The Portland daily press., 1895-04-15
SEA MONSTERS GIVE BATTLE.
Sharks and Alligators Fight.
The Big saurians Were Unable to With
stand the Sharks, but They Foughtthem
With the Utmost Determination.

1
With the Utmost Determination.
The strangest sea fight I ever saw or
heard off, said staff officer of the navy
now stationed in Washington, to the
New York Sun, "was battle that ragged
off the Pacific coast of Mexico between
sharks and alligators. Our ship was at
anchor becalned not far from Manzanilla
and some of the officers had gone ashore
on one of the little voyages OF discovery
that seem to delight navy men in foreign
lands. We learned from some OF the
natives of the fight which was then in
progress, and reached the battle field
when the combat was at it's fercest.
ITO make clear the natural causes
which brought about this Homeric COLI
test, it will be necessary to describe the
country. Between ManzaDilla and
Colima, a distance of SO miles, there is a
large lake of brackish water, the bed of
which is several feet a bove the sea. This
lake is about 40 miles long and was
once most important as a means of COM
munication between the two places, par
ticularIy as in Mexico form erly the roads
were beset by brigands, and land trans
portation was Of the most primitive
character. The lake was filled with fresh
water fish and reptiles of all kinds, and
the a1ligators that summed themselves on
its banks often attained a length of from
20 to 30 teet. They were very fierce when
aroused from their accustomed let hargy,
much more voracious than even the
South American species, and often seized
i GQUOnTQd m Iop lie,
The barrier separating the ocean from
the lake is high sand-bank which,
though nothing more than mere spit
OF land, had been, prior to this time,
sufficient to confine the waters of the
lake. But heavy wind storm from the
northeast blew the water of the lake
down to the southwest, and piled it up
SO high as to drive it over the levee or
dam. After a short time crevasse or
sluite was formed, allowing the lake to
drain directly into the ocean, The rush
OF water from the lake increased, the
sluice became broader, and the 800
square niles of lake surface fell four feet.
Millions of fish came pouring through
the crevasse with the water, and with
the lake had become noted.
"The sluice was l feet wide when we
reached it. We stood OH one of the 5
banks watching the enormous outrush
of water and fish The latter had attract
ed the numerous big sharks of Man
camilla bay. and they had collected by
hundreds to gorge themselves whit the
looked-for manner. The alligators, less
intent, perhaps, upon the fish than upon
the rush of the waters which was carry
Ing them on, were met by the sharks
the moment they came out into deeper
water. There the sharks rushed furi-
oUsly at the more slotbful alligators,
and at once the battle began. The alii-
gators, of course, labored under many
disadvantages. Although crocodiles are
often known to swim out to sea and
spend whole weeks in salt water, the
alligator is not found in the.ocean. Not
alone were the alligato1s handicapped by
being out Of their element. They were
also beset by shoal of carniverous fish
OF prey, many of then twice their size
and weight, and endowed with activity
far greater Five or six shalks would
attack each saurian as he came out, not
giving the alligators an opportunity to
form themselves into mass for coIcen-
trated attack or defense.
1.-The war was waged with the utmost
determination on both sides. and the
alligators, Notwithstanding many diff
up a very good fight. They kept the
sharkssat bay until finally scattered by
furious onslaughts. Each fish and rep
tile seemed to understand clearly the
character OF his antagonist, and the
powerful tails were brought into reauisi-
tion rs often as the immense jaws.
While the alligators were more slow to
move than the sharks, the latter were
Obliged to turn over on their backs be-
fore being able to bite with any effect.
This gave the alligators n chance to get
away and bring their wiry, horny tails
into action. Although the hard, ony
armor Of the alligators prevented them
rom turning and swishing their tails
around as rapidly as the fish, often they
could dash forward and snap /; shark be-
fore the fish could turn on bis baek to
ing that the shark has speed and activity
so great as to allow him TO swim and |
play easily around the fastest steamers, |
1T will be very readily seen that the issue
OF the battle was only a question of time. |
OF course the armor of the alligator,
though impeding his movements, was
eficacious tor time against the blows
and bites OF his adversary. But after a
while the constant sharp swapping of the
shark tore it away bit by bit, and finally
with furious rush the huge shark
would fix it's sharp teeth in good grip
and crush through vulnerable part of
the alligator as if the armor were an egg
smell. Inc wonderful strength OF the
alligator's jaw came into play, and time
and again sharks were thrown almost
out of the water.
THE fight was carried on upon the sur
face of the water over an area of quar-
ter OF mile, in plain view of the people
on the bank and beach, and from our
position we could see many of the move
ments of the huge animals. Several alli-
gators were thrown up on the beach dur
ing the struggle, torn and horribly
manned, SO that they died in very few
minutes. The whole surface of the OCEAN
in the immediate vicinity was churned
to foam by the lashing of the long tails,
while here and there a reddish tinge in
the water showed where the comb bat
waxed fiercest. No sooner was an ALI
gator killed than the sharks turned upon
his carcass, tore it to pieces and devoured
it voraciously. This done, the increasing
ebullition in another place indicated that
the war WAS beginning with renewed
vigor to decide this local supremacy of
the sea. Only few sharks wers killed,
although many mustsshave been badly
born by the huge jaws of the alligators.
One of the alligators thrown on the
beach still had piece of sharks Tin