Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-30
THE CHAMPION FISH STORY.
Captain Clark Has Thrilling Battle
With School of Sharks and Routes
Them.

| Just wait minute, you fellows Who
are coming back from your vacations
with stories about fish that YOU caught
= or almost caught. Just wait until you
hear this story IF Captain James :.
Clarke about the fish that almost
caught him.
J Captain Clarke. who reached New
/ York recently on the Panama liner
Advance, from Cristobal, the Govern
rnent town in the Canal Zone adjoining
| Colon, would like to have a little chat
with those students of natural history
who claim that a shark will not attack
z man.
It was three weeks ago last Friday
!, hen Captain Clarke, whose ship was
lesng at the Government deck at
Cristsbal. having little spare time on
His hands, determined on q sail in LII
llaon Bay. He got a small boat and
put out from Cristobal, heading for
the rev breakwater which is to protect
1.-THE Atlantic entrance to the Panama
Canal.
There was & stiff breeze and heavy
swell The wind died down momenta-
rily, and Captain Clarke allowed his
attention to he diverted from the sail
Along came squat, and the boat slla
down wave and capsi@ed, and Cap
tain Clarke was thrown into the water
Linon Bay is full of sharks Across
the ocean side Of the bathing pool at
the new Washington Hotel at Colon is
a concrete shark trap. Workmen on
dredses in the canal entrance have
seen sharks many times close about
them. and numerous are the tales al
big sharks caught with salt pork balt
and stout hooks by sailors in the haf-
har. CAPTAIN Clarke knew all this, and
the mfrfute he struck the water he
started for the overturned boat.
Naturally he made lot of noise as
he spiashed in the water, and this at
tracted the attention of the sharks
The first thing he knew he saw the inns
of the sharks cutting the surface OF the
water in all directions. and they weIe
all coming his way.
II was 4 mile from shore said Cap
tain Clarke, land there were no other
sailboats near. My clothes We're light
and didn't bother me much. The boa
had drifted out of my reach and there
was nothing to do but try for shore By
swimming And the sharks were clos
ing in.
ATTACHED to the leather stfae
around my waist WAS sheath khlIe
with 4 six inch blade, which | had
used that afternoon for scraping part
out OF some stiff rowlocks. | got TINS
knife out while treading water, by
this time | could see sharks close b.
and concluded it would be best for ne |
to stay right there and fight them. He
I kept on swimming toward shore z
shark might have come UP behind ana
me and nipped off my iets
and then it would have been questio1
Of only a few minutes when ! Wou'J
have been food for the whole school
"One of the sharks passed so close ne
almost collided with me. He was nan
turned over. / reached out and slit
him With my big knife as he Went D.
THE water turned red and the shars,
with a terrific swish of his tail. mace |
leaving a CORY streak behind hlsa |
anG pursued by others.
"Another shark came at me on rs
hack. ready to bite. lodged TN
one and stabbed him. I'll tell you thei
vas . lot of excitement there abatt
that tine. This last shark was imme-
,iiately attacked by his companions |
r,hey thrashed the water into foaia |
all around me- and one foxy feiio
took advantage of the confusion y
make q sneak at me- He was q p
shark. and maybe he had had cxper- |
ence. AT any rate, he was mancuve