Hide Article Text (OCR)
DAUPHIN ISLAND, Aug. 27. — “Full speed, ahead, captain,” said a chorus of voices on the newspaper men's fast boat, Vera Quinn, owned by the state game and fish depart ment, as a red flag was believed to have been hoisted on a boat a mile away. The red flag is a signal that a tarpon has struck. Binoculars were pressed into use. Faster and faster the boat ran to ward the “red flag.’ Newspaper and cameramen, working during the deep sea rodeo contest, were on their tiptoes. “The first tarpon of the day has been caught,’’ exclaimed one. Then the never deceiving glasses told the story: A fisherman, trolling from an outboard motor boat, had opened a umbrella, which looked like a red ag. “There's another red flag,’ was the discovery of one shoait the Vera Quinn. The boat was turned around and its nose pointed toward the red flag. Soon, the eagle eye of a re hn developed the interesting in formation that the fisherman was landing a cavalla, and not a tarpon. The Vera Quinn was the fastest launch on the water during the day. She was turned over to reporters of The Mobile Register, Mobile News Item, Alabama Journal of Montgom ery and camera men, by I. T. Quinn, commissioner of game and fish. The writers were able to keep tab on the success of the rodeo because of the fast speed of the Vera Quinn. Petite Marie Florre of Meridian, pulled and tugged on the pole which was bent almost to the breaking point. For ten minutes she pulled and tugged, all the time smiling for the benefit of news reel makers at the fishing rodeo. She was reaching the end of a perfect day. There was 430 pound cavalla at the end of the line. At one time during the battle with the big fish the small skiff was almost capsized, but the Meridian contestant was determined to land the fish. Cameras clicked as the fish was being subdued and the gaf fer was prepared to do his part of the day's work. One hard jerk by Mr. Cavalla as a last effort to free himself and continue to keep com pany with his fellows of the sea was made. “Oh, shucks, it got away.’ Disap pointment was written on her face as she expressed it in words. The caval la was the winner in the argument and the Meridian contestant declared she would land the next one that was so friendly as to grab her hook. Telegraph service has been re stored to Fort Gaines and Dauphin Island. Almost deserted many years agd when the United States govern ment abandoned the fort, the island now is the playground for approxi mately 200 men and women contes tants in the deep sea rodeo and the Western Union sign was placed in large letters at official headquarters Monday. Telegrams and 6O mes sages are being handled. The office is in charge of Jas Harris, man ager of the Mobile office. Many messages were handled the first day of the rodeo. Governor Bibb Graves caught a cavalla. However, his catch had not been officially reported and weighed and therefore is not shown in the first day records. Trolling from a boat with Senator Sibley Holmes of Baldwin county and Senator W. B. James of Cullman county, the chief executive landed a game fish. Sena tor Holmes declared the fish weighed 40 pounds, but the scales may tell a different story. Mrs. Charlie McCall came to the is land as a spectator. She was regis tered as a contestant, but was not certain that she would fish. Unable to resist the temptation as the army of fishermen got away this morn ing she clim aboard a boat. Offi cial records show that she was the first woman to land a cavalla. It weighed 27 1-2 pounds. Cavalla were so numerous that it was not an uncommon occurrence for two to strike at the same time. Three limes were sent one from one launch. Three strikes were dis covered at the same time. Two were landed and one won the battle. A 20-passenger motor bus is ‘‘clean ing up ’ in dollars and cents on the island. The owner of the machine believed that rodeo contestants would rather pay for transportation than walk through the sand from the pier to the barracks and buildings. He had the right idea, and dollars and cents were accumulated Sunday and Monday. He will return the bus to Mobile Wednesday and Dauphin Is land will then be without transporta tion facilities. But, Dauphin Island will not need a bus after Wednes day. Few people are living on the Fort Gaines section of the island since it was abandoned by the gov ernment and sold to Mobile. Deep sea fishing rodeo contestants heard the ‘first call’ for breakfast at 3:30 o'clock Monday morning. Within 15 minutes 100 fishermen were swarming the halls of the old barracks, which formerly housed United States soldiers. Mackie’s Place, the eating house on the is land, served breakfast on fast sched ule time and when the signal was made to ‘start fishing’ the waters off Fort Gaines looked like the war formation of a small navy. Fast motor boats, launches, skiffs and tugs made up the array of fishing vessels. Sheriff Pat Byrne of Mobile, who has been one of the leaders in the completion of plans for the rodeo, worked all of Sunday, making ‘ends meet’ for the small details. Sunday night he went to bed early. Two hours later he moved to another lo cation in the barracks when mo squitoes in mass formation, made an attack. This morning he announced he would see the fishing boats off and would return to his bank for the unfinished nap, the sleep that was interrupted when the mosquitoes can tacked. The sheriff announced that he “was not a deep sea fisherman and would enjoy seeing others enjoy themselves.
Newspaper Details
The Mobile News Item
Mobile, Alabama, US
Tue, Aug 27, 1929
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Jenni G.
USA 14 Jul 2026
Other Publications Near Mobile, Alabama
The Mobile News Item
The Mobile Item
Sunday News Item
Mobile Tribune
Mobile Register And Journal
