The Portland daily press., 1895-09-18
FEEDING GOLD A SHARK.
After the Monster Had Swallowed $4,000
His Appetite Was Satisfied.
fFrom the Buffalo Express }


OF Winchester, Mass, who was sitting
on the hotel veranda, that had the
honor of killing the most valuable fish
that ever swan the seas. / 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 har-
pooned although we should really leave
whales out of the question when speaking
of..fish 1t was thirty years ago, and Twas
young7and foolish enough to be deep
sea diver. Our diving schooner and crew
had been semitic Cuba to try to recover
some stuff from Spanish boat that had
foundered off the coast of Cuba, just
where I don't now recollect. 1t was quite
a long trip for us, and as tho employ
| men ! of diving outfit was an expensiy
thing in those days. the boys knew that
there must be something pretty valuable
| in the hold of the wreck. ] 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 thirty feet OF
water the agent of the owners of the
sunken schooner told us something more
surprising 1t was that the gold had not
usual, but for some reason had been
bagged and placed in the hold, being
billed as copper washers. This was prob
ably a scheme to avoid any chance of the
spirit of cupidity arising in the crew, for
| the treasure was very great
GAS the confidential man. was select
ed to 90 down first and find the money
bags. attach lines to them, and have them
| take out before the other divers should
proceed with the work of taking out the
| other freight that the water had not
harmed. l was soon in the hold and was
surprisednnto find that the bags were only
a little distance from the hole in the side
that had caused the schooner to founder
| had been told that there would be
| twelve bags, but could lay my hands on
but eleven of them. Finally 1 spied a
torn bag lying near the hole in the hull,
and ON picking it up discovered that 1t
contained few gold coins. | decided
that the heavy triple sacking had been
torn open some way or other when the
schooner sank. I fastened lines about
the eleven bags that were intact, and had
themshoisted, afterward going up for air,
| for our apparatus was not very good
Gin few minutes l returned to the
hold to search for the scattered coins.
Very few of them were in sight 1t oc-
Cured to me that they might have been
washed outside the at, judging from
the position of the wreck, and the fact
that the hole was far down toward the
ship's bottom I was about to crawl out
of the hole, when Il remembered that it
might hazard the air pipe, SO was pulled
up and let down again over the vessels
| side. I was disappointed not to find any
| indication of the gold near the hole in
the schooner, but set to work digging
resolutely in the sand l had gone but
a foot down when I struck the gold pieces
all in lump. I picked out a great hand
full and turned the light on them, for
was lover of gold then, even though it
did not belong to me.
Just then 1 saw something that made
the rubber helmet rise from my head. 1t
was man eating shark. 1 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 Econsider that with rubber
and lead dressing diver makes poor
lunch. was kneeling beside the gold
| At the shark S onslaught naturally 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 fcome over me. Inc
cruel goldbbugs had sent me down here
to be devoured, after saving thousands
of dollars for them. I would be spepd-r
thrift at the last; So with all my ; nopoe eha
| flung the heavy handful of coin INTO the
yawning mouth.
The shark must have thought 1t was
part Of me, for he snapped his jaws over
the golden morsel. I am satisfied that
he broke some teeth. He swan pacK
little and then rushed at me again:
had no weapon but the gold, SO again l
flung in to the hideous NAV enough 20
buy me home insNew Engiand l saw
him snap and swallow it. Again and
again was the attack repeated, ana as
often did I hurl gold into the sharks
it We're we're for the gold had unbalanced him,
settling in the forward part of Ehis body.
Then he writhed in agony and L had to
Keen lodging his furry, Then, with one
terrible sIudder, he sank to the bottom,
WeiahtedTdown by the gold, l tied line
a Me, him and then gave the signal to be
, nni,ad mn M Then helped hoist the shark
We cut'him open. Gentlemen, you must
t mI et the W, word of an exdiver that there
was was s45 GOO in him. Gold had killed
M Siience smeared itself all over the
ve Wanda The pale moon slid behind a
c sIl The amphitheater organ slowly
u 1roTe q, weird chunk of melody. The
oh;,,oas began to ring "Those were great
d da1 said Mr. Gaulin. sadly.