Thursday, October 13, 2011
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, February 28, 1874
The bark Kate Williams, Captain Hale, of the regular packet line between Boston and Fayal, which arrived at Boston on Friday last, had a remarkable escape on her passage. The Boston “Journal” thus described the incident. “About nine o’clock one morning a seaman aloft cried out that there was a whale on the port bow. Captain Hale stepped to the port quarter, and almost immediately could have laid his hand upon the upper jaw of a sperm whale which had paid an unwelcome visit to the vessel. It was a cow whale, about sixty feet in length, which had set upon them, and had she struck the vessel a little further under the Kate Williams would probably never have been heard from after leaving Fayal. As it was, the vessel received a pretty good shock, and lost a portion of her mizzen channels. This monster had seen the bark about the time the sailor discovered her, for she immediately sunk and came up with great force right at the vessel’s stern. Captain Hale thinks her mouth measured at least fifteen feet, and her under jaw was felt to scrape the bottom of the vessel as she glided swiftly away from her unexpected enemy. The whale fared as badly as the bark, no doubt, for the quarter deck was covered with pieces of the leviathan’s outer skin and the “mud” that is found between it and the tougher hide. The Kate Williams was sailing rapidly at the time, and in about fifteen minutes the fish was out of sight. While the latter could be seen she appeared swimming about looking for the vessel, and evidently in a rage.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Published in the Lake County Independent, Libertyville, Illinois on Friday, January 5, 1912
Novel Exhibition With Trout is Given by an Expert to Uphold This Theory.
    An expert in fish culture, who believes that fish have memories, gave a novel exhibition to support his theory.
    In one of the enclosed pools at the hatchery under his charge there was a very large trout which always came forward to see and be seen when visitors appeared. It was the expert’s custom, after calling particular attention to that trout, to raise his cane quickly and hold it over the water. The performance would have no effect upon the trout.
    Then the expert would produce a light trout rod and appear with it at the side of the pool. Instantly that trout would turn and flee, hide itself at the far end of the enclosure and remain there so long as the rod was in sight.
    This is the explanation of the sudden change in the trout’s demeanor. One day, early in the career of the fish, the expert, to try a barbless hook he had devised, cast with one in that pool, and this trout seized it. The hook penetrated and passed through its upper jaw, and by the time it was released from the hook it had undergone an experience that made a lasting impression upon it.
    The expert discovered soon after the hooking of the trout that whenever he approached the pool with his rod the trout would instantly dash to a place of hiding, although it paid no attention to a cane or other stick held over the water. The trout lived for years in that pool and never failed to show its fear of a trout rod as long as it lived.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Published in the Waukegan Gazette, Waukegan, Illinois on Saturday, August 9, 1879
    Mr. James P. Simmons, of Redbone, district, had a narrow and peculiar escape the other day. He was fishing on the Flint River, and had attempted to swim across to get a batean from the opposite side. About half way over the stream he stopped on a root or tree to rest. After remaining there a short time he plunged off for the other shore. Just as he made the plunge a tremendous fish, known as the gar, struck him, catching his thigh in its mouth and leaving an ugly and painful wound. A regular battle then took place between the man and fish, and lasted for some minutes-until finally Mr. S. got back on his resting place, and his enemy departed. During the fight Mr. S. threw the fish some feet above the water, but it continued the attack. Mr. S. was thoroughly frightened and called lustily for help. He has several ugly and painful wounds, given him by the fish, yet none serious. This is the first time we ever heard of a gar attacking a man, yet they say it frequently does so.-Talbotton, [Ga,] Standard.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Published in the Lake County Independent, Libertyville, Illinois on Friday, December 29, 1905
Whale Fights Several Swordfish and a Huge Shark-Conflick Witnessed by Many People.
New York.-An exciting battle royal between a whale, several swordfish and a thrasher shark was witnessed by many passengers of an ocean liner which arrived in this port the other day from Liverpool. The fight lasted nearly an hour.
The combatants were first sighted one morning. A great disturbance was noticed in the water, dead ahead, about a mile from the ship. Just what the trouble was was not ascertained until the ship was within half a mile of the scene of the encounter. Then the passengers saw a big whale beset by half a dozen large swordfish and a monster thrasher shark, the fiercest and most voracious of its kind. The water was being lashed into foam, which was tinged with blood. It was evident that the fight had not been in progress long as the combatants seemed to be active.
The whale was lashing the water with his tail and was standing off his antagonists, although he was greatly outnumbered. Several of the swordfish would attract his attention in front while others would steal around to attack him broadside. The thrasher’s great tail was busy flailing the whale’s back at every opportunity.
The passengers were spell-bound by the sight and their sympathy was with the whale. As the battle continued the water was dyed a deep red. The whale was gashed in many places by the swordfish, which moved with speed and it was able to strike with effect.
Before the ship was out of sight the thrasher was disabled, a blow of the whale’s tail striking him full on the head. One of the passengers, who had a strong pair of glasses, said he saw the whale swim away and that the swordfish did not follow him.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Published in the Lake County Independent, Libertyville, Illinois on Friday, April 1, 1910
School of Shad Disturbs Water For Acres at Buck Roe.
Three Hauls Made and Fully 15,000 Fish Are Taken From Nets-Best Catch On Record.
    Norfolk, March 30.-Rifflings which covered acres of water at Buck Roe beach on the Chesapeake, first surprised patient fishermen there and then astonished them as the disturbance reached their seines and made them taut until they appeared as if they would be torn away. A shad or two showed above the surface and this told the fishermen that the force below was a great school of the fish which they had long been hoping would come their way.
    With all their might they tugged and finally got their nets out of the water. Still the water was riffling. The nets were returned to it and another haul made.
    This was repeated the third time with undiminished success and still the water riffled. Fully 15,000 fish had been taken and the fishermen had the best day of their lives.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Sunday, April 30, 1967
School of Whales Runs a Race in the Ocean with the Liner St. Louis.
New York, July 13.-The story of a midocean race between a school of whales and the steamship St. Louis, of the American line, which lasted for miles and was only ended when a sixty-foot leviathan, the leader of the school, was rammed and killed by the prow of the streamship, is told by the passengers.
The St. Louis was proceeding on her course in a smooth sea last Thurday when the whales appeared in the port bow of the liner. For over half an hour they swam along with the steamer on even terms. The race would probably have gone on until long after nightfall had the leader of the school left his companions and tried to cross the bow of the ship. Then he became a carcass.
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Thursday, October 24, 1918
Infrequency of Such Events More to be wondered at Than Fact That They Occur.
Probably the most remarkable thing about the many reported showers of such objects as fish, frogs, toads and the like is the skepticism with which the accounts of these occurrences are greeted. The wonder is, observes a writer, not that they occur, but that they are so infrequent. Everybody has seen the wind carry away, to be deposited in parts unknown such light objects as leaves and scraps of paper. Everybody has also heard, at least, of the astonishing feats performed by tornadoes and hurricanes in transporting much heavier articles.
For example, at Beauregard, Miss., April 22, 1883, the solid iron screw of a  cotton press, weighing 675 pounds, was carried 900 feet. On another occasion a hencoop weighing 75 pounds was transported four miles. In a tornado at Mount Carmel, Ill., a piece of tin roof was carried 15 miles and a church spire 17 miles. What goes up must come down. We know, from the facts first cited, that the fall of so light and common an object as a frog, for example, must happen rather frequently in any part of the world subject to high winds.
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Thursday, October 19, 1922
    Athens, Ohio, Oct. 19-A turtle bearing the inscription “A. H. 1831” has been found on the Hewitt Farm west of here. It is stated by old settlers that the same turtle has been wandering over this farm for nearly half a century.
Published in the Waukegan Daily Sun, Waukegan, Illinois on Friday, December 3, 1897
    A 500 pound sea turtle, 14 years old, was captured and killed in Chicago harbor by two fishermen. Old lake men say this is the first sea turtle that has ever reached the southern end of Lake Michigan of its own volition.
Published in the Lake County Independent, Libertyville, Illinois on Friday, March 9, 1894
The stomach of a dead ostrich at the zoo of Clifton, England, contained a prayer book, a pencil case and two handkerchiefs.
A Georgia man killed a snapping turtle and ate it after throwing the head over into the back yard. A few days after the turtle’s head caught a chicken and held it until the fowl squalled for help.