The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-09-04 00:00:00

AEPORM) SHARK AT NAPLES.

The Naples Corresponde4t of The Times: w#Wsi
date AliguA 27 ;

‘‘ TIT() 1s been a Rreat scare among the bathing
pppula,tion on the shores of our bay, and for a time
the Pleasure of the villeggiatura will be much dimi-
nished. A shark has been announced among the
numerous other visitors, and it has been aimounCed
on such gold authority that it a preaenee can scarcely
d
be o,ubte, Tha sa,ilors of the Admiral's vessel the
0,44 ‘c4 enova, says an evening paper, were the
first to observe it. According to their calculation the
length of this dreaded visitor is seven metres, or about
25ft. or 26ft. long, while its weight is presulned
to be frpin 10 to :P qnintals---a quintal being equal
to about 1001bs. People are naturally afraid of corning
face to face with such a monster, and bathing is by the
many suspended. It has been seen also by some
fishermen at the entrance of the gulf, and on the same
day it was signalled as passing under the bows of the
Pit 4 Ge303:4, which is anchored 4ff the arsenal,
On IVlonday night, at half-past eleven o'clock, it was
signalled twipe as being within fifty metres, something
less than two hundred feet, from the la,nding-place of
the Via Caracciolo, in the direction of the .Koological
ITtitution qt th Vlll Na4ianale. One of the
prin-ciPal bathing Places is close by, and the.
.pesce-
calie, as it is commonly called here, has judiciously
chosen the sites of his wanderings. From the
vessels lying at anchor off the arsenal delicacies are
always sure to be thrown, while among the bathers
a borax M43' LP oiloaslo24ly seize 4. how-
ever this may be, great alarm exists, and if
Dr. Doliru could organize a successful enterprise
for the capture of the monster, he would be a,
great public benefactor, and Might decorate the de-
pository of his living treasures with the remains of the
largest specimen of the kind which has tor some time
been seen in Our bay. Indeed, it is not uncommon
to hear the iepOrted visit of the shark, and I distinctly
remember the narrow escape of two friends while
bathing at Massa Lubreuse, near Sorrento. Purihg
the same season it was seen o Salerno, arid the lass
of a limb to some poor mortal was the consequence.
,
The blue shark is more commonly seen in the
Mediterranean, but from its size I presume that the
monster which is now roving about is the white shark,
and if so it may well be drea,ded. Qoatrary,' says the
Pungo?o,'to the assertions of most persons that the
shark attacks a man only on his leaving the water,
competent persons and captains of vessels assure us
that it attacks a man even in deep sea, and after
having killed him with blows of his tail, 49\rosu.rs
him.' "

4 DEmieT CAN.OE. —lntelli"gence has been re-
ceived through ReUter'S Agency that the Master of the
British steamer Antadis, which arrived at Gibraltar
from Newcastle, with coals on the morning pg the
20th inst., after 4 passage of 7 days, reports having
piel,ced up a canoe on the'l44 inst. in the Wish
Channel, eight miles east-south-east. cf Omen; SAght-
veasel. The canoe contained me pair qf lace-up
i
boots, two small rods (for poling n shallow water),
three parcels, one leather money belt (empty), andtwo
small hampers with some food.