Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-12
SHARKS THAT EAT MEN
Story Of a Cruise That Was Tragedy
From Beginning to End.
SIX MONTHS OF HORROR.
A Navy Omcer's Account Of His First six
Months Ina the service-How He Saw Four
teen People Eaten by Fish-Earthquakss,e
Tidal Wave and Yellow Fever.

i
~ published lately, to the effect that sharks
never do eat men, seem ridiculous enough to
me- With my own eyes have seen more than
a dozen human being devoured by these ogers
Of the Deep"
1t was naval officer holding an important
position in Washington who made the remark,
In conversation with writer for The STAR.
he added THE year was 1867 and was on
my first cruise. In six months at the begin
ming OF my career in the service, met with
more hardships and exciting experiences than
nave fallen to my lot during all the years since
then. Just after Macmillan had been shot
was ordered to report at Hampton Roads on
BOARD the Susquehanna, which was bound for
mexico. Our mission was to get the body of
the dead emperor and hand it over to Ahe Aus
trians. History records that we were not sue
| tale.
| The Susquehanna, which was the biggest
side-wheel steamer in the navy, Law in the har-
Dor OIL Vera Cruz under the guns of San Juan
olioa. The Austrian frigate Elizabeth was
also there waiting to receive the remains.
Inc month was August, and remember well
the evening when the shore boats of both ships
lett the port for their respective vessels. 1
mad command OF the Susquebanna's boat, and
we reached the steamer in safety Just as a big
squat was coming. For curiosity sake merely
stood on deck and watched to see how long the
austrian boat would venture to carry sail. She
Kept on bravely, when suddenly she struck on
| rock In the middle of the harbor and was
capsized. OF course those on board of her
| were all thrown into the water and every man
OF them was gobbled by the sharks There
were fourteen gallant fellows in all and every
one OF them was eaten in plain sight from
| ance could be rendered. In fact the whole
! tragedy was finished in less time than il takes
to tell the story.
| INFESTED BY MAN-EArERs
The harbors in those waters are infested by
swarms OF man-eaters. Having failed in our
mission, we left for Tampico. The bar there is
famous place for sharks. They are gray
sharks and SO savage that they will instantly
snatch up Jumps Of coal thrown overheard I
have seen it disputed whether shark turned
| on its side or not when about to grab for any,
thing, but my own observation has
been that they invariably do SO,
showing the white. of their bellies.
We captured one monster subsequently at
Matanzas, on the north side of Cuba where a
little while before a similar specimen had
caught at q mans feet that hung in the water
| while he was painting a ship. In that case the
shark pulled his victim off the float on which
| he sat and ate him up
I'VE returned to New York and started thence
during October of the same year for the Island
OF st. thomas In the West Indies. Our mission
this time was to arrange for the purchase of
| the island with view to using it as a coalino
station On the 2Sth OF the month. while on
OUT way southwark there were indications of a
cyclone, which struck US the following day
apout ooo miles due east from Charleston, s. C.
mat night l had the second dog
watch, from 6 to 8 pm, and was afforded
| an opportunity Of witnessing one OF
| the most terrific hurricanes OH record. The
snip struggled through it, now OF top Of
mountain OF water and now in the valleys
beneath, rolling frightfuly. You can judge of
! the dlihculty OF maintaining a footing on deck
when tell you that the roll to leeward was
reckoned at As degrees and the roll to windward
| at Al degrees.
When my watch was ended 1 was glad to 70
below, although there the situation was hardly
more enjoyable. On one side of my room was
a great clothes press. 1t got loose from its
moorlngs and proceeded to slide back and for.
ward across the floor. When the vessel rolled
que way II shd down In my direction and
smashed against the berth in which Law
When the ship rolled the other way it slid back
again, and 80 1t went back and forth each time
crashing against my berth, while / chung close
10 the snip side to avoid being crushed l
| thought Tor some time that the berth would he
broken to pieces and that should be smashed
like ny. However, before this happened. the
huge article Of furniture had pounded itself ali
| to bits.
We managed to keep afoat and reached Ha-
| -
Thomas had been well nigh wiped out bv the
hurricane. That being our port of destination
we steamed thither. We found the picturesoue
little hand-locked harbor filled with wrecks.
Seventy-three vessels had been destroyed. and
| 1t was reported that between 700 and 500 lives
had been lost. or this number 27O were lost
on board royal mail steamer which had an
cnoreo outside. The corpses. as many as were
recovered. were thrown into pits. the weather
being warm and necessity requiring immediate
| burial. There were two pits. with 800 bodies in
! each.
AN EARTHQUAKE WAVE.
I'VE dropped anchor in the harbor within
sight OF a famous castle which the original of
Bluebeard in the fairy tale is said to have oc-
| cupied. Nothing eventful occurred until two
weeks after the hurricane. The weather was
perfect and one afternoon came upon deck to
smoke cigar. While thus engaged I was
startled by sudden rumbliug and Earring as il
| the ship had been under way and we had
struck upon a rock. l jumped up, booked
ashore and saw clouds of dust arising and the
people running. Then knew 1t was an earth
quake. There were two more shocks and then
| looked seward and saw an immense wall
OF water approaching. 1t seemed from forty
| to sixty feet high. As it camc saw il curI
over tug boat and bury it. Quick orders were
| shouted, but almost Immediately the wall
| struck the Susquohauna broadside on. For
tunately for us, the mighty wave had lost its
crest before it reached us, SO that it was trans
formed into swell. Nevertheless, the shock
was SO tremendous that the chains running ont
| through the hawse holes blazed like fire with
the rapid friction. For some moments il
seemed as II we must part our cables and be
swept ashore. but the reflux Of the wave came
back from the land and released the strain. 40
that we held fast
Tho loss Of life by this tidal wave was com-
paratively small, simply because all the vessels
In the harbor had been destroyed previously Inv
the hurricane and only few ships which had
arrived subsequently were caught The De
Soto was also in the port at the time She did
snap her chains and rushed around the harbor
ike mad bull In ring, carried by the cur-
| rents. The people on shore ran up into the
hills. Some who were on board of vessels and
saw the wave coming jumped into boats and
tried to reach the land in time to escape IL
They were caught and drowned. We picked M
fourteen of their bodies
Ihe earthquakes continued at intervals On
shore we could hear the people wailing and
crying and the situation was 80 distressing
generally that Capt. Fairfax of the Susoue.
| hanna ordered up the baud, and airs from the
opera OF the Grand Duchesse' were struck nm
some thought that the performance was uac.
riiegious but it had a bracing effect The
| quakes went on all night, shaking the vessel
| continually.
ION the next day . vessel arrived from Santa
Cruz, bringing Midshipman (now commauder1
Craig, who came to tell Us that assistance was