The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-09
SOLDIERS CATCH SHARKS.
Southern Waters Alive With Man
Eaters, But They Are Easy Prey.

| Key West, June 9.-Sharl hunting has
| become favorite sport among the men in
| the fleet and on the dispatch boats. The
| southern waters are alive with the mon
! sters, and they are the boldest, hungriest
| kind Of man-eaters at that. The sailor
| man, from the north usually laughs at
bV the sailor NAM m9 bred ne in southern
waters, but the northern man does not
| joins in the general stampede to quarters
and gets as much excited as the natives
Barring a nightmare. it would be diff
| ficult to imagine more hideOuS looking
the Caribbean sea as he comes gliding
along through the clear water and pokes
the water is quiet and the sun is shining
he can be seen many feet down in the
| more hideous he looks. Few stories told
about the greed and villafny of the south
as black as he has been painted There
are many hours, many days in fact, when
boats drift almost motionless in the quiet
water. 1t is at these times that the
Uncle SANS biuejackets. The thorough
bred sailor hates him.
the coasts of Cuba are unusually bold and
ferocious, and the sailors say it is because
feed on human flesh. Havana harbor is
swarming with ravenous sharks, and the
because of the number of human bodies
which have, been tossed out to them from
Here is a story of the experience the
crew of a dispatch boat had with the man
along the north coast of Cuba last week.
The boat had been drifting for hours. The
that an object fifty feet down could be
seen. Three of the sailors had been low
cred in one of the small boats, and were
painting the sides of the ship. Suddenly
the men on deck were startled by an out
cry from the sailors in the boat. Circling,
not ten yards from the small boat, was a
shark. Round and round he SWAN. each
aiVlCr to
occasionally lifting his head above the
ec to tb snaR a at bae5 TUT 0 OF or
from the ship. Gliding along, just above
his nose, were three pilot fish, which are
Each time as the shark circled closer
to the small boat the sailors became more
frantic with rage and alarm. One of the
negro sailors on deck nearly had hys-
terics. Captain Miller of the dispatch
boat Wanda had been watching and, call
ing to the cook to bring him the carving
knife, told the sailors to throw, out small
bits of biscuit to the shark and keep him
close to the boat The cook came run
ming with the knife and the captain dashed
it to the end of a pike pole. Then, get
ting down into the boat, he waited until
the shark lifted its head neal, the boat
and, raising the pole above his head.
plunged the knife deep into the sharks
ennred over OF on his baek and for fy
feet or more could be seen writhing and
tom b ss plot a g6g q not to the bot
In les than ten minutes another shark.
larger than the first. came up. and receiv-
There is little satisfaction in shooting a
shark. Three 4-caliber bullets were fired
into one from of the battleshps, and
after the third shot the shark SWAIN back
after more refuse meat that had been
thrown after him.
Nearly all the battleships and gunboats
are equipped with shark hooks. but the
most original apparatus for killing the
man-eaters is used by one of the gunboats
blockading. Havana harbor. This boat
has small electric battery, with a long
wire attached to it, and small Dynamite
cartridges are attached TO the end of the
wire A piece of fresh nork fo
the cartridge and thrown overheard to the
shark. After he has swallowed the pork
and dynamite the electric current is turn
ed on, exploding the dynamite and blow
ing the shark to pieces