The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-06-16
ATTACKED BY SHARKS
A Whales Terrific Battle With a
School OF Thrashers.
AN AWE INSPIRING CONTEST.

Fsrocious AssaiIants.
Early one morning while engaged in
building new quarters for the light
house keeper ut Breaksea island. near
Rottnest. Western Australia. the con-
tractor and his men noticed a bull
whale. with a COW and calf, passing
the island some distance off. They
watched them with interest for awhile
noting the immense size of the two
parents and the methodical regularity
with which columns of water rose
from their blowholes and then resum-
ed their labors.
An hour or so later-about 8 o'clock,
to be cxact-the men were startled by
an extraordinary noise. apparently
coming from the eastern end of the is
land. noise unlike anything they had
ever heard before Dropping their
tools and staring toward the east.
they beheld such sight as it falls to
the lot Of few people to witness.
There. not 500 yards from the shore,
Ve'o pSih6 "oSCu u Duttle W Iue utittu
"A fight between the great COW whale
previously seen and school of thrash
er sharks. The calf was swimming
about distractedly. but the old bull
had disappeared. having basely desert
ed his family at the first approach of
danger
The sharks. as though acting in &C.
cordance with some preconcerted plan.
had completely surrounded the two
whales and apparently realizing that
nothing was to be feared from the
calf, concentrated all their efforts upon
the COW. Again and again they charg-
ed In Upon her. their Jaws swapping,
tearing at her mighty sides until the
sea was red with blood. Meanwhile
the COW dashed her tail furiously, hurl-
ing up sheets of Redeemed water and
occasionally crashing down with ter
rifle force upon one of her voracious
opponents. Maddened with pain and
rage, she dashed this way and that.
but the sharks hung to her side with a
persistency and ferocity that made the
fascinated onlookers shudder Now
and again the wildly lashing tail would /
catch one Of the assailants. driving it |
beneath the waves-no doubt killed or |
disabled-but the remainder rushed in |
undismayed, tearing viciously at the |
mammals bleeding TANKS or butting |
her with the force of battering rams.
Presently the spellbound spectators
realized two facts-frst that the calf |
had disappeared In the melee and, sec
ond. that the tortured whale was un
doubtedly becoming weaker It was
obvious that, the unequal struggle
could have only one ending. Still.
however. she fought on doggedly, win
ming admiration and sympathy by her
exhibition Of hopeless courage. Alter
ing her tactics. by supreme effort she
hurled her whole great bulk clear of
the water for moment, and the fasci-
mated onlookers beheld the sharks
hanging from various parts of her
cleaning body by their serrated teeth.
Then down she went again with a
crash like thunder, and for an instant
whale and sharks were buried amid
masses Of foam. heavily colored with
the poor mammals lifeblood Rising
again. she essayed another change of
plan. making for the rocks and desper-
ately striving to rub off the clinging
sharks against their edges But the
thrashers were equal to the occasion
While those Oh the outside maintained
their grip. the others dived under their
enemy and charged her anew. tearing
at the whales side in an ecstasy of
ferocity that was bloodcurdling to wit
ness II
More and more feeble grew the
struggles. and at last. to the 4
heartfelt relief of the spectators. for I
ler death fight had been terrible to be-
hold. the great body turned over and d,
,ank beneath the red tinted water G
The unequal battle was over. having I
asted from 8 o'clock until noon. as !
1--WE inspiring contest as man was :
'ver privileged to witness. The men t
vent back to their work greatly im- =
PRESSED by the unique spectacle. and I
Of sympathy for the whale 4
we're heard on every side.
Forty-eight hours afterward the
whales. body. which had In the mean
ime become distended with gas. rose =
q the surface and exploded with q
oar like miniature powder maya
Inc. causing the startled people to .
ush to the shore TO discover what had
appened. On examination of the re-
lains it was discovered that every :.
bred Of the outer flesh of the whale !.
ad been torn off by the sharks, who
ad doubtless gone off to repeat their =,
lctics upon some other hapless levia- y
,an.- Victor Pitt-Kethley in st. Louis u
ost- Dispatch.