The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-09-09
A MAN-EATER.
Narrow Escape or Bathers In the
Narrows OFF Old Ferry
Dock, N. Y.
Sudden Appearance in Their Midst OF
Huge Shark Swimming for Life
Against Desperate Chances.
Heroic Deed OF An Old Tar-He Knites
the Monster Within Three Feet
OF His Victim.

New YORK, September 5.-There were
about fifty strong swimmers disporting
IN the sparkling waters of the Narrows
yesterday off the cd Ferry dock at Staten
Is and, The young fellows were having
perfectly elegant time and the trailing
spectators enyied them for while. 1t
was near noon and the water had crisp,
cool look. Suddenly change came over
the scene, The outermost group of five
sturdy swimmers ceased their frisky
antics and, turning toward shore,
scattered aud were seen to make
the most desperate efforts to reach land.
An cd diver, John Taylor who has been
In the selylce Of the Coast Wrecking
Company for years, stood on the dock at
the time and the puzzled spectators asked
him what was the cause of the commo.
tion among the far off group of swimmers
who were making such desperate efforts
to get back to the shore He shaded his
eyes, and after looking out over the
glstening water with an earnest gaze for
u moment, replied
"lt'S man-eaters."
'What?" cried the excited crowd
There's shark after those boys"
said he, "sure; can see him."
"Where, where!" cried twenty voices.
"Look there. Look there. Look close,
twenty feet behind the last swimmer,
and you'll see his black lin sticking up"
The crowd strained their eyes aud in Il
moment broke out in chorus Of horror:
81 see him; there he is" Then the
| crowd yelled ''sharks" and all the swim
mers near began to strike out for
| land and came climbing up the
! dock in haste. The five swimmers
! who were having the race with the man.
eater meantime came ahead with desper-
ate strokes. They were SO near that
| their faces could be seen and the excited
crowd could MAKE out the looks of terror
| thereon. When twenty feet away the
shark was seen to turn and his white
belly glistened in the sun. The last
swimmer, an expert ana brave one, how.
ever, Owed at the proper time and In u
| brought him TO shoal water where he was
safe, The pursuit was continued, how.
ever, until the
| HUNGRY MONSTER
had fairly scraped against the sandy bot .
tom. When the specta orS were gasping
sigh OF relief, however, another cry of
horror broke out from the diver. He
| pointed far out over the water on the
other side OF the pier. There was an
| other swimmer frisking about alone on
! the water, unconscious of what had been
! going on or what terrible foe had
| been encountered so near. This
was young man named
| Thos. koh er. The crowd set up yell
at him and beckoned him back with fran
tic gesture. He did not understand at
first and padded slowly in. The crowd
kept up their cries, and finally he, al
though not understanding the meaning of
the connection, started back with all his
energy, evidently satisfied that there was
some good cause for this solicitude on
his behalf. The shark meantime had
been scouting the other side of the pier
where he had lost mis- game by so close a
shave, and seemed reluctant to leave so
rich ground.
"The shark Will get on to him sure"
said the diver to the excited spectators.
Giles only got to sweep around the head
OF the pier TO head him off as he comes
in on the other side" The situation was
now thrilling. The swimmer at last had
got at the true situation. He knew there
were sharks in the water, and, as he
swan, 1t was noticed that he looked APP
| prehensively at times, from side to side,
to learn from which quarter he might ex-
| pect the attack. His face wore an ex-
| preston OF desperation. shrek went
up from him as he drew near and saw
the shark rolling around on the opposite
side of the pier to that which he was APP
preaching. He swan for dear life, and
the crowd encouraged him with its fran
| tic cries and advice.
at sees him." yelled the spectators.
"Sure enough, the monster turned
about and pointed it's nose toward the
incoming swimmer. 1t was apparent
that the young man could not reach the
pier in time. The shark glided along
rapidly and the swimmer, too, was max
ing excellent time. The spectators could
calculate the conyerging lines, in which
the two were travelling, would meet
within few feet of the dock, and there
doubtless would be horrible scene.
The diver seemed to take sudden reso-
luton when it became apparent that
there was no escape for Kohler. He
took off his coat, hat and shoes aud bor-
rowed a
LONG SHEATH KNIFE
from sailor He then ran out to the
extreme end of the pier, where the shark,
1t was seen, would pass close by on its
course to its victim, who was now near
that point. AS it came nearer the crowd
saw that it was monster mo e than
eight feet long, and one of the shovel
nose species. Taylor is large man and
an expert swimmer. AS the shark swept
up and was rushing direct for Kohler,
turning on his back at the same time,
Taylor sprang from the pier with
the sheath.knife in his right hand.
He jumped eight feet before
striking the water, and landed about
one foot on the opposite side OF the
shark. The whole weight of Taylor's
body was thrown on the knife, which he
plunged, as he struck the water, into the
stomach of the shark Instantly Taylor's
arm, the water and the shark were al
L. 4 \ II