ROWED FOR HER LIFE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14219, 17 February 1914, Page 7

ROWED FOR HER LIFE.

ATTACKED BY A SHARK. LADY SCCLITER'S ESCAPE. ADVENTURE AT COMO. . With a hungry shark fully fifteen feet long charging and re-charging at her outrigger,, Miss Emma Pickering, tlie noted lady sculler, rowed for her life on the George's River at Como this morning, says thg Sydney Sun of the Tltli in.st. She readied shore safely after a narrow escape, and then the shark turned its attention to Stanley Pickering, who was also in a shell, endeavouring to attract the brute’s attention from bis sister’s little craft.

A.iss Pickering,Vho is training for tho forthcoming match with ■ Miss Alma Larsen, accompanied by her brother,.left tire shed at Oatley Bav and pulled into the stream, where she and Stanley had a mile spin together and pulled up somewhere off Oatley Point preparatory to returning. 'Miss Pickering was talking to her brother, when a huge triangular tin glided between their boats, and before they recovered from their shock a shark fully liltecn feet long showed on the surface, and swished its tail as it made off up the river. Miss Pickering gasped and said: “Thank goodness it has gone, Stan.” But the words were barely out of her mouth when crash! the- shark had returned and attacked her boat. It charged right into the boat, and the frail thing rocked perilously. Miss Pickering, good sculler that she is, righted it cleverly, and then came a quick command from her brother: “Row for your life.” And clipping her sculls, she brought her boat round and dashed for the shore, with her pursuer splashing .and swimming round and round her. With wonderful presence of mind she stuck to her task and all the time her brother kept close to her in case she was capsized and attempted to scare the shark away. But it was not to be frightened, and returned to the attack. It hit the boat three times, and twice its jaws snapped ominously. Right up to the beach tho shark went, and as the nose of Miss Pickering’s boat scraped along the shelly bottom she leapt clear of the water oil to sand. She had had a narrow escape, but her mind was still on her brother, and how he faring. Stanley was' fifteen cards out battling with the monster, which refused to bo beaten off. He made a desperate dash for shore, and reached safety after the shark had crashed into ids' outrigger three times.

“I have been on tb" river hundreds of times,” said Miss Pickering, “but that is the first shark I have come into contact with. We had an exciting experience, and I certainly do not wisli to go through it again. It was a lucky eseano and T really think Stan and I are lucky to he alive now.”