The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-01
BATTLE WITH A SHARK.
Two Bold Seamen Bave Lively
Time with Man-Eater.
He Smashes Their Boat and Hurls His
Pursuers Into the Aviator a Hard
Battle tho Monster Is
Overcome.

The shallow water around Key West,
Fla, is the home of millions, more or
less, of big man-eating sharks, and
scarcely day passes, says the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat, but that one OF
more are killed from the wharves and
in the shallow waters around the island.
Two officers of the naval station re-
Gently had n big experience with n fine
specimen of the man-eating variety that
will last them for several years, so they
say.
The other afternoon whilo near the
barracks they saw several huge speci-
mems swimming in the shallow waters,
their huge dorsal fins going in every
direction. Aiming themselves with {.
couple of hcavy-bore rifles they started
out After chasing the daddy" of tho
gang around for some time they got
close to him and planked two bullets
from "A Winchesters into his ugly body.
The big shark leaped clear out of the
water on feeling the bullets and came
down with swash, nearly upsettin0
their boat To their surprise he then
became perfectly quiet, and MS they
thought they had secured prize with
out much trouble, they hastily pulled
up to him, and, putting n rope around
his body, started to tow him to shore
All ut once the seemingly dead shark
awosc to the ignominious fact that he
was being towed hind-end first into
land, and his objection was shown very
strongly. With a dash of his big tail
the end of the boat was knocked to
pieces, and the two shark, fishermen
were hurled head over heels about ten
feet into six feet of water, with scores
OF other sharks in close proximity. The
big shark started in a circle round the
two wet fishermen, the rope trailing
beneath him still fast to some portions
of the boat. The shark hunters, how
ever, were not thoroughly cowcd by
their surroundings, but seizing hold of
the rope attempted to stop the shark
AS explained aftcrward, it was like
stopping a locomotive with two hun
dred pounds of steam on. On feeling
the additional weight on the rope, as
they grasped it, the shark dnrtcd for
ward with lightning velocity, towing
the two astonished hunters through the
water at a pace they did not relish
Bravely they held on for a hundred
yards, and then. finding the pace too
much for them, they let go especially
quick, as the shark was heading out for
deeper water.
The big shark, finding himself par
italy free, again turned and came
straight for them with tremendous
plunge As he came up he turned over
on his back, opened wide his capacious
mouth and made a dive for one Of the
men. The latter was spry enough to
elnde him, springing high into the air
as the shark ncared him. BY some mis-
chance, as he dropped back, he fell
astraddle of the shark. Instinctively
his hands caught the knot in the rope
that was tied around the sharks body,
and the big water tiger, greatly aston
ished at this state of affairs, started off
with all his might.
Fortunately he was so blinded by his
terror and surprise that he did not
know which way he was going, and,
being headed toward the shore, he ran
up the sloping, gravclly beach, and in
second or two lay gasping almost out
of the water. AS he struck the sand
and glided up the incline he gave a
vicious twist of his tail that sent his
rider head over heels on to dry land.
The other man then fastened out of the
water to his companions assistance,
and, securing big pieces of coral, they
both began pelting the object of their
wrath. For ten or fifteen minutes the
fight was a right lively one, inter
spersed with many narrow escapes on
their part from the monsters big tail,
but at the end of that period the coral
rock proved too much for him, and he
gave up the ghost.
On being measured the monster
proved to be twelve and one-half feet
long and would have weighed probably
not less than one thousand two hundred
pounds When lie was opened they
found one big shoe, IL cigar-case, mouth
organ, and q large number of bones
that plainly showed that his fame as
m1r-C1tinr VA rietv was NOT q rniSpCrnor