Omaha daily bee., 1893-07-24
SHARK IN SHALLOW WATER
A siS-root Sea Tigcr brought to shore
After "a Ityely Fight

After n Lively Fight.
Sharks seem To be becoming plentiful
IN San Francisco bay, aud while the
people who know sharks say that not
more than two or three of the man-eat-
ing variety have been seen in that
vicinity for forty years even the com
mon sharks are big enough and ugly
enough to make man think unpleasant
things, If he is in the habit OF swimming
in the bay.
f1shing parties who drop lines to tho
rock cod and king fish over about Sau-
salito every once in while feel n
stouter tug at the line than they bar
gain for, says the San Francisco Exam
iner, and have all the thrill of seeing a
big-mouthed, sharp-toothed shark at
the end of their lines.
Will Burgess, an Alamenda young
man, had an adventure with shark the
other afternoon that was serious. Bur-
CESS and u young companion named
Thompson noticed big fish houndcring
in the shallow water at the foot of VIII
low street. 1t had evidently como in
with the tide and had been left almost
stranded when the water receded.
When the young mon saw it the fish
was trying to plow its way out to deeper
water.
OF course Burgess had to investigate.
He kicked off his shoes and stockings
and, armed with boathook, rushed out
to whore the water was being dashed
into foam. Tho fish was shark six feet
long. Its head was in the sand pushing
out a channel through which it might
escape. Burgess hurried, afraid that he
would not get there in time. He need
not have been alarmed on that score,
however. for the shark did not hurry on
his account IplaNl nc he,
pretty close the shark faced around and
made for him. Fortunately it was
handicapped by the shallowness of the
water. The young man simply jumped
aside as it t1oundered toward him and
hit 1T with the boathook. He had some
idea of spearing the big fish with the
boathook and holding on, but he had to
change his tactics. The shark did not
propose = ne harpooned without fight.
Up to this time Burgess had thought
1T was a harmless thing thai simply
fought because it could not get away,
but when the shark made try at turn
ing on its back to give its mouth better
chance he realized that it had the fight
ing habits that man eaters are credited
with, and he knew he had fight on his
hands. There was not enough water for
the shark to turn, so he lay on his side
and snapped that way, while Burgess
beat on his ugly head with a boathoo1
and skipped out of the way of
the jaws. The shark was wild by
this time, and the two
raised so much foam that the
crowd that soon gathered on the beach
could not see Just what was happening
There was wild excitement, but the
people on the bank did not lose their
presence of mind enough to go to the
young mans assistance. Burgess found
that in its frenzy the fish could get
around pretty lively, even in six inches
OF water and his position began to get
interesting. He did not dare to turn
his back to get away for fear the mad
fish would overtake him and grab leg.
The shark by this time had forgotten all
about trying to escape, and was willing
to fight it out right there. Burgess at
last succeeded in stunning the stranded
sea tiger. He had had too hard Il fight
to leave his game there, so he hooked on
with the boathook and dragged the ugly
thing ashore. Then every body cheered
him and helped haul the shark up on
the beach, where it was soon finished.
Burgess dropped on the sand exhausted
from his struggle. The shark was six
feet long and as big as man.
There was another shark adventure on
the bay next day. Fred johnson, l6-
year-old lad residing on Filbert street
caught 5-foot shark while fishing from
the end Of Powell street wharf. While
trying to get the hook out of the sharks
mouth the fish closed its jaws and made
the boy howl. The sharks mouth was
pried oren with piece of wood and
Fred counted no less than eleven wounds
on his hand, caused by the sharks
teeth. The boy sold his prize to a
Chinaman for 81, and the tiger of the
sea was probably served up in some
cheap restaurant as tcnderloin of sole.