Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-14
BATHING WITH A SHARK.

4 Boy Terribly Bitten While Bathin0 in
the East Ricer- Fighting for Lif'e in mid
.>frenni Nth Fight-F Foot Ionsfer-
Hoe Hewa sttrned by Bto,r From a
Stone UseG for az .Iuclaor.
New York Sun.
Last evening at 5 o'clock Charles Gates
aged Il, of As President street, Brooklyn.
and Arthur Cole, aged 16, of 90 Sackett
street, had novel and exciting encounter
with shark in the East river. They had
hired a boat at the foot of Columbia street
for tho purpose of going on crab tshinp
expedition. They embarked at O'Clock
and pulled slowly down the river until they
reached the breakwater between Columbia
and Hicks streets. Here Gates remarked to
his companion that he would like TO take
swim. Cole replied, ..Au right: peel off, an
I'll remain in the boat until your return
Gates undress ed plunged into the river
and swan several times around the boat.
Meanwhile Cole Was enga ed in attaching
a rope to large stone which he had ON
board, and which he meant to use as an
anchor after they began to fish. Coles at
tention was soon diverted from this work by
Il sudden and violent displacement of the
water, which almost upset the boat. Almos,
simultaneously with the shock which was
thus given him, he was startled 10y the
screams of his companion, who loudly called
for help. Cole concluded that Gates had
met with some accident, and was about to
leap into the water when, looking over the
side of the boat. he saw his companion
struggling with a shark.
There was no time to be lost. The cries
of Gates were growing fainter. and in a,
fa hov
feed. Cole bethought himself of the print
tive anchor he had been making. He
promptly seized the stone and with all his
strength hurled it at the shark. Fortunately
his aim was good, and the heavy stone struck
the shark on the he d.
Seemingly stunned by the blow for sec
ond, the shark released its hold upon Gates.
Cole seized this opportunity to rescue his
| friend, whose bleeding and mangled body
| vas about to sink. Cole lay to his oars, and
, few strokes brought him along side OF
| Gates, who was being swept along by the
| ide. He reached out his oar. but the
lrowning boy was unable to catch hold of il
| At last fortunate wave brought the boat
| and Gates body close together, and Cole
| leaned over the side. and Selling Gates by
the head and shoulder. pulled him on board
| BY this time the shark had partially re
covered, and he began to plunge violentl,
,bout in the water. The speeches. and al
most lfeless Gates placed in the bottom
Of the boat. and Cole again lay to his oars
| and pulled with all his strength in the direc
ton of the boat house from whence they hac
| started. The shark seemed to have lost its
| reckoning when it missed its victim, anc
,fter making divers mnaoeuvres it disap
peared.
On reaching the shore it was found thai
Gates was terribly !acerated. His bod,
seemed to be bleeding at every pore. HI
| was exhausted from loss of blood, as well az
from the effect of the terrible nervous shoci
! he haG sustained. An ambulance was tele
graphed for. DIR. Cochran and an ambulanc,
promptly arrived at McCuthrys boathouse
where the unfortunate boy had been pro
| vided with a blanket, and otherwise temper
arily cared for.
After a cursory examination of Gate
wounds the Ambulance Surgeon pronounced
him to be in a most critical condition, ant
directed his immediate removal TO st. Peter
| Hospital at Hicks and Congress streets
Here the wounds we're closely examined b,
the resident surgeon. 1t was found that tn
boys back and sides were horribly lacerated
md little if any hope is entertained of hi
recovery.
Cole. who is made the hero of the hour b.
his relatives and neighbors, is a lad of quie
aemeanor. and has unusual intelligence TO
his age. He saws that the shark was at leae
eli int feet in length.