Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-06-08
ATTACKED BY SHARKS
A Whales Terrific Battle With a
School of ThraSherS.
AN AWE INSPIRING CONTEST.
Tho Unequal Fight Was Ended by the
Death of the Courageous hlammal.
Who Was Torn to Shreds by Her
Fsrocious Assailants.

Early one morning while engaged IL
building new quarters for he hight
house keeper a, Bre:,kSs'a island. nc;i
Roitnest. Western AuStIalil she Goa
tractor and his mcu noticed u hui
whale. with a COW ana calf. paSsir
the island some distance oG rh2N
watched them with interest for awhile
noting the immense size " the two
parents and the met hodiral regularity
with which columns of water rose
from their blowholes and then resum
eel their labOrs.
An hour or so later-abOut o'clock.
TO be exact-the men were startled by
an extraordinary noise. apparently
coming from the eastern end of the is
land. a noise unlike anything they had
ever heard before. Dropping their
tools and staring toward the east.
they beheld such n 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
u fight between the great COW whale
previously seen and n 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 nc
cOrdance with some preconcertcd 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 n
persistency and ferocity that made the
fascinated onlookers shuddcr. Now
and again the wildly flashing 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. 1t was
obvious that the unequal struggle
could have only one ending. Still.
however. she fought on duggedly. win
ming admira ton and sympathy by her
exhibition of hopeless courage Alter
ing her tactics. by n 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 lifehlnud Rising
again. she essayed another change of
plan. making for the rocks and desper-
ately striving to rub of 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
ar the whales side in an ecstasy OF
ferOcity that was bloodcurdling 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 a 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 a
roar like miniature powder maya
zine. causing the startled people to
rush to the shore to discover what had
happened. On examination of the re-
mains 1t was discovered that every
shred Of the outer flesh of the whale
had been torn off by the sharks. who
had doubtless gone off 80 repeat their
tactics upon some other hapless levia.
than.-Victor Pitt-Kethley in st. Louis
Post-Dlspatch.
/ What He Sold.
One Of the witnesses In a cnse In 8