The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-22

FIGHTING FOR LIFE WHOLE AFThhNooN-
ONE MAN THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN DE-
y0yRED.
| Mobile Register.I
| Captain Francis Ganello, OF the Italian
! bark Maddalena, who arrived here on the
I'D instant. related the following circtm-
stance. which occurred to him while with
his vessel at Greytown, Nicaragua, where
he arrived on the 9Th Of June. He ordered
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 of, when
French passenger, named Leon BIZ
rard, asked the captain to bic allowed
10 90 in the launch; which request was
granted. They pulled to within three or
four hundred yards from shore, when they
saw the high breakers and saw 1t was
almost impossible TO land, as high sea was
running over the bar. The captain then
made signals to those on shore to come of
to his assistance. but no attention was paid
to his movements. The captain then de-
termined to try to land, and, pointing the
bow OF his boat to the shore, told his men
to pull, which they did with q will. The
launch safely crossed the first and second
reefs, but when they neared the third reef
a very heavy breaker struck the boat, which
capsized and filed. Three OF the sailors
each got 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 large
school OF sharks encircled the frail craft
and continually drew nearer. They fought
them with desperation, though the captain
came so near their merciless jaws as to have
his breeches torn in several places. From
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 follow him.
The mast OF the launch was near by, en-
tangled i'm the cOrdage, and the captain sue
ceeded in lOOsenibg it, and, with the sailor
ut one end, took the other. They asked the
passenger to come on and take hold OF the
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 to send speedy assistance. The
ventresOme pair were thrown on the
beach by heavy sea in an exhausted con-
dition. As soon as they partly recovered
they told the citizens of the passenger yet
adrift, and boat with six oars was imme-
diately rugged and went out in search OF
the unfortunate man and the launch.
The captain, having recovered from his
buffeting with the waves, procured another
boat and pushed from shore with one of his
own sailors to find the lauEch. They
searched until the night was far gone, and
finding no trace Of either launch or man
sadly returned to shore. The next morn
ing at daybreak the Governor went out in
a boat with picked crew and examined
the whole coast, and found neither boat
nor passenger, and concluded that the
launch had been beaten to pieces on the
reefs, and that the unfortunate passenger
had been devoured by the voraciOus sharks.
Captain Ganello brought a certified depo-
sition from the Governor Of Greytown re-
lating the above facts, which deposition is
now in the possession OF Mr.. George Ate,
vice-consul OF Italy at this port.