The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1918-03-21
With the Tantalizing Tarpon and
Sharks
BIG FISH BEING CAUGHT
DR.. Hit Discovers an Electric
Tarpon.-Dr. Holmes Catches a
Huge hark.-Tourists at Cleve-
land Land Two Superb Tarpon.
Swimmer Struck by Shark.

DIV lullIlcI Sbl uCh Ny pAoh N.
Henry Silcox, well known cit
izen of Punta Gorda, while bring
ing a lot of piling down Shell
creek, one day last week, was halt
ed by the incoming tide at Coon
Island near the railroad crossing.
While waiting for the ebb-tide, he
discovered the skin and bones of
a large manatee lying on the
beach. The interest in this item
consists in the fact that it has been
many years since a manatee was
seen in the waters of this region,
and it appears that this queer fish
is fast becoming extinct.
A man who was here a few days
ago related that, several years
back, he had charge of squad of
convicts, one of whom had robbed
the Tampa Bay Hotel. This man
was permitted to do some fishing.
He put out set-hook, which cir
cumstances prevented him from
visiting for two days; and when
he did take it up, he found on it a
two-pound catfish which had been
swallowed and partly digested by
a twelve pound trout. Our fish
editor never before heard of a
trout trying to eat a cat.
DIR. E. A. Hit, the noted fishing
expert of Louisville, KY, who
spent the winter here, narrates
that, one evening last week, he
and Orth Prather and Capt. E. o.
Corsa were standing on the outer
end of the city dock, when they
heard strange buzzing sound
resembling that made by an elec-
trio motor. There were no boats
moving about-nothing in sight
that was capable of making such a
sound; and so, their curiosity be-
ing greatly excited, they made a
careful investigation and discov-
cred that it was simply and truly
big tarpon that was equipped
with an electric light outfit and
was using it in pursuit of the
Spanish mackerel that he was de-
vouring. DR.. Hit said that the
discovery explained the fact that
not one of our hundreds of tour
lists had been able to catch tar
pom this season, though many of
them had done their best to catch
one. When this reporter accused
DR.. Hit Of "telling a fish story, "
he said that Capt. Corsa and Orth
Prather would confirm the whole
story, and that every body with
any knowledge at all of natural
history knew of the electric eels
that are common to South Ameri-
can waters, and there was no rea-
son for doubling the existence of
electric tarpon.
Finally Caught Big Tarpon
For several weeks, tourist
guests of the various hotels have
been having a strenuous time Of it
irving to catch and land a speci-
men of that celebrated and re-
splendent game fish, the tarpon,
known to world sports as the Sill
yer King. The harbor away up to
a point above Cleveland has con-
tanned for a month past an un-
usual number of these gamey and
gorgeous representatives of the
dash and glory of the ichthyologi-
cal denizens of the Gulf.
But those who sought to cap
ture a tarpon were so mex
perienced that they lost about ev-
cry "strike.'' Their lines were
snapped, and, in many instances,
their rods and even their reels
were wrecked.
Fred Cooper of Providence, Il,
J., who, with his wife, is enjoying