The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-04
BIGGEST OF CAPTIVE SHARKS
DWELLS WITH A NEW TURTLE
IN THE BATTERY AQUARIUM.

It's Nine-Footer and weighs 500 Pounds
Its Tank Mate q Leatherback ana
Hundred Pounds Lighter-BOth
Caught by Fishermen Near New York.
Fish stories from the Aquarium, unless
vised by an official OF the NewYork Zoologi-
cal Society, are usually received at the Ship
News Office with the same faith that is
placed in rumors from Chefoo. So, when
Battery boatman breathlessly told the
ultramarines yesterday that a 1000 pound
turtle and seventeen-foot shark In the
main tank of the Aquarium were in
deadly combat. there was disposition TO
sooff and refer to sea serpent rumors OF the
past that had not PANIED out
The boatman talked with such earnest
ness, however, that he broke up the poker
game, and the whole combination, startling
the Battery cops by its unwonted activity,
headed for the Aquarium. The boatman
fred his deadliest shaft as the ultramarines
hurried off. He said that the shark had
grabbed the sea turtle by the tall that the
turtle had returned the compliment. and
that the spray from the combatants as
they looped the loop was worse than that
OF the fountain at City Hall park on gusty
day.
Everything was found to be peaceful
at the Aquarium. There was big crowd
around the main tank and in the tank
looking as serene as if they had been brought
up there together, were the sea turtle, a
fine big, healthy looking leatherback, and
an enormous and agile sand shark nine
feet long by official measurement.
The shark was not bothering the big
leatherback, and the latter did not seem to
care anything about the existence Of the
shark. The expert who has charge OF the
big and little fishes and the mammals Of
the AQUARIUM said that he believed that
if a baby should fall into the big tank the
sand shark would be more frightened than
the infant. If it got very hungry the shark
might tackle some of the two and three
foot sand sharks in the tank, but it would
hardly try to eat leatherback.
There never had been shark so large in
any aquarium, the expert said. and II the
great creature had not been almost in
state of coma when 1t was brought up from
the lower bay. just this side OF Sandy Hook
1t might never have been on exhibition;
One slap of its powerful and elusive tail
would be enough to knock down even
man as steady on his pins as the giant
Jeffries.
That the expert said, was the only thing
he feared about the big shark 1t has no
fee from man swifter than coyote would,
and it did not like anything except dead
fesh anyhow. Nevertheless, it was a great
acquisition, and, with the turtle. made the
line anywhere in the world. All the fish
exhibits at the st. Louis Exposition, the
expert said, were mere side shows com
pared with the New York Geological So
ciety's exhibition.
The big shark was caught on Friday
morning In a pound net by fisherman
named Schmoor While pursuing fish 1t
became entangled in the net. which 1t
broke In many places in its effort to release
itself The fisherman thought at first. from
little less than whale. After it had wearied
itself into condition Of comparative calm
ness the fishermen who use beamy naphtha
launches nowadays. lassoed the big creature
fore and aft with hawsers and dragged 1t
ashore.
They saw that there was money in
80 large a fish and decided to take it to the
Aquarium. They put 1t in scow previously
filled with water, and, after making the
shark fast, put the scow athwart the wide
launch and headed for the Battery. They
were forced to 60 slowly, as the shark
weighs nearly 500 pounds, and they did not
know when 1t might revive bit and try
to switch its tail.
1t took the fishermen five hours to get to
the back door Of the Aquarium and they
found there eight men ready to receive
the shark The Aquarium expert thought
when he first looked at the creature that 1t
was dead. But its tail moved slowly
few times and then the eight men forced
a piece Of canvas under it and lifted 1t to
the pier They carried 1t into the Aquarium
and let it slide from the canvas into the big
tank
For more than an hour 1t lay 30 still that
there was an impression that 1t was dead
But when the Aquarium folks came around
yesterday morning they found that the
shark had done likewise. 1t sized about
the big pool like an auto boat striving for
record. but 1t did not modest the big leather
back. which had been dumped into the pool
while the shark was recovering its wits
Being somewhat Of an amphibian the
leatherback was not much incommoded by
its long absence from the sea 1t was caught
few days ago Of Bay Head, N. j., by men
who were hauling a seine. 1t Is n 400 FOUNDER
and Is about five feet long from nos" to
tail Measured across It's powerful fippers
the expert said that it had beam Of nearly
seven feet. In swimming contest It
might prove almost as swift as the shark.
but 1t would not be much in a land race.