Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-12
CAUGHT WITH GOLD.
BUT THE MAN EATING SHARK TOOK
Sac, 900 OF THE BAIT.


The E1-Diver's Story Of an Adventure In
the Great Daysr-Silence Smeared Itself
All Over the veranda at the Completi,n
of the Yarn.
81 suppose" quoth James T. Gaulin
of Winchester, Mass, who was sitting
| on the hotel verauda, "that had the
honor of killing the most valuable fish
that ever swan the seas. I did it single
handed too. aver that this fish was
worth more at the time of its death than
the finest sperm whale that was ever
harpooned, although we should really
leave whales out of the question when
| speaking of fish. 1t was 80 years ago,
and l was young and foolish enough to
be deep sea diver. Our diving schooner
| and crew had been sent to Cuba to try
to recover some stuff from Spanish
boat that had foundered off the coast of
Cuba, just where don't now fecollect.
1t was quite long trip for us, and as
the employment Of diving outfit was
an expensive thing in those days the
| boys knew that there must be something
pretty valuable in the hold of the wreck.
1 was quite close to our skipper, and he
told me that there were several boxes of
gold coin in the wreck On our arrival
at the port near where the wreck lay in
80 feet Of water the agent of the owners
of the sunken schooner told US some
thing more surprising. 1t was that the
gold had not been slowed i'll boxes in
the cabin, as was usual, but for some
reason had been bagged and placed in
the hold, being billed as copper washers
This was probably scheme to avoid
any chance of the spirit of cupidity arts
ing i'll the crew, for the treasure was
very great.
AS the confidential man, was Sc
lected to go down first and find the mon
ey bags, attach lines to them and have
them taken out before the other divers
should proceed with the work of taking
| out the other freight that the water had
| not harmed. Twas soon in the hold and
was surprised to find that the bags were
| only q little distance from the hole in
the side that had caused the schooner to
founder. l had been told that there
| would be - bags, but l could lay my
hands on but IL of them. Finally l
spied torn bag lying near the hole in
| the hull, and ON picking it up discover
ed that it contained Il few gold coins. l
decided that the heavy triple sacking
| had been torn open in some way or 9TH
, er when the schooner sank l fastened
lines about the II bags that We're intact.
| and had them hoisted, afterward going
| up for air, for our apparatus was not
very good.
I'm few minutes I returned 10 the
hold to search for the scattered coins
| Very few OF them were In sight. 1t &C.
| Cured to me that they might have been
washed outside the boat, Judging from
the position of the wreck and the fact
! that the hold was far down toward the
ships bottom. Twas about to crawl out
| of the hole when remembered that it
might hazard the air pipe, SO I was
| pulled up and let down again over the
vessels side. 1 was disappointed not to
| find any indication of the gold near the
hole Ill the schooner, but set to work
| digging resolutely in the sand. had
| gone but foot down when I struck the
gold pieces all i'll lump. l picked out
a great handful and turned the light on
them, for was lover of gold then,
even though it did not belong to me.
| "Just then I saw something that
made the rubber helmet rise from my
head. 1t was a man eating shark ]
hadn't thought Of one in SO long that !
had neglected to bring my knife. 1t was
| rushing at me. The stupid creature
never stopped to consider that with q
rubber and lead dressing diver makes
a poor lunch. was kneeling beside the
gold. At the shark S onslaught natural
~ hung to the handful of gold as though
to use it as weapon. He turned ON his
side, opening his horrible mouth. A
feeling of grim humor had come over
me. The cruel goldbugs had sent me
down here to be devoured, after saving
thousands Of dollars for them. I would
be spendthrift at the last. So with all
my force 1 fiung the heavy handful of
coin into the yawning mouth.
1.-THE shark must have thought it was
part of me, for he snapped his jaws
over the golden morsel. I am satisfied
that he broke some teeth. He swan
back little, and then rushed at me
again. l had no weapon but the gold,
SO again l flung into the hideous nav
enough to buy me home in New Eng.
land. l saw him snap and swallow it.
Again and again WAS the attack repeat.
ed, and as often did hurl gold into the
shark throat. Pretty soon he became
dizzy, a. it were, for the gold had un.
balanced him, settling in the forward
part of his body. Then he writhed in
agony, and had to keep lodging his
furry. Then, with one terrible shudder,
he sank to the bottom, weighted down
by the gold. tied line about him and
then gave the signal to be pulled up.
Then | helped hoist the shark. We Gu,
him open. Gentlemen, you must take
the word of an ex-diver that there wa.
SIS, 900 in him. Gold had killed him. y
Silence smeared itself all over the
veranda. The pale moon slid behind a
cloud. The amphitheater organ slowly
wove weird chunk of melody. The
81,