The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-10-31
ASTRIDE A LIVE SHARK.
PAIRING FEAT OF A CALIFORNIA SWIM
MING TEACHER.

Mans Sport with Marine Monster.
BaskInE Shark Amply Demonstrated
The Visitors M Longer Afraid.
That a man should take "a ride on
live sharks back, apparently with all
the delight of Il wild cowboy breaking in
an anruly mustang, would be difficult
to believe unless circumstances were
presented to verify. it. Such 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 a manner that escape is impossible
and the huge fish dies from the exhaus-
tion produced by its wild efforts TO get
free To extricate the dead fish from
the nets it rs sometimes necessary to tow
it ashore, and to recover part of the loss
sustained in the destruction of the nets
ths fishermen try out the liver of the
shark and obtain quantity of cheap
but profitable oil
AN OCULAR DEMONSTRATION
hinge 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 embodied in the
nets,j was towed by the fishermen in
boats TO the wharf at Capitola It's 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 |
a bathing suit and SWAN TO the wharf
whore the partially exhausted monster
lay. still partly wrapped in the torn and
tangled fishing nets. Slowly approach
ing tAe gasping yet enraged monster, a
whale IN size If not in species. Swanson
SWAIN close to its side, and then clamb-
cred slowly on top, n moderately easy
task to accomplish, as the shark lay
almost entirely under water Sitting
astride the huge fisl like baby on an
elephant, the bold swimmer shouted in
triumphant derision at the several hun
dred people OH the wharf. who had
gathered To witness the strange per
formance -
GOT USED TO At
His song of success was quickly cut
short, for as soon as the lazy shark real
lied 1t had gathered something more on
its back it commenced to thrash about
and threw Swanson of. Women in the
crowd shrieked in fear and men held
their breath in excitement. 1t was hard
ly 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.
Ihe 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. bat not so violently as be-
lore With great persistence Swanson
again climbed on TO the monster
What seemed before to the many spec
tators n most foolhardy act. and but the
courtship Of certain death, now became
a strangely comical sight. 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 indulged in
as consequence Of the exhibition, and |
no one can now be found in Camp Capt. |
tola who viii admit that they fear a
shark. or n basking shark at ieast-San
Francisco Chronicle
An Interesting Calculation.
An uptown man. having nothing else
70 do, thought he would try an expert /
1neut SO he turned the hands of a clock