struck the
fag end of cyclone, and got a terrible
sea. Our big ship was tossed about like
a pea, and the waves walled up on us now
and then until their crests seemed to
tower fifty feet above the rail Every
thing was dashed and double dashed, and
the cook couldn't even make cup of coffee
for twenty hours. While we were living
to and hanging on for life Finch stripped
TO his shirt and pants and went overheard
for lark. The best man among US
would have been drowned in five minutes
He was In the water two hours, and when
he came out he did not puff as heavily a.
man who had run across the street.
hundred times in those two hours we
thought he was lost. but he had no more
fear for himself than az If he was on dry
land In the sixteen months | saw him
go overheard as many as fifty times, in
all sorts of weather, by day and by
night and yet he never met with an &C,
cdent.
stated that no shark would bite him.
We got whale to the southwest of
Conception, hundred miles OFF shore.
and Finch gave us his first exhibition
We had an eighty-barrel fish dashed head
and tail to our starboard side, and were
just hooking on to the fish blanket piece
to hoist away, when three or four
monster sharks appeared. The one who
came up astern was of such size that the
man called out In Amusement. He lay
with his dorsal I'm above the water, and
we could see every inch of him. 1t was
enough to give you chill to note his
wicked eyes and his awful mouth.
When Finch saw this shark he said he
would drive him away. The captain or
dered him to go about his business, not
wishing to lose man, but Finch waited
until the officers were of their guard, and
then went overheard off the lee bow with
great splash. There was a wild cry
from the crew and a rush with ropes, but
Tom looked up and laughed and swan
around the stern of the ship. The big
man-eater had backed off about 20 feet
at the splash, but two others, almost as
large, had came up on the quarters, and
there lay three OF the wickedest fish In
the Atlantic ocean. Everybody shouted
and gestured and half dozen ropes lends
were thrown to Tom. but he would not
mind US. He suddenly sank below the
surface and made bee line for the big
fish and, to my surprise, the old fellow
darted aside to escape the collision.
1t is truth to the letter that Tom Finch
drove every one Of those monsters away
from the ship, and for an hour he pad
died about In the water and was unharm-
ed. In the course of couple of hours
the big shark returned. piece Of blub-
Der was tied up In an old coat and drop
ped overheard, and he made a dash of a
hundred feet aud bolted 1t down like a
flash He then took up his station Off
our quarter, and not over thirty feet away
and the sailor mounted the rail and made
q long dive right at him. The shark
went of like streak, and we saw him no
more.
He quit our ship with more fuss than
he had entered 1t For sixteen months
he seemed perfectly content, and was
well up TO his work. Then the owners At
home got into trouble and had to sell out
aud We hauled Into Rio Janeiro one day To
find new deal on hand. We were paid OF
and new captain put In charge, and such
Of the men a wished 70 70 were shipped
for new cruise Ia . clean ship. Most
Of 10 signed articles, though none Of rs