MAN v. SHARK.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 January 1929, Page 2

MAN v. SHARK.

.FRIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE OF FIJIAN.

STRUGGLE BY STEAMER’S SIDE.

AUCKLAND, Jan. 9. At least one Fijian-, a well-known diver named Laitia, will have sad cause to remember New Year’s l/ay, writes the Suva correspondent ot tne Auckland "Herald.” He was the central Figure m a thrilling struggle with a bloodthirsty shark that toon place on W ednesday within a lew feet ol the side ot the steamer Moeraki as she lay at the Aing’s wharf in readiness to sail lor Sydney.

Laitia, who belongs to Suvavou, a native village near- Suva, has made a practice of visiting ail; snips, ana, as .usual, Was entertaining what happened to he . a record number or passengers on the Moeraki on New Year s Hay. \\ ith several others lie had ueen diving all the morning. Suddenly a passenger hung, a sixpence far out from the side of the ship, and many feet beyond where the other coins had iullen. undaunted, the unsuspecting Laitia dived alter it, and’ the watching crowd waited, interested’ to see if it; would elude him and sink to the bottom. He appeared to be having difficulty, as a commotion was observed several feet under the water, but the crowd suspected nothing. Then the Fijian came to the surface, and with him a tour-' teen-foot grey sliarh, grasping iirmly in its jaws one of Ins arms. Terrorstricken, the crowd saw Laitia lightwildly with his free arm, hitting at tlie monster and shrieking for help-. The water closed over the pair as the shark pulled its victim down. What appeared to ,be an age later Laitia came to the surface, tnis time alone. A second Fijian dived from a canoe which had rushed to the spot, and' attempted to assist him into it. Then suddenly a fresh horror swept tile crowd, They had seen as the diver fought the monster how one arm was being terribly mutilated, but now they saw liis two arms stripped clean of llesh from elbow to wrist, leaving the bare bodes exposed, and ribbons of skin and' flesh hanging from the wrists. But for ugly gashes both hands were left almost whole. Another shriek from the sullering victim showed that the shark had not given up its prey,«and it was feared that a leg hand gone. At last the Fijian was handed into the canoe, and’ it jvas then seen that the shark had bitten savagely into the Meshy part of the man’s leg. Jb lightened by other Fijians, the monster made off.

Instructions were shouted in Fijian to the natives in the canoe to apply tourniquets on both the bleeding arms, for which sulus were torn up and used. The wonderful stamina of the Fijian was well demonstrated. For some minutes he sat up in the canoe looking at his arms, and then he fell back in a faint. He was rushed’ to hospital, Where both arms were amputated: Dr. Harper said Laitia’s condition was still' very serious, but that lie was out of clanger. The amputation, lie said, had been necessary, as all. the flesh had been tom away on tlie lower arms, leaving the hones and hands entirely without circulation!

Although Fijian divers have -been for many years entertaining travellers on ships calling at Suva by diving for coins, this is the first misadventure of the kind that has occurred.