The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-15
CATCHING A GIGANTIC SHARK.
IOn Hook and Line for Hours. and Yielded to VolIey of Bullets.

Recehtly Harry r. CndnDerlaln ol Warwick, Orange County, N. Y ar 1 rived in Mexico by steamer to visit his friends and associate H. H. Warner of New York. MT Warner has been resid- ling here for several months for the pleasures of the climate and city. He and MT. Chamberlain have a suite of apartments at the Gillow Hotel.
 When Mir. Chamberlain arrived on the shore of Mexico he had an adventure such as not one out of 800 visitors ever has
 MT. Chamberlain is an ardent sports man, and is especially skilled in angling for trout and other game fish. He is i also a fine shot. When his steamer ar rived in the Harbor of Progreso he had an opportunity to exercise his skill as an angler and sharp-shooter in aenovel and most exciting manner Mir. Chamberlain said in arecent interview.
 When I first saw the beautiful blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico in this lharbor I was reminded of the Mediter- Iranean Sea. When the steamer is in l Progreso one does not notice the water so much, but these color depths at Pro- greso were in such marked contrast with the black and foul waters of Havana Harbor that they at once ar lrested my attention, While the ship Twas unloading part of it's cargo I ob- lserved that there was something else lin the water besides it's charming color, to wit. great number of those terrible monsters, the man-eating shaks, l dis lowered later that the terrible was not tmisapplied.
 Seeing these big fellows, with their linseparable companions, the pilot fish, Swimming around so boldly within ten yards of the vessel, aroused my sport ling blood and determined to make an lattempt to capture one formed my tplans and with the cooperation of the
 ships officers. secured a long line of ESisal, about the thickness of an ordi-
 nary clotheslonH. To the end of 1t att tached about five efeet of strong wire.
 There was no shark hooks on the Isteamer, but secured the largest hook lat hand and attached 1t to the end of Ithe wire. I was baited with two pounds Eof salt pork. This was thrown over- Iboard and allowed to float on the sur- face of the water within 200 feet of the lship, where the Sharks could not fail to lsee it.
 Tt was most exasperating and at the same time pleasurably exciting to stand lhour after hour and see these huge Eman-eaters sail round and round the
 floating bait. snapping up pieces of
 wood and other floating objects with
 lin few feet of it, but apparently in different to or unsconcious of the sweet
 morsel For an entire day they never touched that pork. I though, however,
 lat night that, like human beings who
 do not like or are forbidden to touch lcertain articles of food, that desire and hunger would iYi the end overcome their tastes and scruples and that the morsel would be swallowed. The next morning the baited hook was again thrown over lboad. Not five minutes had passed be- lfore the nose Of a big shark arose far labove the surface of the water and dropped down, seizing the pork in it's huge and grotesque mouth, which is liar back from the end of the nose.
 Then the marine hyena sank out of tsight, dragging it swiftly after them. As soon as this fact became known to the passengers there was wild Iexcitement on board. They came rush. ling from their state rooms in pajamas, Inightshirts, and all forms of deshabille, Itheir eyes bright with excitement and Itheir mouths full of advice as to the best methods of landing the big terror lof the seas.
 T had wrestled with too many big Itrout, muscallonge and bluefish to feel Imuch anxiety as to the end, but tell lyou that great, fierce, powerful shark taught me a lesson that will last a life- ltime. From the first pulll knew the lhook was well fixed. It acted just like a trout, dashing to the right and left;
 making a far-off rush, leaping out ot
 the water, plunging down into the ldepths. The precipitation rolled dowr my cheeks and my arms ached. In the meantime scores of passengers were offering all sorts of firearms in a favor the shark when 1t appeared in la favor able position on the surface. After two hours of the hardest work and the mos skillful maneuvering ever did in my life, the shark slowly rose to the sur face. I was about played out. An En glishman, who was going to Mexico tt hunt big game, rendered me a heavy calibred rifle loaded with explosive bull