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CATCHING THE PACIFIC DEVIL FISH As Large as a Whale and Only to Be Held by Harpoon and Cable. Here is a story of the immense lugger manta or devil fisli of Australian waters from the Sydney, N. S, .W.. Referee: tj Lately have heard a lot about the diamond i fish, several of those- who go out on luggers reporting having seen a number of them. Capt. Clial-lenor told me that hp saw one lying on the surface . of the water not more tban forty yards from his lugger, which he mistook for a whale on account I of its size. I am certain the "diamond fish" is a L manta or "devil fish," and they grow to an I enormous size. One harpooned in American wnters measured eighteen feet by fourteen feet and weighed j 6,000 pounds. Last Week a number of these marine , monsters were seen in the creek and were mistaken by itKomu for sharks. Their great bodies would I sometimes lie oii the surface of the water and I appeared to the naked -eye like an overturned boat; . but with field glasses I saw them clearly. Their . pointed fiiis if they can bp called fins for the . greater part of the timewere thrashing the water . rather" lazily as they disikirred themselves, and no , one would believe, to watch them, that they can , move with remarkable rapidity. On Friday niorning last . I had a good view of the manta and estimated them to be about twelve ; feet across from tip to tip. The fish was such a peculiar monster that I determined to secure one ; if possible, and with this end in view purchased ; a now rope-, saw that my harpoon was in good working order and attached a large oil drum to the eiid of the rope. Oh Saturday morning, with my ; son and heir, I ventured forth in searcli of big , game. We got close up to our quarry, and as the great back, of the fish came out of the water I launched the harpoon with all the force at my command, and It went well home. For a moment we hardly knew what happened,, but I had only just thrown the oil drum clear of the ten-foot dinghy when it went through the water at sucli a rate that it threw the spray several feet high. To the oil drum I had also attached a shark line, which I had uncoiled waiting for the rush. Our boat was then towed at a great speed for a few minutes, and suddenly .the line slackened and the oil drum remained .stationary, "Weve lost him," I exclaimed, but the next instant I saw what had happened. The big fish- had doubled back under the lwat, and -as I sang out to Dallas, "Look out, bring her nose round," ho brought the boat about and awny we went again. This went on for an hour or a little more, but the rushes of the injured fish became fewer after the first fifteen, minutes, as tlie blood "was potiring from it. HOW THE MONSTER WAS LANDED. Eventually we were able to get a lugger, where we found the harpoon was then hanging by about a quarter of nn inch of skin, and it looked 100 to 1 we Would lose the m6nster we had gone to such trouble to secure; but a large fishhook was inserted in the end of one wind just as the harpoon came away and this held until the harpoon the shaft of which had broken was tied onto a pole and driven home again. We then had a big task to get the fish ashore, and it took about a dozen pairs of hands to drag it up on the beach. A good number watched the fight, and about forty assembled to see the manta landed. The tape was put on it, when it was found to measure.. eleven feet six inches across and nine feet three inches from head to tail. The mouth was twenty-two inches wide. The weight could only be estimated, and the various guesses ranged from 500 to 1,500 pounds; but I feel certain that it was at least COO pounds. It is a harmless creature, and a post-mortem revealed the fact that it lives on twigs and leaves, seaweed and any old thing of the kind which floats along the ocean. On either side of the month was an armlike protuberance- sixteen inches long by nine inches wide, slightly inverted, and ik used no doubt to scoop in various kinds of food. Several photos of the monster were taken. From all accounts it is the first one ever captured lit these parts.
