DEATH GRIP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20964, 1 March 1930, Page 2

DEATH GRIP.

MELBOURNE SHARK HORROR. VAIN FIGHT FOR LIFE. CROWDS WATCH. (From Ouk Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 20. The fatal attack by a monster shark ou young Norman Clark while he was bathing off Middle Brighton Pier, Melbourne, on Saturday last constituted one of the most tragedies Australia has known. Hundreds of people watched Clark’s vain fight for life; hundreds watched him mauled by the maneater, and hundreds watched him dragged out to sea after death had put him out of his misery. Clark’s fiancee was among those who witnessed the tragedy. Although many sharks have been seen in the bay from time to time, Melbourne has been particularly free of tragedies such as that which shocked the community on Saturday. Melbourne people had come to regard Sydney beaches as the home of the man-eaters, and this false security had made the swimmers of the southern capital somewhat foolhardy. There was a shark tragedy here 50 years ago, hut most people had forgotten all about it. Perhaps it was for that reason, that they laughed at the warning of sailors who on Friday said that a particularly largo shark had been seen close in to the shore.

The shark is supposed to have been one of the grey nurse type which, local fishermen had been angling for during the past week. It was of tremendous size, and eye-witnesses said that it looked like an upturned boat when it rose from the water with the unfortunate Clark in its jaws. Clark; who lived at Middle Brighton, went to the beach with his girl friend for a swim. Most of the bathers left the water when a dinghy race was about to start. However, Clark made the fatal decision to have a swim, and he was in the act of diving when the cry of “ Shark ” rang out. It was too late for Clark to hear it, and a huge fin appeared about 9ft from the end of the pier just as Clark touched the water. The next instant there was a threshing of the shark’s tail and the lad’s arms and legs. He screamed, and in a flash he was dragged under. Immediately afterwards the shark rose with Clark in its jaws. It appeared to have him by the waist. Clark continued to scream and to bent the monster with his hands. He was dragged under time and again, and each time he appeared he was being taken further out into the bay- In 30sec Clark, in the grip of the shark, was 30yds from the pier, and as he emerged above the blood-stained water the shark viciously tossed him about, but never released its grip. Clark was dragged under about 10 times, and each time his screams became fainter and fainter until it was clear that he was dead.

Clark’s brother, Russell, aged 12, was on the pier and was an eye-witness of the tragedy. Terrified, he ran away and was found crying at the end of the pier. He was taken in hand for a few moments by kindly folk, and then, unfortunately, was allowed to go home alone. He ran to his mother, who was having afternoon tea with some, friends, and said, “ Mummy, a shark has taken Norman.” The mother was prostrated. Since the death of their father some six years ago, Norman and his brother David bad been the main support of their mother. David explained that he and his brother had often swum about off the pier without any thought of danger. Norman, he said, was a very • strong swimmer, and he thought that it must have been a shark of large proportions that got him. David had appealed to Norman to play cricket instead of going swimming that afternoon, but Norman insisted upon sivnnming. And as Melbourne has been suffering dreadfully from a succession of heat waves, his decision is easy to understand. While the death battle was proceeding many women who were on the pier at the time fainted. Because the shark attacked the lad in deep water, no one was able to go to his assistance. As it was there were no strong swimmers handy who might have essayed' the almost impossible task of beating off the monster. The shark was too far away from the beach to be scared by the shouting of the people there. All efforts to trace the body of the youth have failed; likewise efforts to cafceh the shark. A shark of huge size was hooked twice on Monday, but each time escaped from the specially strong tackle that was used.