The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-05
USED A SHARK As SENTINEL.
An Incident of Civu War Experience
AT the Dry TOrtugns.
From the Kansas CITY journal.


From the Kansas City Journal.
The recent ordering Of troops to the Dry
Iortugas, Florida, recalls a curious Incl
dent in which a boy prevented the escape
OF prisoners and performed a humanitarian
act which was greatly misunderstood at
the time and aroused no little comment in
tue press of the day.
Al the time mentioned the island Of Dry
Iortugas was used as a great prison, and
bounty Jumpers, deserters, aud prisoners
OF an classes were confined there TO the
number of several thousands
Inc island is but thirteen acres in extent,
surrounded by wide and deep moat
Whlch mace il almost Impossible for pris-
OII"fS 20 escape yet every time a vessel
came into the harbOr one or more men
would make the attempt. Obtaining ropes,
Lhey would lower themselves into the mOat
from d porthole swim across the ditch,
ana try to pass out the tide-gate despite
the TACT that sontries paced up and down
on every face ana kept watchful vigilance
WIN orders TO fire and call the guard.
several prisoners did escape The sharp
eyes OF the guards by swimming and dOdg-
ing under water when passing the senti-
mel. Reaching the tide gate they would
GIVE again, swim TO the channel, and in
me darkness, climb aboard the steamer ly-
ing there ana conceal themselves.
Eut all We're not successful. Several I'M
fortunate men dropped iulo the ditch from
the ropes and We're found drowned the fol-
lowing morning. The guards We're doubled
and everything done to prevent the at
tempted escapes; mol because there was
any danger of the men getting away as
the transports We're always searched, but
to prevent casualties.
Just then it happened that the surgeon
Of the post was making a study of the
sharks 4haVag hoe nd ono, do II
son suggested That they put a big man
eater in the moat Y here it could be
watche q. HIe said to Gen. Meigs, who was
stationd at Fort jefferson a that ttle
IL VIII prevent the men from swimming
the moat and so be the means of saving
their lives"
The proposition was put into immediate
effect. The surgeons SON. with the boys
of another officer went out fishing and
soon captured a shark which the surgeon S
twelve-oared barge lowed in shore, the
huge fish beating the water with its tail
and at one time taking the cutwater in
It's jaws aud shaking it as a cat would a
mouse.
Finally, after several hours of hard
work, and with the assistance of many
men, the shark which was at least thir-
teen feet in length, was hauled over the
TIDE bridge, the surgeons son cut out the
nook, and with a swirl of its big tail the
monster went dashing away
This shark was dubbed the provost mar
shall by the prisoners, and that 1t in
spired a wholesome dread in their minds
was soon evident. But it was a perfectly
harmless creature. 1t swan round and
round, very near the brick wall. with one
eye cast up pathetically. 1t presented a
formidable spectacle, moving slowly along
and no one dared enter the water, conse-
quently no casualties were reported. But
1t was not long before an article appeared
IN Northern paper calling attention to
the terrors of Dry Tortugus, where among
other tortures the Union officers used man
eater sharks to capture prisoners, and
so no little excitement was occasioned
among thoughtless readers in the North
and South at what was conceived to be a
brutality of the officers who had charge
of the Dry Tortugas prison.
Meanwhile the great shark in reality
a tmid and utterly demoralized creature
was swimming about, refusing the dain-
test morsels of fish which were offered
1t, hnally becoming so tame that II could
be touched by its boy captors. who fol.
lowed 1t about on RATS, while the natural
lst watched the method of swimming and
made many sketches Of it and the sing1i.
lar fishes which clung to its sides. The
shark lived six months, finally diving OF
starvation. It's jaws may now be seer
in the American Museum of Natural His.
tory, Central Park, New York city,