Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-06-22
BATTLE WITH A SHARK.
Two Bold Seamen Have a Lively
Time with q Man-Eater.
He Smaahes Their Boat and Hurts His
Pursuers Into tho AIr-After . Hard
Battle tho Monster Ia
Overcome.

The shallow water around Key West,
Fla, is the home OF millions, more or
less, of big man-eating sharks, and
scarcely a day passes, says the st.
Louis Globc-Democrat, but that one or
more are killed from the wharvcs and
in the shallow waters around the island.
Two officers of the naval station re-
Gently had big experience 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 speci-
mems swimming in the shallow wate:s,
their huge dorsal fins going in every
direction. Aiming themselves with
couple of heavybore rifles they started
out. After chasing the daddy" of tho
gang around for some time they got
close to him and planlled two bullets
from "A Winchesters into his ugly body
The big shark leapcd clear out of the
water on feeling the bullets and came
down with 4 swash, nearly upsetting
their boat. To their surprise he then
became perfectly quiet, and rs they
thought they had secured Il prize with
out much trouble, they hastily pulled
up to him, and, putting n rope around
his body, started to tow him to shore.
All at once the seemingly dead shark
nwolIe to the ignominious fact that he
was being towcd hind-cnd first into
land, and his objection was shown very
strongly. With a 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 close proximity. The
big shark started in a 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 selling hold Of
the rope attempted to stop the shark.
AS explained afterward, it was like
stopping Il locomotive with two hun
drcd pounds of steam on. On feeling
the additional weight on the rope, as
they grasped it, the shark darted for
ward with lightning velocity, towing
the two astonished hunters through the
water at n pace they did not relish.
Bravcly they held on for 4 hundred
yards, and then. finding the pace too
much for them, they let go especially
quick rs the shark was heading out for
deeper water.
The big shark. finding himself par
TALLY free, again turned and came
straight fol- them with tremendous
plunge. AS he came up he turned over
on his back, opened wide his capacious
mouth and made n dive for one of the
men. The latter was spry enough to
clude him, springing high into the air
as the shark neared him. by some mis-
chance, us he dropped back, he fell
astradllc 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
ishcd ut this state 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 the sloping, gravelly beach, and in a
second or two lay gasping almost out
of the water. AS he struck the sand
and glided up the incline he gave q
vicious twist of his tail that sent his
rider head over heels on to dry land.
The other man then fastened out Of tho
water to his companions assistance,
and, securing big pieces Of coral, they
both began pelting the object of their
wrath. For ten or fifteen minutes the
fight was n right lively one, inter-
| spersed with many narrow escapes on
their part from the monsters big tail,
but ut 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 twelve and onc-half feet
long and would have weighed probably
not less than one thousand two hundred
pounds. When he was opened they
found one big shoe, cigar-case, mouth
organ, and large number of bones
that plainly showed that his fame as u