The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-16

of which is only twenty degrees which
| is about the angle of most sting
| piece of pic. and within this angle hs
must have his body to body struggle
with the beast and kill it. This was the
natives job.
| So they waited. shark cirCled closer
| TO the bait, then swerved away sharply,
| and then Suddenly the native lifted his
| hands and leaped head first into the
| transparent waters straight out toward
another murderous fellow that was COM
| ing for the horse.
Grind away" called Williamson down
| the tube. and the picture machine imrue-
| diatcly started.
There was a quick movement of arms
and legs as the man and the shark came
together. The man was underneath. The
shark struck violently with its tail half
turning. then Strengthened and stiTened
and slowly sank to the bottom 1t was
all over. The knife had gone home. and
| a moment later the native came up to
the surface again, smiling with all his
teeth.
Nothing DOING came Gregory's voice
up the tube. and they knew that the
diver had miscalculated the place of
combat and had killed the shark out OF
range of the picture machine, so that it
was all to be done over again.
Here was crisis in the affairs of the
expedition. Somehow this shark picture
must be taken. But how? The natives
declared that, at any moment. the whole
grim company might leave as suddenly
as they had come, especially now that
one of their number had been killed In
this emergency Ernest Williamson said
that they could not risk missing this big
feature picture, and the only way to get
the thing done right was to do it them
selves.
What. kill shark" exclaimed the
others
Sure. It's no particular trick.
watched that follow. I'll do it myself.
Come on. Get busy"
And he did it, in spite of opposition.
stripping of his clothes. smearinC his
body with porpoise oil native fashion,
and taking tho kecn-cdgcd sheath knife
between his teeth. Then, at the right
moment. he leaped into the sea and.
failing once. leaped again and finally got
what h" wanted. while Gregory. thrilling
as h" looked. ground out the film Those
who watch this exciting battle in the
submarine movies may as well know
that hero was rather good instance of
American dare-deviltry.
Il wasn't so much afraid of the
sharks" said Williamson. '.as I was OF
miserab bic fish about a yard long and
shaped like a pike that they call the
L !
secuted around underneath the barge to
make sure there were none of those dey-
ills near. They are man-eaters all right
When they are hungry their bodies are
barred with stripes-the natives call
them hunger stripes. And their lips curl
back Ike saarling dogs. over big,
strong teeth"
What made You think you could kill
n shark with a knife | asked How
Know n 20 ir,,p.
81 watched the native and-welI, I've
always been pretty fair swimmer I
planned to use p hack-hand stroke with
the knife. hut missed that and got the
old boy with a little upper cut in the
belly. | felt his body curl against me
and then he weakened and sank"
1T is certain that gold and silver have
been sinking in the sra for centuries
remarked George Williamson. millions
often going down. We think We have
way of getting some of il up.
My father is now working out plans
to salvage the Mereda which was wreck
ed off the Virginia coast a few years ago.
The Mcrcda carried a large quantity Of
silver bars. besides a safe full Of
jcwery''
How far can we go down with the
tube?"
Competent engineers say to a depth
of 500 feet. But that Is in the future
depth within our immediate reach Is
50 feet. We call that our commercial
depth. and there are wrecks enough and
treasures enough within that limit to
keep men working for hundred years.
Suppose the treasure was shut up in
the hold OF a wreck"
We would blow up the wreck with
dynamite and then use the graphing and
hosting apparatus. The great point Is
that the tube will allow us to search the
bottom of the sea, where the depths are
not too great. and to stay down there
breathing good air. The
rest Is merely a matter of engineering
detail. which will be easily worked out
by human ingenuity. How difficult
would 1t be. for instance, to load sponges
and pearls into lowered baskets. II YOU
had the sponges and pearls right before
your eyes?"
And the same applies to bars Of silver
and chests Of gold.' laughed
Exactly" said Williamson