Blowing up a Shark With Gunpowder.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4419, 12 July 1884, Page 4

Blowing up a Shark With Gunpowder.

While the good ship Amphitrito waß creeping along, a man in the maintop, noticed an enormous shark gliding steadily in her wako. This may seem a small incident, yet it ran through the ship like wildfire, and caused more or less uneasiness in three hundred stout hearts: so near is every seaman to death, and co strong the persuasion in their superstitious mlnd^, that a sharis does not follow a ship pertinaciously without a prophetic instinct of calamity.

Unfortunately, the quartermaster conveyed this idea to Lord Tad castor, and confirmed it by numerous examples, to prove that thero was always death at hand when a shark followed tho ship.

Thereupon Tadcaster took into his head that he was under a relapse, and tho shark waa waiting for his dead body ; he got quite low-spirited. Dr, Staines told Lieutenant Titzroy, Fitzroy said, " Shark be blowed ! I'll have htm on deck in half-an hour."

He got leave from the captain ; a hook was baited with a large piece of pork, and towed astern by a stout line, experienced eld hands attending it by turns.

The shark came up leisurely, surveyed the bait, and, I apprehend, ascertained the position of the hook. At all events, ho turned quietly on his back, sucked the bait off, and retired to enjoy it. Every officer in the ship tried him in turn, but without success; for if they got ready for him, and the inemjent ho took the bait, jerked the rope hard, in that case he opened his enormous mouth so wide that the bait and hook came out clear. But, sooner or later, he always got the bait and left his captors the hook. This went on for days, and his huge dorsal fins always in the ship's wake. Then Tadcaster, who had watched the experiments with hope, lost his Bpirifc and appetite.

Staines reasoned with him, but in vain. Somebody was to die ; and although there were threo hundred and more in the ship, he must be the one. At last ho actually made his will, and throw himself into Staines's arms, and gave him messages to his mother and Lady Cicely ; and ended by frightening himself into a fit. This roused Staines's pity, and aleo put him on his mettle. What, science be beaten by a shark ! He pondered the matter with all his might; aud at lust an idea came to him.

He asked the captain's permission to try hia hand. This was accorded immediately, and the ship's store? placed at his disposal very politely, but with a sly, comical grin. Dr. Staines got from the carpenter Bomo sheets of zinc and spare copper, and some flannel; these be cut into three-inch squares, and soaked the- flannel in acidulated water. Ho then procured a quantity of bellwire; the greater part he insulated by wrapping it round with hot gutta-percha. So eager wa^he that he did not turn in all night. In the morning he prepared what he called an electric fuse. He filled a sodawater bottle with gunpowder, attaching some cork to make it buoyant, put in the fuse and bung, made it watertight, connected and insulated his main wires, enveloped the bottle in pork, tied a line to it, and let the bottle overborn d. The captain and officers shook their hoida mysteriously. The tars peeped and grinned from every rope to fee a doctor try to catch a shark with a soda water bottle ; but somehow the doctor seemed to know what he was about, as they hovered around, and awaited the result, mystified, but curious, and showing their teeth from ear to ear. "The only thing I fear," said Staines, "is that the moment he takes the bait he will cut the wire before I can complete the circuit, and tiro the fuse." Nevertheless, there was another objection to the success of the experiment. The shark had disappeared. "Well," said the captain, "at all events you have frightened him away." "No," said little Tadcaater, white as a ghost; "he is only underwater, I know; waiting—waiting." " There he is," cried one in the ratlines. Thero was a, rush to the taffrail—great excitement. " Keep clear of me," said Staines, quietly but firmly; "it can only bo done at the moment before ho cuts the wire." The old shark swam slowly round the bait. He saw it was something new. He swam round and round it. " He won't take it," said one. " He suspects something." " Oh yes, he will take the meat somehow, and leave the popper, sly old fox." " He has eaten many a poor Jack, that one." The shark turned slowly on his back, and, instead of grabbing at the bait, seemod to draw it by gentle suction into that capacious throat, ready to blow it out in a moment if it was not all right.

The moment the bait was drawn out of sight, Staines -completed the circuit; and the bottle exploded with a fury that surprised him and everybody who saw it; a ton of water flew into the air, and came down in spray, and a gory carcase floated, visibly staining the blue water. There was a roar of amazement and applause. The carcase was towed alongside, at Tadcaster's urgent request, and then the power of tho explosion was seen. Confined, first by the bottle, then by tho meat, then by the fish, and lastly by the water, it had exploded with tenfold power, had blown the brute's head into a million of atoms, and had even torn a great furrow in its carcase, exposing three feet of tho backbone

Taddy gloated on his enemy, and began to pick up again from that hour.