The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1914-05-28

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lowed, keeping as near to the lifeboat
as 1t could do with safety. Finally,
the monster was subdued-apparent
AS matter of fact 1t was tired, like
the man who pursued it, Anyhow, the
fish quit struggling and was dashed
fast to the Thompson yacht alongside.
The landward voyage then began.
The yacht is thlrtyton vessel. II
had fifteen-ton fish dashed to its
side. Presently the lash became live
ly again, having enjoyed a rest. II
began to wriggle, and that wriggling
was something stupendous. With one
powerful blow of its tail the fish
knocked the rudder and propeller off
the yacht and smashed in a portion
of the after part of the hull.
Fortunately the monster had been
shed at its head by the vessels an
Choir chain The chair held. No hemp
cables could have withstood the her
culean struggles of the Infatuated cap
tive The yacht being out of commits
sion. two stout tugboats were called
upon for aid. The fish again quoted
down, and was supposed to be dead
but only supposed to be. The tugs
towed the apparent carcass to Miami,
and a mechanism was rugged up by
which it was pulled upon the dock.
There was life in the big fish still.
1t gave a sudden flip of it's enormous
tail, smashed a considerable portion
of the deck, demolished the dockhOuse
and broke mans leg.
After that the men kept their dis
lance The fish struggled for a while
and finally gave up the ghost Elk
animation to determine its species
then was undertaken No piscatorial
expert ever had seen or heard of a
fish of that variety. 1t was altogeth-
er unclassified-a specimen Of an I'M
known denizen of the deep.
Captain Thompson, having landed
his catch, was in the position of the
Irishman who went up a tree to cap
ture catamount. He didn't know
how to get rid of it. The fish, unlike
the oatamount, was dead at last, but
its huge bulk-15 tons of it-lay there
encumbering the earth. 1t was rolled
off the bench and became the center
of curiosity for the population. The
Miami authorities ordered that the
carcass be removed.
Just what to do with the size so
bravely and laboriously won was a
problem for Captain Thompson, but
that problem was solved when sci
ence became interested in the fish
The Smithsonian Institution sent j. 5.
Warmbeth, a skilled taXidermist, down
to Miami to prepare the carcass for
preservation, so that all men hereaf-
ter may believe in this big fish story
or at least so many as may visit the
institution at Washington.
Warmbeth embalmed and mounted
the creature. He used Is barrels of
formaldehyde, in addition to other
chemical in job lots. All the profess
sional undertakers for miles up and
down and inland from Miami were
called to aid the taxidermist. They
worked night and day to get the fish
properly picked before modification
set in. The thickness of the sides
and the extraordinary toughness of
the hide made the work exceedingly
difficult Finally the work was com
pleted the skin being mounted in
steel ribs to restore the original form,
and the specimen was hauled away
on fiat car to Atlantic City, where
thousands of visitors viewed it.
When the undertakers finally pene-
trated the interior of the carcass they
found a 1900 pound fish-as big as
an oX-which the monster had swal
lowed whole and partly digested.
Strange to say, in the cayernous
stomach was found also live cutie
fish or octopus. Several hundred
pounds of coral and other solid mat
ter were confined in the stomach.
Now as to Jonah. Carl G. Fisher,
a millionaire sportsman of Indianapo-
lis, who has winter home at Miami,
told his friends about the big fish,
which he had seen on the Florida
beach. They were incredulous. Fish
er had the fish loaded upon a fiat car
and transported to Indianapolis,
where 1t has been placed on exhibi-
ton to prove that he was not telling
a fish story of the traditional sort.
And among the many persons VINO
have seen the fish are several cler-
gymen, who have formulated the the
DRY that it was a fish of this species
which swallowed Jonah.
The limited size OF the whales
throat precludes the possibility OF its
swallowing a man. The fish caught
in Florida waters could have sWal-
lowed a man with ease-to the fish
not the man AS matter of fact.
the ministers point out, there is moth
ina In tho Rihle tn create the imDreS-