The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1891-11-20
DARING FEAT OF CALIFORNIA SWIM.
MING TEACHER.
A Mans Sport with . Marine Monster.
The Entire Harmlessness Of . Huge
noeI1rw sV,orl, ArouVv Nor,ro.Nr~<.d

near Santa Cruz, have been greatly
annoyed by basking sharks. These
sharks. while in search of food, often
in thrashing about and trying to
escape from the meshes which enfold
them, tear the nets and injure them SO
that the fishermen at times suffer the
loss of hundreds of dollars. Sometimes
a shark struggles about So much in the
water us to wrap tho nets around it i'll
such a manner that escape is impossible.
and the huge fish dies from the eShaus-
ton produced by its wild efforts to get
free. To extricate the dead fish from
the nets it is sometimes necessary to tow
it ashore, and to recove part of the loss
sustained III the destruction of the nets
the fishermen try out the liver of the
shark and obtain a quantity of cheap
but profitable oil.
AN OCULAR DEMONSTRATION.
A huge basliing shark about thirty or
forty feet long became entangled in the
nets of some fishermen off Sequel point,
about four miles from Santa Cruz. The
shark, still alive and embodied in the
nets. was towed by the fishermen in
bouts to the wharf at Capitola. Its ar
rival created great excitement among
the visitors at that resort. The fact that
sharks, any sharks. We're near the beach
drove hundreds Of bathers from the wa
ter, and people began to make up their
minds to leave the place. No amount Of
assurance OH the part of the proprietors
of the hotel or the fishermen that bask-
ing sharks We're not mar eaters, and that
many had been caught with no accident
happening. could entirely quiet the fears
of tho visitors. ard bathing was almost
given up.
Some ocular demonstration Of the fact
that a basking shark was harmless there
fore became necessary. Swimming
Teacher Swanson, of the Capitola baths,
ti.en determined to give an exhibition
with the shark which should convince
the most tiulid. A performance fol-
lowed the like Of which no man ever
participated in before. Swanson put on
n bathing suit and swan to the wharf
where the partially exhausted monster
lay. still partly wrapped in the torn aud
tangled fishing nets. Slowly approach
ing the gasping yet enraged monster, a
whale in size if not in species, Swanson
swan close to its side. and then clamb-
cred slowly OH top, u moderately easy
task to accomplish, as the shark lay
almost entirely under water. Sitting
astride the huge fish like q baby on an
elephant, the bold swimmer shouted in
triumphant derision at the several hum
dred people on the wharf, who had
gathered to witness the strange per-
fornlance.
GOT Used 70 II.
His song of success was quickly cut
short, for as soon as the lazy shark real
lied it had gathered sometl:.n. u.nre on
its back it commenced to thrash about
and threw Swanson of. Nuu.An III the
crowd shrielsed III fear AMI y. ..l held
their breath in excitement. 4. w;. hard
Iva minute, however, before Swanson
appeared uninjured and Lu.-;:.ny out
side of the line Of foam ca.:..,.. ~ the
sharks struggles. The cruw.i IN the
wharf breathed more freely yY:.s.. they
saw the man emerge from tl.. s.r:hing
waters and realized that lie l:#i n..i bcen
devoured. as they expected Ei,u i" tie.
The undaunted swimmer again Mc::t to
the side Of the s%!iar.;, and onv. more
mounted his marine steed. TIE shark
again showed it's fear and anger hy shak-
ing him off, but not so violently as be-
fore. With great persistence Swanson
ag;in climbed on to the monster.
What seemed before to the many spec.
tators q most %foolhardy act, and but the
courtship Of certain death. now became
u strangely conaical sight. Swanson
mounted the fish. and the shark beco,n.
ing accustomed to its queer burden,
merely rolled the mar off each time he
got on its back, simply turning lazily in
the water and shaking himself. Thi,
was repeated several times, and the
large crowd of people who came expect
ing to see the man killed and eaten de
parted laughing ut the ludicrous ending
Of the performance. Swanson became
the hero of the camp. Bathing was re-
sumed and even more freely INDUCED in
as 81 consequence Of the exhibition, ant
no III can now be found in Camp Capt.
tola who will admit that they fear ,
shark, or 81 basking shark at least.-Sa1
Francisco Chronicle.