Evening journal., 1902-09-17
SOMR Fresh WATER
FIST Arb bad
The Alligator Jar Is Feared
By The Natives in The
Southern States

always been looked upon as about as
safe as any sport in the world, and the
fresh water fish has gone on record as
! harmless and nonresistant. But there
IRE instances now and then when the
fish turns the tables. The Inhabitants
he neighborhood of Lake George, an
inland water about three miles long
are almost superstitiously afraid of a
certain fish that inhabts that lake. No
one knows what sort of fish it is, and
opinion locally is divided as to whether
it is a giant muskellunge or a stur-
geon.
Spcarlng parties had now and then
reported seeing a very large fish with
)ut being able to strike it, but no one
gave credence to the tales until one
oight several years ago. when a party
Of sportsmen from Chicago went on the
AXE spearing in charge OF an old resi-
dent named Armstrong.
Armstrong was the only one that re-
turned to tell the story. He said the
party vas spearing in shallow water
when they saw an enormous fish that
fesembled an overgrovn pickerel. Two
Of the Chicago men were standing in
,he bow, and at first supposed the fish
20 be a log. Then one saw his mistake
and struck with all his might. The fish
gave a dart that made the boat jump
rs though n steam engine were pulling
it. If the man had let go of the spear,
all would have been well, but he hung
on, and the lsh gave a mighty flop to
right angles with the boat The man
still held to the spear, with the result
hat the boat capsized, and the men
'ound themselves standing in mud and
water UP to their waists.
The light went out when the boat up
,et. and, the night being dark and
cloudy. not one of the. party had any
dea of the direction to be pursued in
reaching shore. The shallow water oc-
cuples a large part of the lake, and
they could wander in any direction
without being able to tell whether or
not they were nearing shore. Arm
strong said afterward that nothing
could equal the awfulness of the eXpe-
rience that followed. They made their
way i'm one direction after another and
wandered round and round. going half
way to their knees in mud ct every
step
To make matters worse cold
steady, drizzlng rain began to fall
They were soon numb to the marrow
Then one of the sportsmen dropped
without word. and no one went TO his
help. Little by little the three that re
mained were separated. Armstrong
says he himself became unconscious
after a time and remembers moth
Ing that happened until lie was rouset
! by feeling solid ground beneath his
r feet and finding that the water wa'
more shallow than it had been. H'
kept on and fell upon the shore. Thei
: on hands and knees he crawled {,
Z camp and gave the alarm. Search wal
at once made for his companions. an'
K their bodies were recovered. Since tina
time the big fish with scar on hi
back has twice or thrice been seen b.
t spearing parties, but they have passe'
2 il by.
u There is one species Of fish in tn
Il south that IS feared only little les
than its salt water contemporary tn
shark. This is the alligator gar.
10 grows to enormous size and has a bi
hard and bony and much broader tha
the bill Of the common gar Of norther
= waters. One who goes out upon tn
lakes Of Louisiana and Arkansas wi
see them jumping and splashing lik
AZ enormous trout. Their usual food col
sists OF fish, and they not only mali
endless trouble for those who go fisl
'e ing with minnows, but have bee
known to round up and tear to piecI
w bass which the sportsman has hooke
Bathing in the lakes Is considered da
n. gerous.
ul A negro was sitting In the stern Of
is boat on a lake near Helena, Ark, Il
in ting his feet hang over the stern, VIII
q gar grabbed him by one leg. 4
,ul man hung to the boat until rescue
but his leg was horribly gashed. I
fish have been known to attack in Ii
os- manner negroes who went swimmi
ne in the Mississippi below New Orleal
ne One spring the writer was visiting
'NN rice plantation on the clover coast"
the Mississippi when an old Negro
,as came wailing to the house and said
dye-y year-old boy was dead. He b
been playing at the edge Of a bay
and was lying on the bank extendl
his arms into the water when a I
came with a rush and, grabbing
youngster by the arm, pulled him i
hat the water. A young negro with sf
'oic gun was standing near watching
ricebirds. He ran to the bank.
mao fish found it had undertaken a big
~ task than it could well manage, an
~ - p wild struggle was in progress betw
the gar and the dying child. The ne
shot the fish, but the child died bei
o, It could be taken from the water.-N
wis York Times.