MAN MAULED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16874, 11 February 1929, Page 7

MAN MAULED

ATTACKED BY CROCODILE CAIRNS HORROR CAIRNS, Jan. 26. Bathing in only 18in of water in a swimming enclosure close to the heart of the town, Kevin Conlon, 24, was attacked by a crocodile lajit night. Conlon'was in the water with two companions, Ken O'Shea and Mick Thompson. As soon as the crocodile made a dash at Conlon, all three made for the shore, but before he had moved a yard Conlon was attacked. He man aged to stagger to the sand, where his companions picked him up and carried him to tho embankment. From there he was taken to the Cairns District Hospital, where he was admitted in a serious condition. However, he showed a, slight improvement this morning. O'Shea gave a. graphic description of the crocodile's attack. "We were about 15 yards from the edge of the sand in water that reacflod to our knees, and were, discussing the possibility of sharks being in the vicinitv. .Thompson had only just uttered, 'We, have taken a risk before, so I reckon we.can lake it again.' when the crocodile struck Conlon, who was squatting low in the water. "He leapt into the air and let out a yell and staggered forward. I was standing in front of him—about five feet away—and saw the brute's snout, which seemed to be well over a foot in length, rise out of the water, and its front claw hit Conlon in the middle of the back, under the shoulder blade. We all made a bolt for the sand, and ns soon as Con lon reached it he collapsed. "Thompson called out, 'For Cod's sake keep going; he's corning- out.' Three of Us ran to Conlon. picked him up. and carried him to the embankment. Tho crocodile had bitten a piece out of his hip, and along the middle of his back were claw marks, two of which were very deen rips. "The crocodile must have conic into the bath through one of the big holes in the wire netting fence round the enclosure. The boles are quite big enough to allow the brute to get through." Later in the, evening two men. Constable Carseldine and Percy Wilkinson, each of whom had a rifle, noticed n crocodile still cruising around just outside the enclosure. Although they were handicapped bv the darkness both men fired simultaneously and the great crowd of onlookers, which had gathered, stated that the crocodile turned over, hut whether the shots were Fatal or not cannot be determined. There was a flash of phosphorous and the crocodile dis appeared.