Omaha daily bee., 1915-10-18
FIGHT WITH A DEVIL FISH
Doctor" Coles Tells the Story Of
His Catch Made in Gulf of Mex
leo, Off Florida Coast.
LANDS MONSTER OF THE DEEP

The king Of devll-fishermen arrived at
the Imperial recently. says the New
York Times. He is Russell ]. Coles Of
Danville. Va. Down home they always
call him Doctor" anu the title has
chung TO him, although he says he has
no right TO Il, because. while he studied
medicine IN hts youth, he decided to let
his possible victims live and declined to
take his degree. In private life Mr..
Coles IL a leaf tobacco dealer. But for
three or four months every year he gets
away from business, goes to Florida or
the coast of North Carolina, runs up to
Newfoundland, elsewhere, and purGues
big fish; he Stays them, If they won't
bite; he measures them, weighs them.
studies them, indexes a lot of scientific
data out OF them. and sends the speci-
mems to various scientific museums.
That is DR.. Coles main enjoyment in
life.
DR.. Coles was brought to New York
this time by devil-fish. Speaking
literally. he sent the fish on to the
Museum of Natural History, and the
authorities of the museum were so CRATE
full. not only for getting the devil-fish,
the first of its kind they have possessed.
and the biggest known to have been
taken, but for some of Its most valuable
piscatorial treasures, that they made him
a life member OF the institution, a rare
honor. Dr. Coles came on TO see about It.
and to supply data necessary for mount
ing the huge creature, which win be on
view within four months.
Unless you knew DIR. Coles, you would
be apt TO take him for ex-President Taft,
except that he is younger. He has been
fishing ever since he was boy. and he
has presented specimens to the British
museum. the Musee d'distoire Rationale
In Paris. the National museum In Wash
ington and many other similar institu-
tions, American and foreign.
Hardest Fish to XIII.
The devilfish Is not an octopus. Fisher
men or fish hunters consider them the
hardest creatures In the world to kill.
Though not plentiful. they exist in trop-
zeal waters, and although they will never
attack II unmolested. they become dan
gerous II attacked, as one blow of one OF
their enormous fins will swamp a good
sized boat. The Museum of Natural His.
tory coveted a devllfish, and DR.. Coles
promised to get one for It. Having studied
the habits OF the creature. he went down
TO the gulf last year and killed three. bui
as they were not as big as he thought
they ought to be. he asked the museum
people to give him little more time
and he would send them one really worth
while.
II used small two-ton launch, and
where landed the big fish was over 10
miles south of Tampa, Fla, in the Gull
of Mexico" he said. you can see devil
fish as they swim along, for their bis
fins extend above the surface. On April
got two, after bad fights, but one
measured only thirteen and the other
fourteen feet across. and they were moi
as big as 1 wanted. But one of then
! furnished q little excitement. for wher
struck with the harpoon he swung deeI
under water and then rose, fairly lifting
the boat in the air. and breaking off thu
harpoon. As his head came up strucl
him back Of the brain with a big spade
lance and he was dead I'm fifty seconds
from the time I first struck him
Monster RuHhes for Boat.
1T was not until April II that I fount
the school of devilfish that netted me tn
big specimen. had as captain OF tn,
boat Captain Charlie willes. whom hal
brought from Moorebead City, N. c., ant
the handling of the craft was IN charg
of Captain Jack Mccain OF Punta Gorda
Fla, one OF the best-known fishermen Of
the west coast. The devilfish had no fea
of the boat. There were six of them Il
the school. had constructed special ap
paratus for the expedition. one thing be
ing drogue. mistakenly called drag
tbout three times as big as Is used Il
catching whales.
''rhe only thing to do was to steer tn
boat after the fish and try to get upol
H. After we neared II / launched
spade lance. The big fish rushed unde
the boat, breaking off the handle OF tn
lance. had no other weapon of the kind
so was forced 10 use an ordinary whal
lance.
One blow from one Of those giganti
{ fins-the fish measured eighteen fee
across-would have wrecked our Graf
There was nothing TO do but TO kee
running the boat up on the back Of tn
fish. More than dozen times, as II cam
TO the surface. II would lift the boat O.
its broad back out OF the water Fac
/ tina 4 ~ 4