Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-29
ASTRIDE A LIVE SHARK.
DARING FEAT OF A CALIFORNIA SWIM
MING TEACHER.

Mans Sport with Marine Monster
The Entire HarmIessness of Huge
Basking Shark Amply Demonstrated.
The Visitors No Longer Afraid.
That man should take ride on a
live sharks back, apparently with all
fhe delight of wild cowboy breaking in
an unruly mustang, would be difficult
to believe unless circumstances were
presented to verify it. sSuch an occur
renee has really taken place, however,
and at so short distance from San
Francisco that any doubling Thomas
can easily satisfy himself by making a
personal investigation.
For the past few years the fishermen
in the northern part of Monterey bay,
near Santa Cruz, have been greatly
annoyed by basking sharks. These
sharks, while in search of food, often
run into the nets of fishermen, and
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
shark struggles about so much in the
water as to wrap the nets around it in
such manner that escape is impossible,
and the huge fish dies from the exhaus-
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 recover part of the loss
sustained in the destruction of the nets
the fishermen try out the liver of the
shark and obtain quantity of cheap
but profitable oil.
AN OCULAR DEMONSTRATION.
A huge basking 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 enfolded in the
nets was towed by the fishermen in
boats to the wharf at Capitola Its ar
rival created great excitement among
the visitors at that resort. The fact that
sharks, any sharks, were near the beach
drove hundreds of bathers from the wa
ter, and people hegan to make up their
minds to leave the place. No amount of
assurance on the part of the proprietors
of the hotel or the fishermen that bask-
ing sharks were not man eaters, and that
many had been caught with no accident
happening, could entirely quiet the fears
of the visitors, and 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,
then determined to give an exhibition
with the shark which should convince
the most tinaid. A performance fol-
lowed the like of which no man ever
participated in before. Swanson put on
bathing suit and swan to the wharf
where the partially exhausted monster
lay, still partly wrapped in the torn and
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 on top, moderately easy
task to accomplish, as the shark lay
almost entirely under water. Sitting
astride the huge fish like baby on an
elephant, the bold swimmer shouted in
triumphant derision at the several hun
dred people on the wharf, who had
gathered to witness the strange per-
formance.
GOT USED TO IT.
His song of success was quickly cut
short, for as soon as the lazy shark real
lied it had gathered something more on
its back it commenced to thrash about
and threw Swanson Off Women in the
crowd shrieked in fear and men held
their breath in excitement 1t was hard
ly a minute, however, before Swanson
appeared uninjured and laughing out
side of the line of foam caused by the
sharks struggles. The crowd on the
wharf breathed more freely when they
saw the man emerge from the seething
waters and realized that he had not been
devoured, as they expected him to be.
The undaunted swimmer again went to
the side of the shark, and once more
mounted his marine steed. The shark
again showed its fear and anger by shak-
ing him off, but not so violently as be-
fore. With great persistence Swanson
again climbed on to the monster
What seemed before to the many spec
tators most foolhardy act, and but the
courtship of certain death, now became
d strangely cOulcal slSHG. SWANSON
mounted the fish, and the shark becom-
ing accustomed to its queer burden,
merely rolled the man off each time he
got on its back, simply turning lazily in
the water and shaking himself This
was repeated several times, and the
large crowd of people who came expect
ing to see the man killed and eaten de-
parted laughing at the ludicrous ending
of the performance. Swanson became
the hero of the camp. Bathing was re-
sumed and even more freely INDUCED in
as consequence of the exhibition, and
no one can now be found in Camp Capt.
tola who will admit that they fear
shark, or basking shark at least.-San
Francisco Chronicle.