The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-03-08
A SEA DEMON.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

J
English brig Fair Hope was to the east
of the island of Ceylon, bound for the
strait of Malacca, man who had been
sent aloft hailed the deck with the in
formation that monster shark was ly-
ing alongside The craft had high bull
warks, and the fish might not have been
seen but for the man going aloft as he
did. This was the first authentic meet
ing with shark which afterward took
the name of the demon of the Sea. .
About eight feet back of the head was
a lump the size of water pail, and this
excrescenee was milk white in color
1t was no doubt the result of an injury
and was mark by which the shark was
known for several years after.
1t is the custom aboard of merchant
vessel when shark appears alongside
and the work aboard is not pressing to
give the men chance to destroy their
enemy. In this instance, owing to the
unusual size of the fish, the captain was
anxious to make a capture and carry
the specimen into Singapore. Hooks
were got out and baited, and for two
hours they tried all sorts of tricks to in
duce the monster to take hold. He was
very wary, however, and refused to bite.
There was an old harpoon aboard, and
when it was seen that the fish could not
be captured alive the carpenter got out
the irons and tried to harpoon him. In
the effort he fell overheard, and the
shark seized him and disappeared SO
quickly that the dozen men who wit
messed the affair could scarcely believe
they saw Alright. The incident was re-
corded in the log and reference was
made to it in Lloyd's Register for the
first week in September of the year
named. So far as is known this sailor
from the Fair Hope was the first white
man who fell a victim to the demon,
but others were to follow in quick sue
cession.
Three days later and 100 miles to the
south of Ceylon the American ship
James F. Bradwell, tea laden, was
caught in calm which lasted for six
hours. OF a sudden men who were
working in the rigging discovered the
big shark alongside. He was at first
taken for a small whale, and great was
the amazement when it was known that
he belonged to the man eating species.
As in the other case, it was determined
to capture him alive, and the men put
in three hours work seeking to tempt
him with pork and beef. The big fellow
simply refused to take the hook, and
his actions were so sluggish that it was
at last believed he was almost dead. A
boat was lowered in hopes that moose
might be slipped over his TAIL and it
was while the man with the rope was
trying to perform this feat that trag-
edy occurred. He was bending over the
bows of the boat when he lost his hold
and plunged into the water. With light
ninglike swiftness the shark turned and
seized him, dived under the keel of the
ship and was seen no more. Five men
were close at hand when the shark grab
bed the man, and they were unanimous
in declaring that the victim was bolted
down as if he had been five pound
piecs of pork. That incident was also
recorded i'll the log, and thus made
authentic, but / do not think it was
ever published. / got it personally 10
years later from the captain of the
Bradwell
The third appearance of the demon,
so far as the record goes, was about two
weeks later, and in the bay of Bengal,
many hundreds of. miles distant. An
English whaling ship named the Two
Sisters was lying off the Andaman is
lands at anchor while making some re-
pairs aloft. At 10 o'clock in the fore
noon, without the fin of shark having
been seen, the demon suddenly rose
alongside and lay waiting for his prey.
Every body was astonished at his size,
but as the repairs were urgent the men
were not allowed to knock off to effect
his capture. They did call to three fish
ermen, however, who were in boat
near at hand, and the natives responded.
The shark played his old game and
appeared to be scarcely able to move,
and the idea of the men was to moose
him and tow him ashore. No sooner had
they rounded the stern of the whaler
and taken rope from one of the sailors
than the demon turned and made for
the boat. The native craft was a frail
affair, used only for fishing on the reefs,
and the shark struck it head ON and
stove great hole in the side. Ropes
were thrown to the men foundering in
the water, but only one of them was
safely hauled aboard the whaler. One
was seized and bolted down, and sec
ond, who hung to the ships rudder,
was picked off moment later. What
ever came handy was hurled overheard
to brighten the shark away from his sec
ond victim, but he could not be turned
aside. This incident was not logged, as
it did not concern the ship, but was
published at length in the Bombay pa
pers later on.
For the next three months there is no
record of the sharks doings, though he
might have secured many victims from
native craft and the incidents escape
public notice. Early in the year 1854
the bark Speedwell, bound from China
| to her home port of Philadelphia, had
Just cleared Acheen head, at the en-
trance to the strait of Malacca, when
sudden squat carried away her main
and fore t0pmasts and several of her
sails This was early in the morning,
and while the crew were repairing
damages and the ship proceeding on her
voyage the big shark came up astern
and took up position on the port side
and only about 20 feet away. His length
was carefully measured by the officers
and recorded at SO feet 3 inches. He
had been heard of through the papers,
and the crew were warned to be careful
in their work aloft. In hopes to drive
the monster away Captain Taylor
brought out heavy shotgun and fred
charges of buckshot into him at short
range. The leaden missiles must have
penetrated to some extent, as the demon
gave sudden dart and disappeared for
time, but five minutes later he was
back in his old position. He was thus
fred upon and driven away three sue
cessive times, but when he came back
the fourth time he took up his position
astern of the ship and swan so low in
the water that the shot failed to reach
him.
He hung by the ship from o'clock
in the morning to 4 in the afternoon
At that hour the repairs were about
complete, and the men were laughing
and joking over the persistenoy of the
demon, when one of them fell from the
yard as they were making sail. He turn
ed over and over in his descent, but
struck the water feet first and was out
of sight long minute. When he came
to the surface, he shot his full length
out of water, and the men uttered a
cheer to encourage him, and the life
preserver was cut away. The man had
just grasped it when the shark seized
L.