Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-09
THE FIELD OF ADV VENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR.
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

Jaws or Shurk-SaVaSc COM
bat With Panthers.
r L was while cruising about off the
east coast OF North Carolina that
l first made the acquaintance Of
z Mark Dare, one of the best known
divers for miles around, writes "Sail.
or Lad' in the Detroit Free Press.
He was a man Of some seventy-two
years when l first met HIM, but one
would have set him down at not more
than fifty.fve to look at him. Tall,
straight rs stick, of powerful build,
and with q face denoting in every
lineament the daring fearlessness of
his nature, he was man calculated to
inspire admiration wherever he went.
He was rs full of stories ns one OF
the tallest buildings in New York City,
and nothing pleased him better than
to rela1e his experiences to an ntten.
tive listener. Among other yarns, he
spun to me the following adventure,
which, he stated, was tho narrowsst
escape he had ever had from death:
1t seems the Atlanta, one OF the
finest costing vessels on the coast of
North Carolina and Georgia, was cap.
sized by squall on the 22d OF Sep
tember, 1858, and sank just inside the
bar, near the little town of Morehead.
The owners of the craft contracted
with diving company to have her
raised and to recover as much OF her
cargo as was still serviceable.
No,l, norn aud ono{kor ,J;uov xuara
engaged to do the work. They made
several successful descents, but ON the
fourth trip Mark met with the adven.
ture of which spoke.
His comrade signalled hastily to be
drawn up, and when he had been
hauled into the boat he related how
Dare had been seized by huge white
shark and carried of. But scarcely
had he done speaking when Mark rose
from the water fifty yards from the
boat, and was picked up insensible,
with several ragged holes punched in
the metallic part OF his diving suit.
Means were successfully adopted to
bring him round, and, when he had
sufficiently recovered, he told of his
thrilling experience.
las you know" said he, "we had
made our fourth descent. and while
my companion clambered into the sub.
merged vessel, l waited on the ground
till he should attach the cords to draw
something out. I was about to signal
to be drawn up for moments rest,
when l noticed shadowy body NOV.
ing at some distance above my head
and toward me.
'In moment every fish had disap.
peared as if by magic; the very crus.
taceans themselves lay still upon the
sand, and the scuttle fish scurried
away as fast as they could.
81 was not thinking of danger, and
my first thought was that it was tho
shadow OF Il passing boat. But sud-
denly feeling of terror seized me, I
felt impelled to flee from something l
knew not what. A vague horror seemed
grasping after me, such as a child
fancies when leaving darkened room.
"By this time the shadow had come
nearer and taken shape. 1t scarcely
needed glance to show me that it was
a man eater, and of the largest size.
"Hnd I signaled to be drawn up
then, it would have been certain death.
All could do was to remain still un.
til it left. 1t lay off twenty or twenty
five feet, just outside the rigging of
the ship, its body motionless. its fins
barely stirring the water about its
gills.
81 was sure that the fish was thirty
feet long, and so near that I could see
its double row OF white teeth. Invol-
unfairly l shrunk closer to the side of
the wreck. But my first movement
betrayed my presence!
II saw the shining eyes fixed upon
me. Its tail quivered, and then it
darted ut me like streak Of lighting.
l shrank still closer to the side of the
ship.
IL saw it turn on one side, it's mouth
open. and heard the teeth snap vicl.
ously rs 1t darted past me. 1t had
missed me, but only for moment.
The sweep OF it's great tail had thrown
me forward.
'The shark turned, balanced itself,
and, with quivcrin2 tail, it darted at
me again. There was no escape this
time. 1t turned on it's back as it
swooped down on me like hawk on q
sparrow.
1.-THE cavernous jaws opened, and
the long, shining teeth grated rs they
closed on my metal harness. 1t had
me! I could feel those sharp teeth
grinding upon my copper breastplate
as it tried to bite me in two; for, for.
tunately, it had caught me just across
the middle, where 1 was est pro-
tected.
Having seized me, the man.eater
went tearing through the water. I
could feel it bound forward at every
stroke of its tail. Had it not been for
my copper helmet, my head would
have been torn off by the rush through
the water.
~ was perfectly conscious, but
somehow felt no terror at all. There
seemed only n feeling OF numbness. l
wondered how long it would he before
those teeth would crunch through,
and whether they would strike first in
to my back or my breast.
"All these thoughts passed through
my brain in an instant, but in that
time the connecting alr tube had been
snapped and my head appeared ready
to burst with pressure, while the mon
ster's teeth kept crunching, crunching
away upon my harness.
"Tben felt the cold water begin
to pour in, and heard the bubble. bub.
ble, bubble, as the air escaped into
the sharks mouth.
81 began to hear great guns, and to
see fireworks and rainbows and sun.
shine, and all kinds of pretty things.
Then I thought was floating away on
rosy summer cloud, dreaming to the
sounds of sweet music, which every
moment became fainter and fainter,
until only low hum reached me.
Then all became blank.
"The shark might have eaten me
then at his leisure, and l never would
hara hoan Tho visor Whotaver in