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HARPOONING A SEVENTEENFOOT SHARK Monster Landed After a Severe Struggle at Miami Florida MIAMI Florida April 17 Captain Charles Thompson Americas ace among deep sea fisher ¬ men drove another rivet into his title by harpooning the largest hammerhead shark that has ever been caught in Florida waters March 21 21Captain Captain Thompson was acting as guide for a party of sportsmen cruising among the Florida Keys on the Shadow V a thirtymile an hour ex ¬ press cruiser when he made his second bid for premier shark honors honorsLeaving Leaving the Cocolobo Cay Club the headquarters of the party one of the Florida Keys south of Miami Die party had hardly been out for half an hour when the big fish was sighted Captain Thompson is an expert harpuonist and lost little time in sinking an eightinch iron in the monster monsterThe The iron held and thereafter for the space of an hour and a half the contest was a tug of war the engines of the Shadow V being stopped and the big fish towing the boat Five miles out to sea thu shark pulled the Shadow V a large fortysixfoot boat when Captain Thompson decided it was time to shorten the fray and running the Shadow up to Hie fish sank a second harpoon harpoonA A third harpoon was added for good measure half an Jiour later and then a battle l egan to bring the fish ui to the boat for the gaff This was at ¬ tended with sonu difficulty the shark fighting vali ¬ antly for bis freedom but finally he was brought close enough to drive a couple of dozen high powered 22 express bullets through its vitals vitalsWhen When hauled ashore the shark was found to measure a trifle over seventeen feet unA to weigli over 1500 pounds poundsA A week before Captain Thompson had harpooned n leopard shark that held the record until the hammerhead was brought in Recently he also landed one Qf the largest whiprnys uver captured Ills major achievement lioivever consists of the capture several years ago of a whale shark weigh ¬ ing 30000 pounds that took a Couple of days to land Tills was the largest fish other than a whale ever caught
