Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-02-17
HIGH TIDES AND SHARKS.
An Adventure in the Panama Bay That
Nearly Cost Many Lives.

Nearly Cost Many Lives.
When the tide commences to rise
in the bay of Panama it means bust
ness. My knowledge on this subject
was acquired In a manner that can
not now recall without shudder, al
though over twelve years have passed
since the happening of the event to
which | have referred.
| was then, with a party % other
young men, stationed ON board one OF
the Pacific Mail steamers lying at an
Choir in Panama bay, some four miles
off shore We were all in the employ
of the company and had received strict
orders from the captain not to go ashore
without direct permission from him.
self
We were far from being pleased at
this command, and we had resolved
to go ashore with or without permits
sion at the very first opportunity. The
chance offered itself the following
morning at o'clock. A small steam
launch lay fastened tothe gangway; In
this the steward was preparing to ''go
to town" for his market supplies.
Steam was up, the engineer had gone
''belOw" for some needed article, and
there was the steam launch, unguarded
and unOccupied.
Boys" said I there were four of
u.s., heres our chance. Suppose we
jump into the launch and make a
break for shore?" This proposition
met with hearty approval, and in less
than five minutes we were steaming
away from the ship as fast as the little
putting concern could take us.
Things went along very smoothly
for a while. We watched the pelicanS
as they dove into the water after their
breakfast with a great deal of interest.
Shoals of fish here and there also at
tracted our attention.
by George, what's that?" said I,
pointing to a small blackish object cut
ting through the water a short dis
lance from the boat
ooh, that's only shark" said one
of the boys who had been there before.
There are lots of them in the bay,
man eaters, too; but we're all right
here in the boat"
Smash bump! A series of tumbles
and yells suddenly broke in on the
shark story. | was thrown violently
forward, and when finally our wits
had returned to us we found that we
had run into a ledge of rocks. A large
hole was stove" in the bow and we
seemed to be fairly wedged in, SO that
it was impossible to move the boat one
way or the other.
Perhaps she'll float when the tide
rises, [ observed, knowing that it was
then dead low tide. There was moth
ing to do then but to wait for it, and
before very long the tide did begin to
rise, but the boat still remained fast to
the rocks.
After some half hour or so Of anx-
ious waiting and watching the water
was level with the gunwales and be-
gan to pour in over the sides. We had
managed to stop up the hole in the
bow by stutfing our coats into it, but
this new difficulty was too much for
us and we began, therefore, to look
anXiOusly in the direction of the ship,
about half a mile distant, for help.
The tide meanwhile continued to rise
until the boat was submerged several
feet and we were standing in water
nearly up to our shoulders.
Does the tide rise very high in this
bay?" I asked, becoming frightened.
Does it," replied the young man,
who seemed to know all about the sub
ject. well, | should say it did. 1t
only rises twenty-five feet; that's all"
''Twenty-two feet, we added in
chorus. ''Oh, Lordp I exclaimed,
1--WE can't swim ashore from this dis
lance, and"-
See, over there, its a shark; there's
another, we're done for now for GER
TAIN" broke in one of the boys excited
ly. Sure enough, there they were;
we could see them. There seemed to
be dozens of them circling around the
spot and the water was now up to our
necks.
Well, we just yelled and cried in
concert, and one pious young man be-
gan to say his prayers. I was SO
frightened that could do nothing but
follow the movements of one dOrsal
fin cutting the water near by some
what as frightened bird might watch
the movements of a snake.
Finally we had to swim to keep
afloat We could all do this, fortu-
nately. We then began to wish each
other goOd-by, and [ was beginning to
wonder how it would feel to be seized
hold of by a shark when my attention
was directed to shouts near at hand.
THANK God" | shouted back, thur
~, hurry up, for heavens sake, or the
sharks viii get usp'
1t was the ships boat, which had
been sent to our rescue and which ar
rived just in the nick of time.
We were all hauled up more dead
than alive with fright, and the officer
in charge of the boat further RECALLED
US with horrible shark stories as we
were being rowed back to the ship.
One Of the boys was laid up for weeks
after reaching the ship with a severe
attack of brain fever. [ even to this
day shudder at the mere mention of
the word sharks"
OF course we We're severely punish
ed for our escapade, but no punish
ment could have been inflicted equal
to that which we had already under
gone.
The little steam launch, to the best
of my knowledge, is still on the rocks
where we left it.-New York Herald.