The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-16
RENEAR
ON SHARKS
Dan Discusses Ways
of the Hawaiian
Selachians.

did I ever hear of a person being
bitten by a shark?'' repeated Danksl
B. Renear of Honolulu, a famous swim
mer, who cande to this city a short
time ago to attend the national swim
ming championship contests held at
Travers Island. Never, and what is
more, I don't believe a shark will
tackle a human being
II think I ought to be in a position
to know, for the waters around the
Sandwich Islands are alive with sharks.
Big ones. too, running anywhere from
fifteen to twenty feet in length, and
most of them of the so-called man
eating type.
Il have been swimming around the
islands for a good many years, lots of
times a good way from shore, and a
shark has never yet made any attempt
to bother me, nor have I ever heard of
one attacking a native. Not that the
sharks haven't been in our neighbor-
hood for it's common thing to see
the fin of q big fellow cutting through
the water as he noses around after
something to eat. maybe not fifty yards
away.
las matter of fact, there is no
more timid or cowardly fish than a
shark, and I think nothing will prove
this better than to fish for them. We
aff Sho
launch, say, twenty-five or thirty feet
in length. A smaller craft would be
unsafe, for the big fish might turn it
over, and then one would have some
trouble to reach shore on account of
the long swim.
Getting a dead horse. we tow the
carcass to a point about three miles
from land, release it, and then back
away to distance of a hundred feet.
We do this because if we stayed close
by the sharks would be afraid to APP
proach the horse. The water is of the
utmost clearness, and one can easily
see down to a depth of fifty feet or
more.
after wait of fifteen minutes or
so, green, shapeless objects, apparently
about a yard in length, are seen about
underneath the horse. These are the
sharks gathering to investigate.
SLOWLY they circle around at that
depth. Then they rise higher and high
er, all the time getting larger and
larger. They can see the horse, but
they are not sure whether it is safe
to tackle it or not. Cautiously they
come nearer and nearer but all the
fn alya och he
depths if the strange object shows any
sign of life or any movement.
Finally one big fellow will come
within two feet of the horse and swim
slowly around the carcass under the
water, not yet convinced that all is
well. Then, growing holder, he will
swim under the body and rub it with
his back.
This last move seems to satisfy the
shark that nothing is to be feared, and
then, turning over on his back, he will
open his great jaws and bring his sharp
teeth together with quick snap that
will remove a piece of the horse the
size of mans body.
"And then the fun begins.
From the deep water below shoot a
half dozen comrades equally large. All
caution disappears. There is nothing
to be afraid of and the sharks begin
heir feast. And one can now see how
we'll grounded is the saying of greedy
is a shark The great fish tear at
he carcass just as a school of min
lows tear a piece of food that has been |
thrown to them.
1.-The water is dashed into a foam |
is the big fellows snap and whirl and |
grab for the horse. Out of the water |
he huge tails thrash wildly as the |
sharks endeavor to get a choice morsel. |
While this mad feast is at its |
height all timidity seems to leave the |
harks. And then, unnoticed, we drive I
he launch right into the center of the |
lighting bunch,
with a lance fastened to twelve |
DOT pole member of the party stands
n the bow waiting for one of the |
hanks to turn. A lance won't pene- |
rate the tough skin on the back. AS |
he shark turns for another bite the
White underside comes into view, and |
hen the lanceman sinks the sharp
oint deep into the sea-tiger's vitals.
That's about all there is to it, for
he fish soon dies, and then he starts
O sink, half turned over, his tail
aebly moving. AS soon as the other
hanks discover his disabled condition
hey fiercely pounce upon him and he
; eaten before he has gone down fifty
eet.
I'VE also carry rifles and shoot the
hanks as they tear the horse to pieces. |
he wounded sharks all share the
anne fate, for below the surface there
aem to be waiting dozens of other
marks, who eagerly rise to meet the
mixing body of the disabled shark as
e vainly tries to recover his equilib-
UNI.
Il have been on dozens of shark
shing expeditions. Each time the
larlzs have approached the dead horse
the very same way. 1 am sure they |
ont attack anything that is moving
a man should fall overheard, or {
lould be swimming a good distance ii
ON shore, there wouldn't be any dan Ii
II as long as he kept in motion. The 1t
lark might follow him, but he would
ways keep at a safe distance so that
could easily escape.
.sNatiyeS there think nothing of