The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-06-22
BAT TIE IN
THE SURF
Fight to the Death by
Sea Denizens.
MONSTER EEL THE VICTOR
Fishermen Report a Fearful ESper-
fence of Diamond Head
Yesterday.

A report comes from Waikiki to the
following effect; Early yesterday morn
ing two fishermen in a native canoe
were pursuing their calling in the
shoal water OF the coral reef near Dia-
mond Head. They had fished long and
caught nothing and were on the point
of winding up their tackle and return
ing homeward when a strange thing
happened.
The water near where they were
moored suddenly became agitated; so
much so. In fact, as to cause the fisher
mans craft to roll unpeasantly.
Peering into the water to ascertain
the cause of the disturbance, the two
natives saw singular sight. 4 huge
eel of the conger variety and ham,
merhead shark, which had apparently
by some strange mischance, drifted into
the domains of the sinuous monster,
were engaged in mortal combat
Which was the attacker and which
the attacked 1t is impossible to say but
when observed the eel had coiled him
self round the selachian's anatomy in
an evident effort to squeeze the life out
of him, while the hammer-headed one
by frenzied rushes back and forth
among the coral was endeavoring to re-
lieve himself from the incubus who was
so pressing in his unwelcome atten-
lions.
At last the shark, mortally hurt, gave
up the fight and the eel slowly unwound
himself from the body of his fast-ex-
piring antagonist.
At this juncture the two fishermen,
tempted by the prospects of unlimited
fresh meat, decided to make an effort
to capture the big conger.
Moving the canoe as near their in
tended quarry as was possible without
frightening it, one of the men delivered
a weu-directed spear thrust which
landed half pound of iron and several
inches of seasoned wooden shaft right
in the vltals of the mass of squirmiug
grey flesh.
The effect was magical and almost
tragical. To the great CONSERVATION OIL
the fishermen, the eel on feeling the
prick of the spear-point made q light
ning-nke rush to the surface, jumped
fun ten feet into the air and fell back
into the canoe, the occupants of which
were by this time thoroughly terrified.
once in the boat, which had by this
time drlfted into deep water, the infuri-
ated monster kept the fishermen busy
avoiding his vicious attacks; time and
time a"ain did his bristling jaws close
with fearsome snap in unpleasant pros
Unity to their arms and legs. With
eyes flashing angrily and name erect
emitting the while a hoarse kind of
bark. the denizen of the depths looked
the incarnaIlon of all that is evil and
unloVely.
Just as things were looking at their
worst for the two natives, help arrived
In the shape of canoe, containing an
other fisherman. who, seeming the bat
tie from affair." had t...en the precaution
of arming himself with a meat-aXe.
Arrived on the scene he made short
work OF the fighting conger, and, put
ting half the Jody in each canoe, the
party made for shore.
The two pieces of the carcass, on be-
ing placed together measured twenty
seven feet and the circumference was
in places as great as that of a grown
mans thigh.
Inside the belly of the fish were dis
covered a small tin of opium, some
shellfish, and the partly digested re-
mains of a lar"e cat
This is the largest specimen Of the eel
genus known to have been met with in |
the history of the Islands.
Hawaiian myths tell of sea-snakes of |
incredulous dimensions and according |
to at least one legend gigantic ser |
pent has his home under the Island |
of Maui; these are, however, but old |
wives stories. and their flavor, as |
would have put 1t, is IAN |
cient and fishlike."