Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-09-02
SHARKS BIG AS WHALES,
MARINE MONSTERS THAT INHABIT
THE INDIAN OCEAN.
Some are Seventy Feet Long-So
Powerful They Easily Drag Boats
Beneath the Waters Surface.

Beneath the Waters Surface
q ONE years ago, said an ex. Con
~ sui to one of the Indian oceaI
| 4 ports to n reporter of tn,
Philadelphia ETimes, I spent
nearly year ON the Island of Mauri
titus, making a study of the natural
products of the country for CONNER
cial firm in London, and, incidentally,
OF the animals for q society of which
L was member. Among other
things investigated was the fishing,
and l soon learned that there was an
extraordinary swordfsh, known as the
sailfish, on the coast, which was sup
posed to be very dangerous, and when
attacked often turned on the boat and
destroyed it.
AS one of the risks of the country |
looked into it and found that there
were at least two or three accidents
| yearly in which no one returned TO
to tell the story. But I soon made
up my mind that the swordfsh had
nothing to do with it, fact which I
proved in singular and unexpected
way. l hired n boat, or a pirogue,
one day, with half a dozen men, to 90
on hunt for a sailfsh. l discarded
their crude methods and took regu
lar harpoon, with good stout rope
for towing and n lleg to throw over,
after the fashion of the New England
| fishermen.
Once in the ofling, beyond the reef
| that was garden in its beauty of
coral growth, one of the men pointed
away on the horizon, where he said he
saw sailtish. The boat was turned
in the direction indicated and
soon L observed what appeared to be
beautiful sail. The nearer we ap.
preached the more charming it became
in its coloring; rich yellows, greens
and purples combined to make it a
magnificent picture, and I could think
only of a mimic and diminutive galley
of Cleopatra, where all the sails were
rich in coloring.
The fin was so tall and large that
from a little distance 1t seemed ex.
actly like the small sail of vessel.
and qulvered and scintillated as the
fish moved along. The fish paid little
or no attention to the boat, SO that it
was an easy matter to run alongside.
A few minutes later we had the har-
poon in it, and it was towing the BUOY
away over the water, exactly as does
the American swordfsh. 1t was ulti-
mately captured in the same man
ner.
then set the sail and we went four
or five miles out to sea to a certain
reef to try the fishing. While there
the men suddenly became very much
excited at the sight of the fin of
large fish coming near the boat. Some
OF them wanted me to strike it, others
were vociferous In their demand that
we should pull for the shore, but in
my sublime confidence, the result of
perfect ignorance, 1 ordered the
anchor pulled up and we rowed to-
ward the fish. 1t permitted us to yun
alongside, as whale would, and when
almost over 1t the harpoon was
thrown.
have had a somewhat extended ex-
perience with large fishes and have
even been behind a seventy-foot
whale, but the result of this strike
surprised me. Immediately an enor-
nous tail and body rose into the air,
by miracle missing the boat, the tail
coming down with such force that had
it struck the light craft it would have
broken it into splinters.
The same moment the animal
sounded with such impetuosity that
the bow of the boat was jerled under
water, and when thesrope broke, as it
fortunately did, we hoated half full OF
water, which was with difficulty bailed
out. One old native in the crew said
that we had had fortunate escape, as
had the line held we should have been
hauled beneath the surface as it
fouled. Such result was very appar-
ent, and L saw at once the cause of the
mysterious losses.
This fish was so powerful that with
comparative ease it could drag large
boat beneath the surface in case the
lines fouled and were strong enough.
Several of the natives told me of Incl
dents illustrating the remarkable
power OF the fish, and some of them
had been in boats or canoes that had
been ierked beneath the surface and
had made their escape by the breaking
of the rope.
The fish was undoubtedly the larg.
est shark in the world, spotted mar
bled monster that weighed almost as
much as large whale and attained a
length of seventy or more feet. 1t
was singular creature, with mouth
not placed beneath the head, as in the
man-eeter, and with enormous gill
openings. Its teeth were small and
1T had series of whalebone. like
fingers in them, calling to mind the
bone shark of American waters.
This shark, rhinodon typicus, as it
is called by science, is we'll known at
the Seychelles Islands, where the pi-
rogues OF the natives are often de-
stroyed by it. 1t is often mistaken for
whale and harpooned, when its light