The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1894-07-13
BIGGEST ISL M rne sgA.


The Baskins shark Sometimes Grows to =
Length OF rhirty-Five Feet.
There was great commotion In the
geological department of the stanford
university, San Francisco, the other
afternoon, when President Jordan re.
ceived u telegram from an Italian fish.
erman at Monterey saying that he had
caught a monster Of a basling shark,
and iDquiring II they wanted IT, Did
they want II? Well, President Jordan
rushed from his Office across the quad
rangle TO the geological laboratory,
where Prof. Gilbert and some other
fish sharps were busy with piclsled fish,
and with dignied excitement -four.
ished the Telegram lie jerlSed out his
watch and said there were thirty min
utes before the Monterey train would
get TO Palo Alto. over mile away, and
Prof Gilbert grabbed his hat He
called an eXpcr! assistant who could
hustle, and the two scientists made
that train. The fisherman soon got
his answer President Jordan would
have missed two dinners TO go along,
but he couldn't All this haste and in
terest, says the San Francisco Exam.
liner, show how much value baslSing
shark is 70 scientist. He Is not OF
much value TO anybody else His value
arises, like that OF many other things,
mainly from his rarity, for baslHing
sharks are not seen every day, and
ichthyologists find few opportunities
10 study them The basllng shark is
an object Of popular as well as scien-
tiac interest II is the largest Ash
that swims the sea II isn't as big as
bow-head whale, but the whale Is
not fish, but q mammal The speci-
men captured somehow by the Italian
fisherman, who has standing order
from the Stanford university for any
thing new or queer In his line, Is
thirty-tlve feet long and measures
nearly fifteen feet perpendicularly
through the back. These proportions
make It Us large as many whale. and
It is a homely and lubberly thing to
look at. II is called selaehe maxima
In the books
The size IT the specimen at Monte
rey shows II to he one OF the largest OF
its kind, though they sometimes grow
several feet longer. A reported sea
serpent, fifty feet long, stranded al
Stronsa in lsOs, is supposed 10 have
been baslSing shark. This greatest
OF fishes is also the least ferocious OF
SHARKS II sticks pretty well to the
bottom OF the ocean, is sluggish In
movement and feeds on crustacea, sea.
weed, etc, instead OF other fishes. /.
belongs to the northern seas, but In
summer dcscends TO middle ATTITUDES.
81 do not know what Prof Gilbert
will try to do with the specimen" said
President Jordan, but II Is worth go
ing after even To photograph II moth
Ing else. They are rarely caught and
] have been able 10 see but one on thi,
coast. That was in 1880 at Monterey
We chspped out piece Of one OF It,
gills and it was oil one man wanted tc
carry. Pictures Of the basking sharl
are not reliable representations, fol
there have been few chances to draw
them. There are probably but few
hundred In the ocean. The British
museum has standing offer OF on,
thousand dollars for the skin OF one
but a man would earn his money get
ting II, for II would take two month";
to skin the fish and care properly fol
the hide. Prof. Gilbert may try L
take the skin and he may only take In,
head. Atany rate 1t is valuable op
portunity for study"