Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-31
THE LAY OF A nUNEFUL SHARK
FISH HAD MUSIC IN HIM AND IT
CAME OUT.
Tale Must Be So, for Honest Pat,
Bos'n Of the Veritas, Spun
the Yarn.

NEW YORK, March 31.-There was
much swapping of stories of the sea in
the New York navy yard yesterday. when
Bos'n Patrick Moriarity of the packet
clipper Veritas, plying between New Eng
land ports and Bermuda, visited old ship
mates with whom he served when in
Uncle Sans navy years ago.
Honest Pat. as his friends call him, put
into Gloucester with his ship when she
returned from southern waters last week,
and Immediately prepared for land voy-
age to visit old chums he had not seen
in years. They did not recognize him at
first, for his sturdy whiskers have grown
gray and he has long since exchanged
the uniform for the simpler duds of the
private sailor.
Yarn of an Old Salt.
I'VE hove to off st. Davids light, Ber-
muda," said the old salt "at shutdown one
day last February. It was too dark to
get into st. Georges that night, so we
settled down for a quiet evening.
Not long after eight bells. when we
were sitting around the deck. smoking
there suddenly sprang up strains of the
finest music any one would want to hear
AS there was an off-shore breeze, we sup
posed that We were listening to music
borne to us from some one on land
We sat up listening to the music until
lights were ordered out. All the crew
except the watch had just hit their hunks
when the music suddenly came close I'D
to the ship.
Capt. Olsen. who had been in his cabin
all the evening. chased up on deck and
ordered the watch to tell whoever was
playing to quit. 1t kept up, though, COM
ing first from one side of the ship, then
the other.
Excitement Aboard Ship.
by and by the captain came up fight
ing mad He bawled out to the mate to
muster all hands on deck. AS we all
stood there lined up in the dark, we
were treated to the finest concert ever
played.
"Old man Poulson, who is superstitious,
got scared. said something about mer-
maids and beat it below.
Sharks close to starboard" sang out
the watch. running up just then his face
all white. If it amt a shark, it's a
devil he said. for it's playing a piano
I'm jiffy We had shark hook over
the rail with some salt pork for bait.
No sooner had the line hit the water
than the music quit and there came an
awful tug.
I'VE threw the line around wind
lass. and in minute had the biggest
shark | ever saw sliding up over the
rail We killed him with a couple of digs
with the cooks carving knife.
But sure as I'm here, the creature
breathed his last to dying music.
What do you call this?' asked the
captain. kicking a big projection in the
sharks stomach
With that we cut the maneater open
Now. boys. l know you won't believe
me. but my names Honest Pat and my
ships the Veritas.
In that sharks stomach was a parlor
pianola with one of these perforated
paper records about mile long.
Poet Laureate Rhymes.
At this Benjamin r. Southworth. poet
laureate of the United States Navy, now
stationed in the New York navy yard
got busy and wrote the following:
SONG OF THE SHARK
i swim In the blue salt sea-
What comes is food to me:
Twas music full and fine
took with gulp of brine.
All. sad story.
Oh. s'Trovatore
For love Of mermaid Diana
swallowed "A grand -'pianna
And SWAIN round at night
ull OF music and friG.t-
III not forget, oh,
''Rigoletto.'
Now am hook d-ano.her blunder
Internal groan OF Wagners thunder:
iiauieh un on deck. with one fell stroke
they struck my head, ''panna' broke,
Then finis all.
Dead March i'm Saul
Honest Pat will carry a copy of the
verses back to his dearly beloved Veritas