The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-11-07
ASTRIDE A LIVE SHARK.
DARING FEAT OF A CALIFORNIA SWIM
MING TEACHER.

Basking Shark Amply Demonstrated.
The Visitors No Longer Afraid.
That man should take q ride on a
i've sharks back, apparently with all
the delight of wild cowboy breaking in
an unruly mustang, would be difficult
10 believe unless circumstances were
presented to verify it. Such an occur
renee has really taken place, however,
and at so short a 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,
ana the huge fish dies from the exhaus-
ton produced by it's wild efforts to get
free. TO extricate the dead fish from
the nets 1t is sometimes necessary to tow
Y 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 a quantity of cheap
but profitable OIL
a huge Oasklng 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
boats to the wharf at Capitola Its ar
r1val 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
Son.c ocular demonstration of the fact
That 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 timid. 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
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 IL size if not in species, Swanson
swan close to its side, and then clamb-
cred slowly on top, a moderately easy
task to accomplish, as the shark lay
almost entirely under water Sitting
astride the huge fish like u 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-
Torrance
His song OF success was quickly cut
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 brrathed 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 Oft, 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 f0olhHrdy act, and but the
courtship of certain death, now became
strangely comical sight. Swanson
mounted the fish, and the shark becoln-
Ing accustomed to its queer burden,
merely rolled the man off each time he
got on Its back, simply turning lazlly 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-
Eumed and even more freely INDUCED in
"a q CONSEQUENCE of tha ovhi biti 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.