WRECK DRAMA
ATLANTIC STORM
SURVIVORS' ORDEAL
SURROUNDED BY SHARKS
TWENTY-ONE MEN SAVED By Telegraph—Press (Received November 15, 5.5 p.in). NEW YORK. Nov. 14 A telegram from Norfolk, Virginia, states that the crew of the coastguard cutter Mcndota rescued 21 survivors of the Greek steamer Tzenny Chandris, which sank off Cape Hatteras yesterday. Two of those rescued had floated in the water for hours, keeping off sharks by Hailing them with their life-belts. The sharks devoured the carcases of sheep and goats from the steamer. Lieutenant burke in an amphibian aeroplane guided the Mcndota to the spot by dropping smoko bombs until lack of petrol forced him to fly back. Smoke flares from another aeroplane led the Mcndota to a lifeboat containing 12 survivors. "We had boon over the scono for two hours," said Lieutenant Burke, "when we saw five dead bodies floating, Then we saw two men with lifebelts. Ono waved feebly to us. Tho other was bobbing up and down and kicking with his feet. "Then we were horrified to see sharks 35 feet away from the two. Tho more active ono seemed to sense tho danger. Everywhere wo looked there were sharks and more sharks. AYo dropped smoke bombs over the two men to attract the Mendota and also to frighten the sharks.
'"We had about decided to chance landing 011 the sea to attempt to rescue tho men :vhen the Meudota put over a boat. It was a horrible, gruesome sight. e did not know how many men were missing or eaten by sharks. We saw none, but another pilot said he saw many sharks tearing bodies and many empty life-belts floating. "There was a high sea and it would hare been dangerous to land but we would have' chanced it if the Mendota had not out-raced the sharks." The captain of tho steamer is missing, The 13 men in tho lifeboat were in the water for some time after it caipsized and were surrounded by sharks.
The survivors reported that the Tzenny Chandris sank 10 minutes after her abandonment by the crew.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19371116.2.93
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22887, 16 November 1937, Page 10
Word Count
346WRECK DRAMA New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22887, 16 November 1937, Page 10
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