Men Devoured by Sharks at Sydney.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 148, 3 April 1886, Page 4

Men Devoured by Sharks at Sydney.

The ioliowing horrible narration is from the Sydney '"Town and Country Journal" of 13 th March :— The fate of at least one of the unfortunate men who have been missing irom the Austral sinco Sunday week, has been unquestionably settled by the resultfe of a pobt mortem examination of one of the sevon sharks caught in the harbour on Sunday. The sharks were all fully developed, and two or three of them were giant-like specimens of then order. The sharks were on Monday afternoon exhibited to those who cared to inspect so unusual a haul of these terrors of the sea. When public curiosity began to wane, and theim pi ovised showmen thought they had secured all the patronage their poculiarexhibit was likely to attract, they, with seamanlike curiosity, resolved to explore the capacious interiois of the naonstera. One after another the sharks v\ ere opened, but with no results, until operations were begun on the largest shark : their searches were then rewarded with a horrible discovery. As soon as an entry had been made into the largest shark a piece of clothing was discovered, and on this being brought to the light of day it was found to be the leg of a pair of trousere. The next thing discovered was a pair of brace 3. The discoveries weie enough to chill any one's blood with the horrible anticipation of what a silent tale of tepulsive horrors these things disclosed. But the find was not complete. Continuing the search Mr Benj. Barnett came upon the foot of a man. The monster had made a clean bito just above the instep, and from that portion to the toes the foot was complete. It was in a perfect state of preservation. The only thing which was in any way abnormal was a slight discoloration of the skin. In the other shark a quantity of undigested human ekin, bones, and a penny piece were found. These discoveries at once broiurht up the memory of the three men who had been missed from the Austral. Communication was made with the authorities ot the vessel. Mr Ponticost, the third officer, was sent to make the painful examination, and after a close and careful inspection of the foot, the leg of the trousers, and the braces, he failed to recogniso the identity of eithei of the men in the boat, but ho had not the slightest doubt that the leg of the trousers belonged to a man named James Barefoot, one of the men missing from the Austral. Theie can be little doubt that Barefoot is not the only man who has fallen a victim to the appetite of these terrors of the harbour, The boi-es and the flesh found in the second shark deem to have been portions of some one's body which tho shark failed to digest. Had it not been that the shaik in the interior of which the remains of poor Barefoot were found had taken such ravenous bites, the fate of this unfortunate fellow would probably have for ever I'emnined a sealed mystery. The matter was reported to the Coroner, but he declined to hold an inquest on a foot which no ono could identify.