SEIZED BY A SHARK.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 62, 27 February 1912, Page 2

SEIZED BY A SHARK.

OFF COOGEE BE\CH. YOFX(> MAN’S MARVELLOUS ESCAPE. Sydney. Feb. 20. Another shark sensation, the second within a month, occurred jesterday afternoon, whcui I’rederiek William Wert. 18, residing at 62 Phillip street, Newtown, was attack ed while swimming in the ocean at Coogee, This, even more than the case in the Anniversai.v Dav Li uged.v, was the result of recklessness on the part of the bather, and seems to emphasise the necessity fol great caution in swimming in unenclosed waters. That the young man in the present ease escaped with his life seems to be due to good foitune only. He encountered a shaik in deep water, where he was povvei le.-.s to defend himself from attack, and was fortunate in escaping after the shaik bit him once. The youth, in company with others, swam out from the noithern end of tlm beach to wheie a longline of seaweed and flotsam, resulting fiom the recent gale, lay in deep water about two hundred yards from the shore. Any fisherman might have told them that such banks of weed, hai buiiring, as they do, innumerable small fish, are just where sharks might be expected to be hovering about ; but the bathers must have been unaware of the fact, and they actually crossed the bank into the blue water beyond. Once across, Wort found himself in a terrible situation, for there, just balancing gently on its fins, motionless in the water, was a large shark. With commendable thought for his companions. Mort shouted a frantic warning ,and all dashed through the water back for the beach. In a second the shark had reached Wort, and made a snap at him. It is hard to believe that the shark was hungry, for though its teeth closed cn the young man’s left leg, it failed to hold him, ard did not make a second attack. The wound, however, was serious enough, and bleeding from a horrible laceration to the front muscles of his; leg and foot, Mci t was in a weak state when at last lie stiaggled j ashore. . | In addition to the wounds describ-j cd, he vv?»s suffering from an ext.cn-| slve abrasion on the right leg, but | whether this was caused by the; : b..-?k or ■.•ot Won was unable to ' TM Ramiuvk d; -isic-u of er- M . • John Ambulance rendered first atd,, and took Wort fi"r.'; to his home, ile'.i later to St. Vine? af s Hospunl. | where he was admitted by Dr. Bow-; , ( i-i It is a. theory witn D-x , shark will not attack a swimmer who j Las a s>dashing stroke such as the “trudgnon” “ckiwl,” and A may J be thai the sjilashiug ,■' ■ by ilm ■ swimmois wb m Won :;dsc<i tlrnj alarm of "shark” was the-means ot ■ trie-hleniug the monster xrom renew-■ ing its attack upon Wort. Another' marvellous feature of the or.cane is that, though a shark is commonly I supposed to grip bites; with bulldog-like tenacity. Wort was not held bv this shark, the probabil- • ity being that it bit too low dov. nj near the feet to secure a hold a I most fortunate circumstance tor rhe ; swimmer. I