The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-26
RIDE BNHIND A SEA DEVIL
AN ALL DAY BATTLE BETWEEN
 MEN AND 4 FISH.

Sea Monster Towed Fourteen Boats for
 Hours On the Texas COast--Did Not
 Give Up Till Dozn Bullets Had Been
 Fired Into It-Weighed Twenty-ve
 Hundred POunflds,
 The sea devil is in appearance like huge bat. Specimens have been cap- tured weighing 4,0O0 pounds.
 It fell to the lot of a party of twenty eight strong men to catch one of these sea monsters just off the coast of Texas recently One of those who took part in the contest was John w. Robbins of Austin, treasurer of the State of Texas. In describing the affair MT. Robbins said:
 The channel of Arkansas Pass: which connects Aransas Bay with the Gulf of Mexico, is a favorite tarpon fishing ground. The first knowledge that any of us who comprised the tar pon fishing fleet of two or three doz- en boats had that sea devil was anywhere around was the statement of Ed Cline, a veteran boatman, who told us when we. came in from our fishing one evening that he had seen the back of some monster fish come to the surface of the water of Aransas Pass that day.
 When we started for the tarpon fishing grounds next morning Cline carried with him two strong harpoons, each 9t9pbp6 +O 1 etro were fourteen boats in the feet In each boat were two men
 We had not been fishing long when saw the broad, glistening back of monster fish of some kind come to the surface of the water near me. I yelled to Cline and he hurried to the spot
 He was about to cast his harpoon into it when it suddenly sank beneath the surface, We watched the waters and in few minutes we saw the big fish come to the surface again short distance off,
 Cline approached cautiously within striking distance. He raised the har- poon and sent it with all his giant strength into the monster. One of the barbs caught under the backbone of the fish, we afterward found, makeing it impossible to dislodge it.
 "The harpoon had no sooner struck the fish than it sank and struck out tor the deeper waters of the Gulf. It car ried the boat along at a rapid rate
 The thirteen other boats struck out after 1t. The first boat to get within reach attached itself to the stern of Cline's boat by means of it's anchor and chain. My boatman got up to the second boat and we threw our anchor over into it and formed another link in the chain.
 Then came the other boats, which attached themselves to one another, and within an hour all fourteen boats were linked together and formed a long line lowed by the fish.
 How many miles we were taken in- to the Gulf I do not know. We expect ed every moment that the sea monster would begin to show fatigue and that its capture could then be made.
 For time We were unaware what kind of fish was giving us the re- markable ride. Finally it came to the surface for another brief moment and the head boatman got a good glimpse of it. He recognized it as being large speciemn of the sea devil.
 "This information was conveyed along the line of boats and we were more than ever to bring about its cap- ture. The fish got we'll out to sea and some of the men in the boats were in favor of quitting the sport. The spirit of adventure prevailing, how- ever, and we all resolved to see the thing through,
 Tt was 10 o'clock in the morning when the fun began. About Il o'clock | the fish made detour and started | back toward Aransas Pass. It travell- ed at the rate of fifive miles an hour. The monster did not slacken it's speed | when 1t reached the channel connect ing the bay with the Gulf, but it made | another turn and again went seaward, | dragging the long line of boats behind. |
 Some idea of the strength and en- durance of the sea devil may be had | when it is stated that it kept up this | travelling back and forth for more than four hours. It circled around and around, and at times 1t kept us busy preventing the boats from getting | fin a tangle.
 What was most feared was that it | would come up under the boats and l capsize them. The forward boatman | hand another harpoon and he de- | termined to drive it into the fish's | body. He finally got the opportunity