Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17


"Heave-ho. All together" ewere aSle
to drag it ashore. =
1t was a remarkable fish of the
leopard or whip-ray species. the back
being covered with white spots. This
really awe-inSpirinS brute measured
7 feet inches across the wings, feet
Q inches from head TO base of tail,
the whip tail from base to tip being 2
feet inches, so the total length from
tip of head to tip of tail was Is feet
inches. It's weight was 40 pounds.
This by long way broke all my pre-
vious records of weight captured on
rod and line.
Both Grifiths and l were now suf-
fering from the tremendous reaction
following hours of fighting. Our
strength was at such a low ebb that
it was impossible for us to paddle back
to Black River. The native fishermen
hereupon came to our assistance, and
while we sailed in one of their large
dugouts our little boat was brought
home.
THE following day was so stiff and
it was so painful to move around
the room that l had perforce to re-
main indoors.
j realize that il is very difficult to
give an adequate description of what
a fight with such great fish is really
like. 1t has to be actually expert
enced before the amount of physical
endurance necessary to stand a strain
like this. lasting several hours. can be
appreciated. especially in a tropical
climate. All those who have partici-
pated in athletics on very hot day
will have some small idea how the
blazing sun and heat of the tropics
tell on the human frame when il is
subjected to such inordinate exertion.,
When eventually leaving the West
Indies we reached Balboa at the Pa
cific end of the Panama Canal. had
made for myself the strangest con-
signment of fishing tackle ever seen.
The big shark hooks / had designed.
with their chains, weighed Ia pounds
each. y had the barb on all these
hooks filed TO the keenness of a razor's
edge. The mouths of all great fish are
like iron. and with an ordinary hook
| there is an exceedingly doubtful
chance of penetration. - :,
1t would be difficult TO draw a pen
picture of what the men looked like
walking to the yacht, loaded down with
| the weight of these large hooks and
chains, to be followed by more. car
rying big coils of the 5000 Yards of
manila rope I intended to uss for my
lines. The order for this tackle al
most paralyzed the employees at the
| Balboa docks. They thought ] had lost
my rea son.
At Colon we had obtained a cotton
| cruiser yacht, the Cara. and this l
had put into thorough order. The deck
was cleared OF any impeachment that
might ohStruCt rapid movement my
guns overhauled, and an ample sup
| ply of ammunition put on board.
now felt ready to give battle to the
| giant fish of the Pacific.
| Proceeding out to Taboga Island off
| the Canal Zone, at the rocky point
farthest from the village. I got ready
! to put my theories to the test. TAX
| ing one of the 14-pound hooks ] i'm
paled an entire half-side of sand
| shark which we had previously caught
upon it, attaching it with it's chain to
| 100 yards Of half-inch manila rope.
did the same with Il second piece.
each of which weighed about rs
pounds.
THE dinghy was brought alongside
the bow, and Robbie. the colored
engineer of the former owner of the
yacht, and I lowered one of the bats
| down. He then roWed away from the
side of the yacht and cast ii over re-
peating the operation with the second.
| I had now my lines out on either side
| of the boat, and there was nothing to
| be done but sit down and wait for
what might happen.
/ was keyed up TO a pitch of the
greatest excitement, for surely I ar
| gued, the size, if nothing else, Of the
, great lump | had fixed to the hook
would attract something. Lady Brown
land Robbie did not seem to think much
of my idea of super-hooks and bats.
| How much longer are you going to
| sit there boiling in the SUM-" at length
! demanded Lady Brown, for the heat
/ was so terrific that the varnish on the
! deck was all coming up in blisters
while any metal exposed to the full
rays of the sun was so hot that it
| could not be touched.
! ] began to wonder if these mighty
/ fish really would feed on a dead bait
| on the bottom. I was browsing, con
| juring up all sorts of visions of Juras
! sic monsters. when | seemed to see
one of my big lines move. / quickly
came to life. Yes, sure enough the
| slack was commencing to leave the
/ deck-slowly, but ever faster.
"A fish, | reared. "A fish,
Up jumped a Panaman whom we
had brought with us and Robbie as II
! they had been shot. while scramble
:, from the back of the boat told me
! that Lady Brown also had now been
shaken from peaceful slumbers.
| 1.-THE line was fast running out, gain
ing in speed every second. What tc
do ! had no knowledge. / knew that
to attempt to strike and hold it with
our strength would be absolutely ridic-
| ulous--we should proba bly, be whipped
off the deck and into the sea like
| ,vin.-bloNn straws.
Robbie was about to catch hold oi