The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-20
FIGHT WITH SHARK
EXCITING STRUGGLE WITH HUcE
ISURIEL IN HAVANA
HARBOR
BIG FISH GAME TO THE LAST
President of Observation-Disclosures
periodic Fishing Club Adds An
other Medal to His String
by Telling the Story.
New York Sun.

| New York Sum-
| Fishing for the leaping tuna with a.
tWenty-one ounce rod and being towed
out to sea by 3S4-pound bass may be
excellent sport, but it's not one two.
three compared with the excitement and
| sport obtained by fishing for sharks
| from small Cuban rowboat." remarked
the president of the Non-Alcohol-N Nom
| Hypobolical Fishing club when the mem
per with the medals had told how he won
| the tuna prize.
No one having made any audible OBJ
lection, the president ordered a round of
I settler lemonade, and proceeded to reel
| off his yarn.
| I don't know if any of you fellows are
aware that [ spent part of last winter In
| Cuba travelling about the island, but re-
manning most of the time in Havana,
| where the greater portion of my business
called me. Now, Havana is not a par
ticularly lively place, and after a few
days, during which everything that is
worth while being seen has been taken
In, you commence to wonder what you
are going to do. That is just what hap
pened to me after 1 had spent the first
week and seen everything from the Moro
to Maxine Gomez.
AT Havana I picked up an acquain-
lance with little Cuban, who is a ma
jor in. the Cuban army. One afternoon
the comandante--I always called him by
his title as he seemed to like it, and it
came much easier than remembering his
name-suddenly asked me if I liked fish
ing. Then he wanted to know If I would
like to go out on the following morning
after red snappers. 1 jumped at the
chance, and We engaged a fisherman
named Pedro to take US. After we had
made our arrangements Pedro asked me
how would enjoy fishing for a shark
After moments hesitation replied that
I preferred fishing for red snappers but
that he might take along the lines and
bait for shark fishing and would think
the matter over
:" Do you really intend to fish for
shark?' the comandante asked as soon
as we had left Pedro. There was some
thing in his manner that warned me to
answer in the negative, or that otherwise
would have to do without my faithful
companion.
ct am glad of that replied the CONAN
dante, for it would have been a pretty
risky business. Those fishing boats are
pretty small affairs
The next morning at o'clock the SER
want awoke me, and planting a cup of
coffee on the table at the head of the
bed, Informed me that the senior CONAN
dante would be ready in fifteen minutes
L lost no time in getting out of bed and
In swallowing my cup of coffee. That
Cuban custom of taking coffee the first
crack out of the box in the morning is a
, funny one, but you have no idea how
good 1t tastes after you become used to
its strong effects.
we round Pedro waiting for us. His
boat, small affair about twelve feet
long and painted a dirty green color. was
moored to the wharf. Pedro was accom-
panied by another man about fifty, whose
Weather-oeaten features showed that he
mad spent more than one year on Cuba
coast. together the men hoisted the san
and the clumsy boat began to move slow
ly through the water.
The morning sun was an ideal one The
Hrst rays of the rising sun were inst
coming over the grand old Moro and
playing on the small ripples of the dark
DUG, water. No one who has not seen the
Wonaerful indigo effect of tie Cuban wa
ters can imagine the beautiful picture
which unfurled itself before nv ewes az
we crept out of the bay, past the Moro
and down the paln1-dotted beach.
I'VE went nine miles from the civ To
place known as Sharks Fin. Accord
Ing to Pedro the water there was alive
| with snappers, as well as sharks, and
| aHorded excellent sport, but the chief DIFF
| Hculty lay In the meager possibility of
| land1ng your prize, as the sharks gener-
| ally managed to yank the snapper off the
hook before you could haul it into the
| boat. Even as the boat swung around in
| the current and before we had cast our
lines. couple of fins passed close to US
| as lively clip. They were monsters.
and the rush of the water as they rolled
about BODIED i'll for anything that came
| in Inir
| br1gadiers. the name given to them bv
the Cuban fishermen, had disappeared
before casting our lines, but when we
! dld we were amply repaid for our jour
ney- The commandante was the first to
! land fish, which he did in excellent
style, hauling out a fve-p pound snapper.
In less than fifteen minutes we had seven
! excellent fish; then we heard from the
brigadiers.
1 had splendid bite, and, after mo-
| ments wait, l managed to hook a fish
which. judging by It's weight must have
been beauty. The line whfstled on the
spoke a good prize. A rush, halt an
! other rush and I started to pull the
| beauty, toward the boat. Forty feet
away | caught a glimpse of the snaDner
! as it came to the SUFFICE, then suddenly
the water boiled on my left dark fin
cut the surface, Pedro yelled, there was
a moments struggle at the end of the
line and 1 reeled it in minus my hook,
fish and a1I-the brigadier had made a
clear and first score.
Il liked my line and made ready for
another cast. Almost Immediately I
hooked my fish, but unlike the first time
the shark did not allow me to play nv.
catch. A vicious pull, which almost jerk
ed the rod out of my hand, followed by
Tagging line told me that this snapper
had followed its predecessor
1T cut me to the quick to lose fish in
this manner, especially as Pedro kept
pulling them in almost as fast as he
could bait his hook. L made up my
mind to try once more, but just as I
was about to heave the line an enormous
, shark with pair of eyes, which looked
like billiard balls, began to circle about
the boat. AS he swan he occasionally
turned over showing his white belly and
nounced my intention of trying to catch
him and we at once hauled in the lines
cleared everything out of the way, I'M
stepped the mast and made ready for the
coming fight. The hook was baited with
a nine-pound cherna and everything now
being ready dropped the line overheard
with a great splash. Pedro and his aid
picked up the oars and padded gently
along toward the city.
1.-THE hook was a big one and was made
fast to five feet of chain, which in turn
was fastened to stout line. This last
was coiled up in the bow of the boat so
that it would pay out rapidly and smooth
ly. The gaff was a small affair, such as
one would use for large bass but it
was made fast to a ten-foot pole The
weapon which really plays the important
part is the spear. This Is made with
file eighteen inches long, sharpened half
its length into raZor-llke edges. This is
affixed to stout handle about eight feet
long.
movement from the rowers attiActed my
attention.