Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-29

was going in the opposite direction. He
was swimming rapidly, too, and actually
appeared to have been frighted away by the
human apparition. The black back could
be seen going toward the open sea, and the
wondering men soon lost sight of him far
! out in the tumbling waters. Oelrichs con-
tinued to dive and frolic In the water until
Judge Clancy got skiff and went out to
him and brought him back.
OF course, Oelrichs felt victorious,
although he did not say much, but his
friends were still far from convinced. The
fact that one shark had not bitten man
when he had the chance was no proof that
all sharks would act the same way, they
said. Judge Clancy ventured the opinion
that there were certain sharks that were
man-eaters, while the rest were timid. Let
shark once taste human blood, he said,
and he would thereafter be terror to all
humanity that came his way. Man-eaterS,
he thought, were more plentiful in Southern
waters, where natives were constantly fall-
ing into their Jaws Another man reclted
an instance, related by Bayard Taylor IN
his travels, where a shark hung around the
vessel for hours in the hope that someone
on board would accommodate his taste for
human flesh. That shark had record OF q
lives, and may have disposed of any num-
Der of unknown.
DOUBLED THE OFFER.
"AI boshr' said Oelrichs, ''mere gossip
and hearsav. The fellows who told Taylor
that were stufing him. The shark was look
ing for scraps from the table"
Then Judge Cluncy related his expert
ence in catching sharks and told how Wien
one had been dragged on to the beach a
short time before he had snapped at an oar
placed near him, and had almost bitten
through the blade
''O6, of course" replied Oelrichs, "when
be is out of water he will snap at anything
that comes near him, but let moving, lv-
ing human body come near him in the
water, and away he'll go, frightened out of
his wits"
Other men told of their experiences, and
one related how, when he had gone to
Haiti a wear before, the officers on the YES
sci described the way in which brother of
the English Consul had lost his arm to a
shark off JacmeL Still Oelrichs pooh
poohed all doubts of his theory, and said
that he would make his offer of $3.50 for an
authentic case of shark bite good at any
time Since then Mr.. Oelrichs has doubled
the offer, so that anybody who has been Bit
ten by shark, or can prove that any one
else has suffered this Inconvenience can
earn $500 by applying to Mr.. Oelrichs at his
Office in Bowling Green.
Mr. Oelrichs may frequently be seen
along the water front IN search of sailors
who have been alleged to have had encount
ers with sharks. He has spoken to many of
the officers and crews of vessels that visit
the Southern waters, especially the West
Indian seas, and says he feels more conf /
dence than ever in the truth of his theory
L. IL IL Ill .aff,o
has been spread throughout the merchant
marine and hundreds of seafarers have their
eyes and ears open for opportunities to
earn the $500.
NEARLY DESTROYED HIS FAITH.
One of the stories that reached Mr.. Oel-
richS' ears came very near to destroying his
faith. Two boys had been in bathing in
New York Bay, off South Brooklyn, when
one of them was seized and almost disap-
peared. He was rescued with difficulty,
and when brought to shore was almost in
sensible, while blood was pouring from a
large wound in his back. The boy was re-
moved to a hospital, where a number of
physicians examined the wound. Both |
boys asserted that 1t was the result of a
sharks bite, and several of the physicians |
declared emphatically that the marks of the |
brute's teeth were plainly visible. The |
other doctors were not so certain. As soon |
rs Mr.. Oelrichs heard of the case he began |
an investigation. The boys stuck to their |
story, and both gave detailed descriptions |
of the shark. They even produced wit
nesses, who declared that they too had seen
him.
Then Mr.. Oelrichs saw the physicians,
who strengthened the boys story and cor
lessened Mr.. Oelrich's belief
in his own theory. But he was determined
to sift the story thoroughly and SO he ex-
lmined the boys back himself. The scars
Of the wound were plainly visible and Mr..
Oelrichs at once decided that they could
never have been made by sharks teeth.
He had prepared a careful diagram of
sharks teeth and compared 1t with the
marks of the wound. The former were
-egular while the latter were not. Then he
lad the bay dragged where the boy had been
eized, and a lot of jagged tin was found
IN the bottom. Comparisons proved that
he points of the tin had entered the boys
sck, and, being bent, had held him for
ew moments until his struggles had freed
lim.
The truth of this theory was proved to
he satisfaction of everybody connected
With the case, even the boys being less sure
bout the shark when they saw the later
developments. So far, therefore, Mr.. Oel-
ich's assertion has not been destroyed.