The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
JONAH A TIDBIT
FOR THIS whale
Greatest Fish Story Comes
from Florida by Way of
Veracious Chicago.
CAPT. THOMPSON GOT HIM
But Sea Monster Put Up a Thirty
nine-hour Fight and Wrecked
Lot of Property.

Chicago. March 2s-There is now in
Chicago a fish that could have swallowed
twenty Jonahs without inconvenience,
which is more than a whale could do.
owing to the small caliber Of its throat.
Among the many persons who have seen
this fish are clergymen- some Of whom
surmsie that it was really fish OF this
species that swallowed Jonah.
The monster was caught by Capt
Charles II. Thompson. a Miami CF'la-)
sportsman, while cruising for tarpon of
Knights Key. Its weight when caught
was $1,000 pounds. The liver alone
weighed LOO pounds. Its length is 45 feet:
its greatest circumference is % feet 8
inches and its diameter feet inches
The mouth is so inches wide and q inches
deep, with a tongue 40 inches long. There
are a multitude OF teeth smaller than a
baby's. This tail resembles somewhat
that of an aeroplane and measures 10 feet
from tip to tip.
Fight Lasted Thirty-nine Hours.
When Capt Thompson first sighted the
monster it was lazily floating on the sur
face of the water. The captain and his
crew put OF for it in the lifeboat. AS
they drew near it sounded, but it soon
reappeared and a harpoon was shot deep
into its side. Then began a hard fight.
II appeared to be unable 10 dive to
great Depth but it had all of its speed
on the surface. The sailors said that at
times II made forty-five miles an hour.
Four more harpoons were shot into it
and about $50 bullets were fired at it. but
later the bullets were found to have
hardly pierced the skin.
The fight took place in sight of some Of
the Florida keys. where thousands of
people gathered to witness 1t For thirty
nine hours-two days and a night-the
great fish pulled the lifeboat through the
waters the yacht following at a safe dis
tance.
Subdued Mt Last.
At last however, it appeared to give in;
it had ceased its struggles. Then they
dashed II alongside the yacht and began
the voyage shoreward-the thirty-one-ton
yacht escorting the fifteen-ton fish.
But presently the fish became lively
again, having enjoyed a rest 1t began to
wiggle, and that wiggling was something
stupendous. With one blow of its tail it
knocked the rudder and propeller of the
yacht and smashed in a portion of the
after part of the hull. Fortunately the
fish had been lashed by its head to the
vessels anchor chain. and the chain held.
No hempen cable could have held. Two
stout tugboats were called upon for aid.
The fish again quieted down. The tugs
lowered ii to Miami and a mechanism
was rigged to pull it up on the dock.
But there was life in the big fish still.
1t gave a sudden flip of its enormous tail
which smashed a portion OF the dock. de-
molished the dockhouse and broke a
mans leg. 1t was its death struggle
After a few more spasmodic movements
it gave up the ghost.
TaIidermist Did the Rest.
Having landed his catch, Capt. Thomp-
son was at a loss as to what to do with
it. The problem was solved when the
Smithsonian Institution sent ]. S. Warm
bath, Of Washington, d. c., a skilled
taxidermist, down to Miami to prepare
the carcass for preservation Wambath
embalmed and mounted the creature,
using fifteen barrels of formaIdehyde in
addition to other chemicals. Steel ribs
were used TO restore the original form.
The Smithsonian people believe that it
was an inhabitant Of depths more than
l5o0 feet below the surface, and that il
was thrown up by some subterranean vol
canic disturbance, which injured its div
ing apparatus so that it was Unable 10
return to its native levels. Thus dis
abled it strayed beyond the confines fixed
for the monsters Of the deep, and, unable
to obtain proper nourishment. became an
easy prey to its captors.
The scientists are of opinion that n Is
only a youngster, and that IL il had sur
vived to maturity II would have been two
end a half times as large.
Many forgeries of "antioues,' have