SHARK VICTIMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23928, 31 March 1941, Page 6

SHARK VICTIMS

FOUR MEN" IN WATER

AFLOAT IN AN ICE BOX FIREMAN WITNESSES FATE SYDNEY, March 2!) "I was on watch below at the engines when the skipper rang 'hard astern'," said Mr. W. Hamilton, a fisherman, describing the mining of the trawler Millimumul. "I had just given her full astern when a. terrific explosion occurred. The boat jumped foot out of {he water. The lights went: out. "The boilers were still intact, so I knew it must be a mine, I came out of the depths to see my mates round me. 1 saw an ice-box floating near by. I filled it about a third full ol water to keep if on an even keel and clambered in. "Scores of sharks were circling round, attracted by thv tons of fish scattered about. 1 heard my mates crying lor help, but could do nothing. I beard .lack Dempsey, the second engineer, cry, Mie s got me,' and then silence. I saw four of m.v mates taken by the sharks in no time. Taken Into Boat "I sat in the box with sharks swimming round me. Alter what seemed hours in the water the lifeboat drifted toward me and they took me into the boat. About dawn on Thursday we pulled back to the scene of the wreck. There was a lot, of wreckage, but no sign of our mates." "The mine hit the ship about a third of the way forward, and a terrific explosion occurred," said Mr. T. Grundy, a deck hand. "The ship was still going ahead, as the engines had not had time to. pull her up. The way had .tightened the mine's mooring line and pulled it against the hull. "Straight Under Water" "There was a bit of panic as we tried to knock the cleats off the lifeboats. The ship's head dropped immediately and the fore deck went straight under water. The trawler lurched, and I was thrown into the sea. As 1 broke water I sang out and Lowe, who was on a raft, shouted to me to come over. "The trawler had disappeared, but the lifeboat was floating bottom up 200 yards away. The mate had Ogilvie with him when I swam over. On the way I heard a call from Kelly. I swam him to the lifeboat. He was in a bad way. I held him up for a quarter of an hour until he got his strength back. "Ogilvie and Lowe swam over to us from the raft and the four of us righted the lifeboat and got in it practically exhausted."