Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-01
"A BATTLE WITH SHARKS.
A Fight for Life Lasting q Whole
afternoon.
Mobile Renister.


Captain Francis Ganello, of the Italian
bark M8ddalena, who arrived here on
the Sd inst, related the following cir
cumstances 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 a 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 tour hun
dred yards from shore, when they met
high breakers and saw it was almost i'm
possible to land, as a sea was running
over the bar. The Captain made signals
to those on shore to come off to his as
sistance, but no attention was paid to
his movements. He then determined
to try to land, and, pointing the
bow of his boat to the shore, told his
men to pull. which they did with
a 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 filed Three of the sailors got each
an oar and tried to make shore, which
they succeeded in reaching in an ex
hausted 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. The men
fought them with desperation, though
the Captain came so near their merciless
jaws as to have his breeches torn in sew
eral 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, entan-
gled in the cordage, and the Captain
succeeded in lOosening it, and, with the
sailor at one end, took the other. They
asked the passenger to take hold of the
middle of the mast, but he refused, say
ing he feared the sharks. He told the
Captain that he would wait in the boat
and begged him to send speedy assist
ance. The venturesome pair were
thrown on the beach by heavy sea in
an exhausted condition. AS soon as
they partly recovered they told the citi-
zens of the passenger yet adTift, and a
boat with six oars was Immediately rig
ged and went out in search of the unfOr-
tunate 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 fird the
launch. They searched until the night
was far gone, and finding no trace of
either launch or man, sadly returned to
shore. The next morning at daybreak
the Governor went out in a boat with a
picked crew and examined the whole
coast, and found neither boat nor pas
senger, 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 certified de.
position from the Governor of Greytown
relating the above facts.