Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1895 — A HARPOONER'S SAD END. [ARTICLE]

A HARPOONER'S SAD END.

Tha Shark That. Took a Maa and Catried Him Off. ~ San Francisco Call. If the fatalities of the Sea that could be traced directly and indirectly to marine animals could be collected every year they would make pot only interesting but startling reading. In the really Pacific waters of the western ocean we have but little idea of the dangers of the sea, but a stroll through the New England towns of Gloucester. Marblehead, Swampscott and others will show them to have an extraordinary number of widows in proportion to the population. This is particularly true of Glou ■cester, where the widows and orphans of fishermen make a small army. The fishermen were all lost on the Grand Banks oy.the Georges Bank of the cod fisheries. 1 hey were either run down by ocean steamers that go over the banks at full speed, often hitting the vessels in the fog-, , or the frail schooners were sunk in the terrific gales that sweep over the country. It may be of interest to glance at the yearly loss of men who lose-their-lives in the effort- to -prov ide the. country with salt cod. From 1830 to 1881, 2,249 were drowned from cod fishermen —leaving 1,800 widows and between 4,000 and 5.000 orphans, not to speak of other persons ■dependent upon them. The loss in insurance during this time was about ST.TkIO, 01)0? and tliKnumberKT vessels lost, 419—a remarkable showing for a singleline of business. The loss of these 2,000 or more men means a recital of incidents that cannot be equalled in the annals of heroism. The writer knows of one vessel that was lying at anchor with all hands below except, the watch, that Was struck down by a steamer. All were drowned except the man at the wheel, who drifted twenty-four hours before he was picked up. Another schooner was sailing in the fog when she was suddenly capsized by a steamer that rolled her completely, over, the men dropping out of their hammocks to the ceiling and then to the floor as she quickly righted. The man at. the wheei was lashed and was found half drowned. Many men have been lost in the fog in their dories and nearly starved to death before they were found, while others arc picked up by outgoing steamers. The scene when the fishing fleet returns after great 1< sses is described as heartrending. Then there is always the uncertainty,

many men having been picked up and carried to foreign countries. The losses frpm the whaling fleets are not so yreat as formerly, but thirty years a>jo they were very noticeable, often amounting to several hundred men ifi a year. The vessels are sometimes crushed in the ice or a whale kills the rr.en by demolishing the boat. A remarkable accident occurred some years a<ro. which, while ir. a fully equipped wlia'e boat, was observed only by 0 le man. The whale had been struck, and was sounding at a terrific rate of speed, when in some way a coil of rope caugEt about the foot of the harpocner, and in a second he was gone. The accident took place before the entire crow, but was -so suddenly accomplished that but one man saw -the disappearance. Many fatalities of the sea are laid to the sharks, but accidents from this source are comparatively rare. In a diligent search for authentic instances of large sharks devouring

men, I found but two that could be attested to*. One was a man whose family I knew, and the instance is well known and remarkable for the ferocity displaced by the fish. In 1574 1 was fishing off the Isles of Shoals with a cod fisherman, who told me there was a laroe shark that infested the coast which had bn several occasions attempted to tip over boats and dine on the occupants, and once or twice the young pian bad been driven ashore by it. The date corresponded within a month with that of a tragedy which occurred about thirty miles south, or at Lynn, and which was undoubtedly caused by the same fish. A well known citizen of Lynn went out with a fishing party, and after a short time left the schooner, taking a small dorv, which he anchored rot a thousand feet from the vessel. Suddenly he was heard to shout, and those on the vessel distinctly saw a huge shark throw itself over the dory and sink it, making oil with the unfortunate man whose cries for aid were of no

avail. The ol’uer case was that of a sailor on the Mediterranean, who left the ■vessel to take a swim in the sea. A »shark was seen swimming toward him by some of the crew, who started to row out to meet the swimmer; but before they reached 1 he spot the shark hud seized him and cut him in •two. The little shark or dog fish of the "New England coast has not a very savory reputation in these waters. I 4iave«een them in such schools that, it was impossible to throw a line over without their biting it. They 'appeared to be starving, and on one occasion bit, & sail into shreds that was hanging overboard. The ravenous fish appear so suddenly that 1 recall one day One could icotbe. seen in that portioh of the coast, and the next day the fishermen gave up their regular fishing »nd devoted themselves to dog fishing, bringing them in by the boat load. ' ' } At such times it is extremely dangerous to fall overboard, and numerous fatalities point to the con- • elusion that these little sharks are dangerous as a man eater. On one

occasion some children were playlnj about the deck of a schooner, whet one fell overboard, and by the tim > the crew reached the side the bod] f.was suciAiunded by a living ball o dog fishes and torn in pieces. J fishermnn, having test his dory ini cove during a run of these fish.swan out to it and was caught by then and killed in sight of his friends oi the beach, who could not aid him. So insignificant a thing as a shel would not be believed to be a menace to human life, yet several shells have • earned reputations as man traps. Among these is’ the great clam that is often seen about the residences in -the suburbs of San Francisco. This mollusk lies deeply buried in ths coral rock and partly open, but when touched by the hand, feet oi any object, together comes the shells,teach valve open weighing 208 pounds, and the victim is held and not releashed until the shel l is cut out. In tins way natives have been imprisoned at low tide and drowned as the waters rose. The ordinary abalone, common on this coast, has often trapped Chinamen by catching their fingers, and several instances of death from this cause has been reported. On the New England coast, near Plymouth, a large elam known as the quohaug is sometimes exposed, and, while it does not catch human beings, it has been known to entrap small animals, especially ducks and various water birds, that are held either by foot or bill until the tide ari,ses and they are drowned. In South American waters there is a little fish known as picana that has a very unenviable reputation. It is dreaded by man and beast, as what it lacks in size it makes up in numbers. Many of the rivers in the country where it is found have to be forded, and when a horse enters a stream it is frequently attacked by these from afar, and literally swarm about the animal, biting small bits of flesh from it. Instances are known where the natives have been devoured by them. In tropical waters the shark is by no means the only predatory fish. Lurking on every reef and in the blue channels that cut their way among the islands is the Southern barracuda; something like its Pacific ally in appearance; but four or five times as large and very bulky, with teeth like knives. This fish is a menace, and has often been known to attack swimmers and reports are current of instances where people have been maimed and almost killed by them.