Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-05-26
At Tackled BY SHARKS
A Whales Terrific Battle With a
School, of Thrashers.
AN AWE INSPIRING CONTEST.

I ne Unequal Fight Was Ended by the
Death Of the Courageous Mammal,
Who Was Torn to Shrsds by Her
Feroeious AssaiIants.
Early one morning while engaged In
building new quarters for the light
house keeper at Breaksea island, near
Rottnest. Western Australia. the con-
tractor and his men noticed bull |
whale, with cow and calf, passing |
the island some distance OF. 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 blowhoIes and then resum-
ed their labors.
An hour or so later-about 9 O'Clock,
to be exact-the men were startled by
an extraordinary noise, apparently
land, noise unlike anything they had
ever heard before Dropping their
tools and staring toward the east.
they beheId such sight as 1t falls to
the lot Of few people to witness
There, not 500 yards from the shore,
was being waged battle to the death
"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 fur1ously, hurl-
ing up sheets Of Redeemed water and
occasionally crashing down with ter
rife 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
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
disa bled-but the remainder rushed In
undtsmayed, tearing vtciously at the
mammals bleeding tanks or butting
her with the force Of battering rams,
Presently the spellbound spectators
realized two fact@drst, 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 q supreme effort she
hurled her whole great bulk clear Of
the water for 4 moment, and the fasci-
mated onlookers beheld the sharks
hanging from various part3 Of her
cleaning body by their serrated teeth.
Then down she went again with q
crash like thunder, and for an instant
whale and sharks were buried amid
masses Of foam. heavily colored with
the poor mammals Hfeblood Rising
again, she essayed another change Of
plan, making for the rocks and desper-
ately striving to rub OF the clingin2
sharks against their edges. But the
thrashers were equal to the occasion.
While those on the outside maintained
their grip. the others dfved under their
enemy and charged her anew, tearing
at the whales side In an ecstasy Of
ferocity that was bloodcurdlin9 to wit
ness.
More and more feeble grew the
whales struggles, and at last, to the
heartfelt relief Of the spectators, for
her death fight had been terrible to be-
hold, the great body turned over and
sank beneath the red tinted water
The unequal battle was over, having
lasted from 8 O'Clock until noon, as
awe inspiring contest as man was
ever privileged to witness. The men
went back to their work greatly Inn
pressed by the unique spectacle, and
expressions OF sympathy for the whale
were heard on every side.
Forty-eight hours afterward the
whales body. which had In the mean
time become distended with gas, rose
to the surface and exploded with 4
roar Ike a miniature powder maya
zine, causing the startled people to
rush to the shore to discover what had
happened On examination Of the re-
mains It was discovered that every
shred Of the outer flesh Of the whale
had been torn OF BY the sharks, who
had doubtless gone Oh to repeat their
tactics upon some other hapless levia-
than.-vtctor tt-Kethley In St Louis
Post-Dispatch-
What He Sold.
One Of the witnesses In q case IN Z
Dublin court was asked, odd ron sen