Evening star., 1911-08-24
Took Entire Crew of Ship to
Subdue Ocean Monster.
MAN-EATER GAME TO END
Tried to Chew Up Schooner After
Being Hauled Aboard.
HEADED FOR THE CAPITAL
Followed Ice Schooner From Maine
Waters to Virginia Coast.
Salt Pork His Undoing.

The man-eatng shark that followed
the big schooner Maud Palmer, loaded
with a cargo of Ice, from Bangor, Me,
on it's way TO the port of Washington,
got into trouble with the crew of the
swift sailer off the Virginia coast. Parts
of the twelve-footer are now mementoes
of q sad occasion for the fish and OF
ths shark-fishing prowess Of the crew.
The deck Of the ship Is SCARED where
the sharp sawlike teeth Of the sea mon
ster tried to bite q way through solid
plank back into his normal element
The tail OF the shark. broad and nat
and spread out bannerlike. hangs sus-
pended by tacks from the flying jibboom
OF the Maud Palmer, q warning to all
man-hungry sea fish not to ply the wa
ters Of the ocean In the wake OF this
particular craft, on the walt for mortal
tiles among the crew or a marine dis
aster to provide 1t meals.
Captain Claims Fins.
The big winglike fins of the fsh,have
been claimed by Capt. Dudley, who
proposes to have them mounted. The
great backbone Is the souvenir chosen
by Mate Sprague. who is curing it pre-
pdiatoiy u UdhiHS d Walking
cane. Teeth and other salvable parts
of the sharks anatomy have been dis
tributed to other members of the
schooner's personnel.
Several chunks of wood were found
in the digestive tract of the shark
when the keen cutting knife revealed
the contents of his interior. There was
no trace of a human diet at the time,
but the absence of such evidence did
r1ne OLE e,lNo Il nv,1
way. he had already paid the penalty
before given this trial of his murder
Gus propensities.
Twas grand fight, says every tar
on the sailing ship. The shark put up
struggle that is the admiration of every
man jack of them. and which required
the cooperation of the entire crew, in
Guiding skipper and cabin boy, to de-
feat and bring to the inevitable end. That
no casualties. except to the man-eater
resulted Is due largely to the agility of
his enemies in getting clear Of his pow
erful jaws and daying tail, and IN good
measure to their own good fortune and
the sharks bad luck-for he made ter
rife efforts to leave his mark on some
thing beside the wooden structure OF the
ship.
Getting on Mems Nerves.
The shark had been lazily following the
schooner for days. feeding on the refuse
OF the ships galley. thrown overheard
by the cook. while waiting for a meal
more to his liking. The good winds. calm
seas and pleasant weather OF the trip
left the crew little to do but trim ship
and tack and fish for the shark The
shark did not like the bait offered. or had
grown to twelve feet in length by wisdom
in avoiding the ways Of man for catch
ing his kind.
Sixty miles to the eastward of Winter
Quarter lightship. off the Virginia coast,
Mate p. W. Sprague. first officer finding
that the sharks attentions were bother
ing his superstitious crew, determined
that the time had come for change In
the situation. He interviewed the COOK.
The ships larder provided the bait,
big hunk of pork which is understood to
be considered by sharks fair substi-
tute for a human steak. A log hook and
chains and a heavy line provided the rest
Of the tackle.
this weighty fishing paraphernalia for
shark fishing happily brought the sweet
scented hog flesh right under the sharks
nose. The shark shifted q good, long
sniff OF 1t. nosed 1t. turned on his back.
opened wide his jaws and took the bait
into his system.
good yank and a yank all together
by the crew on the end of the line
fastened the hook in the lower jaw OF the
denizen of the deeps He was in limbo.
Tries to Sink Ship.
Threshing the sea with his flexible
tail. pulling back with all the muscular
strength of his hold on the water. he
nearly pulled the crew overheard, which
might have meant that the Maud
Palmer. unnamed, would never have
made port. but have sailed the seas
forever with all sails set. like the Fly
ing Dutchman of marine legend. But
the line was given hitch about a
stanchion, and 1t held.
The shark devoted his efforts now
to pulling the ship into the lowest
depths of the ocean, but did not sue