The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-12
EATEN BY SHARKS.
That Seems to Have Been the
Fate of the F;sharmsn,
LOST OFF CHARLESTON BAR
A Horribly Musllaied Arm OF a
Negro Man Taken From
1he Stomach Of
Monster.
Monster.

The News and Courier says the left
arm Of negro man, horribly nutilated
and mangled, was cut Wednesday from
the stomach Of a ten-foot shark,
which was captured after q desperate
struggle by the crew Of the light ship.
The arm was undoubtedly that Of one
Of the fifteen fishermen lost in the
squall Of the Eastern Patches recently.
When brought to the city by the fish
ing smack Victoria and delivered to
Coroner Vaughn the lscerated limb was
examined closely by the fishermen who
escaped the storm, but there was no
marx or sign by which it conld be iden.
titled. The negro was probably dead
when his body was seized by the sharks.
With this latest discovery at the
light ship the evidence is almost con-
elusive that the crews aboard the three
fishing boats were drowned. The
searching parties which went to sea
Saturday and Sunday came back with
stories Of the numerous sharks seen
skirting the waters and apparently
hunting for prey. These rapacious
monsters seemed to have detected an
odor Of death and many of them fol-
lowed the boats doggedly. They
srlsshed through the waves, dsrted back
and forth, and followed water trails
which might have been leading to where
bodies were aHoat.
Two Of tbs boats which managed to
escape the fury Of the storm pulled to-
ward the light ship and remained there
Friday night. The sharks had followed
at a distance. They returned toward the
Patches, but earlp Saturday morning
they were seen again, wandering aim.
lesly through the water and eagerly
searching for hidden, ghoulish food.
The men aboard the light ship cast out
a line, but without making capture,
and the sharks disappeared. They ap.
peared again st intervals, and then
rushed away. Tuesday, however, sew
eral Of the ten-foot monsters swan near
the light ship and in the afternoon sew
eral Of the men on board let down 3
rope line on which had been attached .
strong hook. The bait was supplied.
One shark di7ed playfully about the
hook, jerked at the bait and then dis
appeared. He came back again and
seemed bolder. All at oncs he opened
his big jaws, took in the hook, and
started away with the prize. When
the rope was hauled in taut the monster
squirmed aad fought. The men hold
ing the line were experts at shark fish
ing, however, and they let the rope
sIa,k of and by the peculiar twisting
known only to the experts gave the
shark big jerk which caused his big
mouth to open for gallons OF salt water
to pou1 in. After this mad been repeat
ed once OF twice the monster became
groggy, although he was still fighting
7iciously and slspplng at the boat,
while his eyes giared with anger. he
saw the desperate situation and tried
hard to escape. But the line was
drawn in more and m ore, finally, when
weak and whipped, the shark was drsg-
SS4 VI OSCA, aHN lay IASI0 SH4SSA10S
and dying. Quick work by the crew
ended his existence.
The light ship crew had suspected
that the sharks were out prospecting
for the dead fishermen and it was de-
cideG to rip the stomach open to see if
the monster captured had feasted on
the unfortunates. Long knives were
forced into the tough meat and
the flesh was torn apart. After dig
ging for the stomach the crew pull
ed out strange object, which proved
on closer examination to be the arm
of a man. The carcass was removed
and the arm was preserved. When the
fishing smack Victoria hove in sight
early Wednesday she was signalled from
the light ship and turned her course
near in. Capt Abram Gray, in COM
mand Of the smack, was deputizad to
bring the arm to the city.