St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-21
A FEROCIOUS SHARK.
He Smashes Boat and Hurls Two
Fishermen Head Over Heels.

nc SIffdSIlcS Il Boat anu ftuPiS Two
Fishermen Head Over Heels.
ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
The shallow waters around Kew West,
writes Florida correspondent. is the
home of millions, more or less, of big
man eating sharks, and scarcely day
passes but what one or more are killed
from the wharves and in the shallow
waters around the island.
w. 5. Wilson and Duke Dart, of the
naval station, recently had big expert
ence with fine specimen of the man
eating variety that will last them for
several years, so they say.
The other afternoon, while near the
barracks, they saw several huge specl-
mems swimming in the shallow waters,
their huge dOrSal fins going in every
direction. Aiming themselves with
couple of heavy bore rifles they started
out. After chasing the daddy" of the
gang around for some time, they got
close to . him and planked two bullets
from 44-6aliber Winchesters through
his ugly body. The big shark leaped
out of the water on feeling the bullets
and came down with Swash. nearly
upsetting their boat. To their surprise
he then became perfectly quiet. and as
they thought they had secured a prize
without much trouble they hastily
pulled up to him, and, putting a rope
round the body started to tow him to
shore.
AL at once the seemingly dead shark
awoke to the ignominiouS fact that he
was being towed hlnd end first into land
and his objection was shown verv
strongly. With dash of his big tail the
end of the boat was knocked to pieces
and the two shark fishermen were
hurled head over heels about ten feet
into six feet of water, with scores of
other sharks in very close proximity
The big shark started in circle round
the two wet fishermen, the rope trailing
beneath him, still fast TO some portions
of the boat. The shark hunters, how
ever, were not thoroughly cowed by
! their surroundings. but, SeiZing hold of
the rope, attempted to stop the shark,
| AS Dart explained afterward. it was like
| stopping a locomotive with 200 pounds
of steam on. On feeling the additional
| weight on the rope. as they grasped it,
the shark darted forward with light
| ming velocity, towing the two astonished
hunters through the water at a pace
| that they did not relish. Bravely they
held on for a huddred yards and then,
finding the pace too much for them,
my iCt ~ especially QulCh, dS bHt
| shark was heading out for deeper water.
The big shark, finding himself par
| TALLY free. again turned and came
| straight for them with a tremendous
| plunge. AS he came up he turned
| over on his back, opened wide his ca
| paclouS mouth and made dive for Will
| son. The latter was spry enough to
| elude him, springing high iii the air as
the shark neared him. By some mis-
chance. as he dropped back. he fell
a-straddle of the shark. InStinctively
| his hands caught the knot IN the rope
| that was tied around the sharks body,
and the big water tiger, greatly aston
| iShed at this turn of affairs. started Off
| with all his might.
| Fortunately he was so blinded by his
terror and surprise that he did not
| know which way he was going, and,
being headed toward the shore, he ran
up on the sloping, gravelly beach, and
Ill a second or two, lay gasping almost
! out of water. As he struck the
sand and glided up the incline
he gave a vicious twist of his tail
that sent his rider head over heels
on to dry land. Dart then FASTENED
| out of the water to his companions as
siStance, and, securing big pieces of
coral, they both began pelting the OBJ
! ject of their wrath. For ten or sfifteen
| minutes the fight was right lively one.
| interspersed with many narrow escapes
on their part from the monsters big
tail, but at the end of that period the
coral rock proved too much for him. and
he gave up the ghost.
| On being measured the monster
| proved to be thirteen and One-half feet
| long, and would have weighed probably
not less than LOO pounds. When he
was opened they found one big shoe, a
cigar case. mouth organ, and large
number of bones that plainly showed
that his fame as man-eating variety
| was not miSnomer.
| Stranua to saw yuhan tho f-oqmants of