The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-03-18
Because IL Was Written
BY a Preacher.
FISH LIKE J0MARs ABDUCToR
AndPIenty Big Enough To Live
Inside After Being
Skinned.
ITs WONDERFUL PROPORTIONS

atFtIa4 I-oAAL- ato TIE N1eLfll lie
Christian Advocate reported the
capture Of monster fish s- FLORIDA
EsterS-s fish 20 unusual in size
and structure. ] desired = fuller ze-
count than the Advocate had Civ
en- and wrote TO DR.. ITey. the editor.
asking for more Information. He
replied By referring me to a Mr..
johnson. wrote 20 Mr.. johnson.
enclosing 2 self-addressed. stamped
envelope After more than a month
Z had passed Mr.. Johnson replied By
referring me back 10 Mr.. lvey. Then
wrote TO Dr. Ivey again. the sub
stance OF whose reply vas. 4 re-
gret that ! am not able TO give you
the details"
write now. however. to say that.
from other sources OF information.
! have verified DIR. Ivey's account,
and. at the risk Of being consigned
70 membership in the Ananias Club.
go one better" on DR.. Ivey by af-
irIning that ! have seen that fish
that IL. what is left OF It. the hide I
prepared and mounted by a taxider-
mist so that it appears substantially |
as ii did when alive. In addition,
have interviewed the man who
captured the fish. and the man who
mounted il. also the authorities of
the Smithsonian Institute who were
notified at the time OF the capture.
and have examined authenticated
saw the fish before it was skinned
Its weight is estimated at 3d.
900 pounds. Its length is A. feet,
its circumference "a feet The gills
are four feet in length The liver
weighed 200 pounds, and the heart
y pounds. The open mouth which
is nearly circular. is 3s inches in d.
ameter. and the throat is of equal
capacity, large enough to admit the
passage OF an ordinary flour barrel
The teeth" is band about an inch
in width, bony fringe. covering
the lip. The skin was three inches
thick on the back and sides, and the
underneath was neither
fish nor flesh but tough gelatinous
matter not unlike soft, vulcanized
rubber. The stomach contained -
100 pounds OF undigested matter
and u vertebra. weighing 81
pounds. Estimated by the size OF
the yertebra found in the stomach,
the animal which this fish had swal-
lowed weighed at least 1900
pounds.
II is claimed that this monster is
a mammal because il was supplied
with mammary glands for nursing .
It's young. II that claim can be estab- a,
Iished, then this is the most anoma-
lous speciment yet produced. and it's
structure becomes more remarkable
than its size, for no mammal. ac-
rording To authorities, can make its
home In deep water. The whale be- I
longs to the mammal class, but ii @
must come to the surface for air. d
and can endure submergence only Il
about thirty minutes. This monster, n
however, is supplied with gills and v
therefore fitted for living beneath c
the surface of the water. b
Eliminating the mammal claim. Il
for the present at least, the more
probable fact is, the fish belongs to v
The shark family, though rare spe- |
les In American waters, and one OF a
unusual size. The capture was made Il
IN the vicinity of Knights Key, Flor a
ida, June /, 1912. after a light last b
ing 80 hours. s
Should the clergy be inclined to Z
connect the story of Jonah with this n
hsh' two facts at least are assured; d
Dne Is, this shark could have slipped
him In all right. and. il need be. r
furnished space within to perambu- S
ate; the other Is. the prophet could D
not have been "chewed up for |,
technically II had no teeth. I,
Alexandria Va .