FOUND IN THE TRAWLS.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14865, 12 September 1918, Page 2

FOUND IN THE TRAWLS.

V The trawlfcrs rwhicli go out from Sydney "and range the ocean up and down the coast.pick up all sorts ot interesting things (writes the Sydney .corespondent of- the- "Press"). A huge shark, over 12 feet long, was taken otf Botany Baj\ In its stomach was the cover of a presentation copy-of ; "Barnaby lludge", and a man's straw hat.- All the reading matter of "Barnaby" had disappeared, but the strawboards had resisted the gastric juices. It is presumed that the book belonged to a lady, because the cover Jiad been mended with, & small pin, which is still, tnere. -The man's hat bore the name of a Sydney maker. Enqxiiries were made, and the owner of the bit of shapeless straw was actually found. He, had lost the hat .while fishing in Botany1 Bay the Sunday before the shark was caught.: Anchors are sometimes, found; The trawl brought one up the other day with 15 fathoms of chain attached, and'it was sold for £9. A. trawler lost-her own anchor one day, but some: time later • m the same place, she brought it un in her trawls. " . ■ Off Botany, one day, a trawl got fast to some obstruction, and. when It came up badly torn, bits of ironwork clinging totlic nets suggested the presence of ?n old ivreck. A little later, in this vicinity, a white man's skull was brought up. viinously enough, it bore evidence ot an old pevere wound, which had completely healed before the man found his last resting-place in the sea, Anotherday a child's tricycle, much rusted, was round' Hi the trawls off Woollongou... So many sharks are cnndii iiv" t!io trawls that an iitiempt is to'be made to send -rimed sharks' flesh to" the".lslands ■where there is a very ready market for it. .there., is r.Lso «n infinite variety of beautiful shells found, as weil as many curious denizens oi: dcorj water.. \ huge crab was captured the o+lier day. •the nippovK are about 10' niches lon<>\ and;, in appearance .miicli like the ijoni,-; of a c'o-v. They are big enough- tn eiutc-hji man's leg at the thigh, and .appear to have been nowerfur dura»h to erusli tho bone. In life the crab was a, resident in 450 feet of water off Wollongong. The claw, to die first joint below i|.f. nippers, is nearly two' feet .long, and at the base of the nippers measures about six inches 'across" by four deep.- Tho body was'ap«reximately 18 niche's across, and the carcase j w.eighed about 251b. j ' i