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NEDERLAND
-- It
was early July of 1929, and the Neches River had just returned to
within its banks. A month earlier, there had been long torrential
rains throughout East Texas,
causing it to rampage out of its banks until it was 2 miles wide at
Port Neches Park.
One morning I went down to pump out the boats at our boat landing
on Block's Bayou, in place of my brother Broomtail, who was ill. Immediately
I saw a huge alligator, half of its body above water and swimming
slowly toward the mouth of the bayou.
I quickly ran up the bluff toward our barnyard, screaming for Dad
to bring his 73 Winchester and kill old "Big Tooth." Dad had already
left for the field, but a neighbor, Roy Sterling, was still in the
barnyard, hitching up a team of mules.
As Roy ran for the boat landing, Mama handed him the loaded Winchester.
Roy began rowing the big skiff toward the alligator, which by then
was already swimming out the mouth of the bayou and into the river.
As Roy rowed into the river, he could still see "Big Tooth," as the
big croc swam slowly toward the north in the direction of the Magpetco
(Mobil) docks. Roy allowed the skiff to glide slowly beside the gator,
and when he was even with its head, Sterling shot old "Big Tooth"
in the ear.
Roy got a large loop of a rope around the big alligator's head, but
he also quickly backed the boat away to escape the thrashing of his
tail. Later Roy towed the big croc back into Block's Bayou to our
boat landing. |
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'Big
Tooth'
Photo courtesy W. T. Block |
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Because
"Big Tooth's" weight was estimated at 1,000 pounds, Sterling had
to use the team of mules to pull the alligator out of the bayou.
"Big Tooth" soon created a local sensation, and for 3 days or more,
there was a constant stream of Model T and Model A cars parked down
at our farm house, for everyone wanted to sit on the alligator and
have his photograph taken. A photograph of 'Big Tooth' appears on
page 135 of Sapphire City of The Neches.
"Big Tooth" measured only 2 inches short of 15 feet long and was
estimated to be 60 years old. His mouth measured 32 inches from
the tip of his snout to the end of his jaw, where his teeth stopped.
One person believed that the big alligator was possibly ill and
had drifted down on the flood tides from Angelina River. As of 1930,
large alligators ten feet or longer had already been hunted to near
extinction in the vicinity of Sabine Lake.
Beause of the smell, Sterling eventually had to stack drift wood
and pour crude oil on 'Big Tooth' and set him ablaze, but not before
about 500 people got to see him and snap photos.
Because of the lack of television or other amusements around the
then-small town of Port
Neches, old "Big Tooth" provided each with a moment of mirth,
much like the big whale at Port
Arthur had provided in 1910. And nearly everyone commented that
'Big Tooth' could also have provided an hour of grief if the big
croc had caught a small child in his jaws.
© W. T. Block,
Jr.
"Cannonball's
Tales" >
May 29, 2006 column
Reprinted from the Beaumont Enterprise, Saturday January 2, 1999
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