Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-01-08
A THRlLLINGsHARIt YARN.
A Honolulu Divers Experience With
a Sea Tiger-His Tale OF How He
Ripped Openthe Monsters Bowels.

a Sea Tiger-His Tale of How He
Ripped openthe Monsters Bowels,
/, The water front had something be-
sides the storm to talk about Yesterday
says the San Francisco Examiner.
A diver, who gave his name as Jim
Hartley, cruised about Al Whites all
morning helping to get steam schoon.
ers off the bar and rewarding the loun.
gers who placed them there by telling
of wonderful encounter he had with
a tiger shark a month ago.
He laid the plot of the yarn just off
Diamond Head, Honolulu, and there is
no doubt about shark material being
plentiful enough In that locality.
Hartley said he was a deserter from
an English ship and had learned diving
in the old country. When his funds
gave out at Honolulu the first job that
presented itself was an exploration OF
the sunken wreck ofa hardware laden
vessel on the outer edge of the reef.
''They rugged up the only diving ap-
paratus in the islands,u said Hartley,
land tackled it. They gave me a 1T
tie sloop to work from and l found q
reliable fellow for a helper. The only
weapon had was big knife, made
out of the blade of sheep shears,
guess-anyhow it looked as though it
was. Everybody told me about the
sharks, butI didn't anticipate any big
ones, and sharks don't bother a diver
much anyhow. / made two descents.
The first one landed me among a lot of
sharp rocks and rough coral ledges and
/ didn't like to move around amongst
them much for fear of cutting my air
hose, which was old and not over
strong.
81 soon went up, and on the next
good tide made another descent, and
this time hit the bark just right. I
found a hole in her port bow big enough
to poke house through, and was start
ing to go around to the other side when
l felt jerk at both air hose and signal
line, accompanied by swirl of the
quiet clear water and a sudden cloud
that told the story. I knew that some
big fish had fouled my connections, but
was not prepared for what saw when
l turned my windows upward. A coup
lie of fathoms over my head was the
biggest shark [ ever saw, and a man
eater If there ever was one.
"His underside trap door looked big
enough to take in whale, and I am
dead sure he was one of the tiger kind,
though the Kanakas tell me that spec
les Is not common in those waters. He
was having look at me and was at q
when I sawhim, Just waving
mis- fins enough to keep him in his po-
,ition.
"What did I do? dropped fiat on my
pack mighty quick. knew his game,
1ot from personal experience, but from
what some of my diving mates had told
ne in about a minute and that nv
chances of winning in standup fight
would be slim. Scared? I should say
70, but diver has got to keep his nuts
'ool under any circumstances and I
Kept my little thinker agoing at top
peed. had two main fears, one that
he fellows in the boat would see him
md haul me up, and that he would
freak my hose. If they did it was a
ure shot that Mr.. Shark would take
ny rubber suit for the skin of a Kama
"a and bite me in two while was in
nidwater and had no fighting leverage
or my feet. I was lucky; the men in
he sloop never pulled pound.
HE FOOLED THE SHARK.
I'm minute, that seemed an hour,
he shark commenced to settle. He
auled off a few feet backward and then
anne slowly forward again a good deal
over down, but still not low enough |
D reach me. Ofcourse had my knife |
Il ready long before this. He repeat
d the performance, and this time he |
assed within three feet of me and stop
ed with his yellow stomach right over
he. He started to back off again, and
le next trip, thinks I, would fetch him
ght at me mouth on. ] didn't want !!
} meet him that way and, as he COM
fenced to move, [ gave him the knife
ith both hands right in the stomach.
.e went like shot when the old shears
ade stung him, and sting him I did,
II drove it good and hard, with q
llling slash that ripped him open for
good two feet. The whirl of the fork
tail knocked me fiat again and kick
| up SO much sand that I couldn't see
l inch. I gave the line jerk as soon
L could find 1t and away | went for
aylight.
~ passed another one on the way up
It he was baby compared with the
How down below, which was every
ch of twelve feet long, as I'm a living
an. They got me into the boat and
llled my helmet off, and as soon as I |
t drink felt better. I was all of a ,
emble for good hour afterwards and {
pint of perspiration ran out of my
OTIS and jacket when ! pulled them
Il didn't want any more of it. made '
'eport to the owners that convinced ]
EN- there was no use trying to wreck 8
g old hulk, collected my money and {
,rked my way up here with Captain /
'iffiths.n
cTNRyOF TNGERSnT,T,