Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-07-25
A BATTLE WITH SHARKS,
A Fight for Life Lasting Whole
Afternoon.

Afternoon.
Capt. Francis Ganello, of the
italian bark Maddalena, who arrived
here on the 3rd instant, related the
following circum stances, which oc-
Cured to him while his vessel at
Greytown, Nicaragua, where he ar
rived on the 9th of June He Or
dered his launch to be rugged with
mast and four oars and sailors to use
them. Taking his ships papers with
him, he entered the launch and was
about to push off when a French
passenger, named Leon Birard,
asked the captain to be allowed to
go in the launch, which request was
granted. They pulled to within
three or four hundred yards from
shore, when they met high breakers
and saw it was almost impossible
to land, as a sea was running over
the bar The captain made signals
to those on shore to come off to his
assistance, but no attention was paid
to his movements. He then deter
mined to try to land, and pointing
the bow of his boat to the shore, told
his men to pull, which they did with
will. The launch safely crossed
the first and second reefs, but when
they reached the third reef very
heavy breaker struck the boat, which
capsized and filled. Three of the
sailors got each an oar and tried to
make shore, which they succeeded in
reaching in an exhausted condition.
The captain, with one sailor and the
French passenger, laid hold of the
launch, righted her, and, though it
was full of water, got in and waited
for assistance.
While thus anxiously waiting, a
large school of sharks encircled the
frail craft and continually drew near
er. The men fought them with der :
peration, though the captain came so
near their mercness jaws as to have
his breches torn in several places.
From three o'clock until nearly
nightfall they kept up the fight for
life, when the captain made up his
mind to attempt to swim ashore, and
told the sailor and passenger to fol-
low him. The mast of the launch
was near by, entangled in the cord
age, and the captain succeeded il
loosening it and, with the sailor al
one end, took the other. They ask
d the passe, ger to take hold of t. I
middle of the mast, but he refused
saying that he feared the sharks
He told the captain that he would
wait in the boat and begged him tc
send speedy assistance. The ven
turesome pair were thrown on the
beach by heavy sea in an exhausted
condition. As soon as they partly
recovered they told the citizens O
the passenger vet adrift, and boat
with SIX oars was Immediately rugged
and went out in search of the unfor'
tunate man and the launch.
The captain, having recovered from
his butfeting with the waves, pro-
cured another boat and pused from
shore with one of his own sailors tt
find the launch. They searched I'm
til the night was far gone, and ind
ing no trace of either launch or MAJ
sadly returned to shore. The mex
morning at daybreak the Governo
went out in a boat with a PICKED
crew and examined the whole coas
and found neither boat nor passen-
ger. and concluded that the launcl
had been beaten to pieces on thu
reefs and that the unfortunate pas
senger had been devoured by tn
yoracious sharks. Captain Ganello
brought a certified deposition from
the Governor of Greytown relating
the above facts.-Mobile Register.