The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-07-31
FOUGHT WITH SEA TIGERS.
Captain of Advance Killed Sharks
With Clasp Knife

With Clasp Knife
In Limon Bay, off the coast of Co.'S
ia Rica, it is said to have happened,
and with a bare clasp knife he is said
to have done ito have killed no
less than four man-eating sharks in
swimming a mile from a capsized row
boat The personal pronoun stands
for James j. Clarke, captain of the
steamship Advance, of the Panama
line, about whose exploit officers and
passengers were eager to tell when
the ship arrived here today. An ear
lier chapter in the history of Capt.
Clarke. which was recalled by some of
the officers, was that relating to a
terrific hurricane in the same waters
some five years ago, when he brought
the steamship Colon and her hun
dreds of passengers safely through
without losing a man, says The New
York Evening Post.
The conflict with the sharks was
said to have occurred a week ago FRI
day. The captain left the Advance IN
a small boat. The craft ("frail craft
the accounts had it, was struck by
'black squalr' and turned turtle.
Capt Clarke clutched the keel and
scrambled as far up on the bottom of
the boat as he could without over
turning it. Scarcely had he done so
when an enormous shark brushed
against the boat. The wind increas-
ed in violence, and in the heavy roll
the captain was thrown from the
overturned boat and into school Of
man-eaters.
He drew his clasp knife and plung-
ed it into the nearest shark. Instantly
several other sharks attacked the
wounded fish, and Capt Clark had
to swim hard to get out OF "each of
their thrashing tails. TorreG+s of
rain were falling at the time and the
wind was whipping the sea into in
creased roughness.
The captain is a good swimmer, but
he was weighed down with clothing,
and the heavy sea forced him to exer-
tions which with his encounter with
the man-eaters began to tell on his
strength. Scarcely had he recovered
his breath and headed for the shore
more than a mile distant, than he
saw that he was again surrounded by
sharks. He swung his knife again and
again as they turned on their backs
to seize him. A third and a fourth
time was he attacked when native,
who had put out in a small boat
came alongside aud beat back the
sharks with his long paddle.
Capt. Clarke did not dare climb in
to the boat because it was too frall
and might have been overturned, 80
he clung to the pointed stern while
the native headed for the shore,
which by this time was nearer than
the Advance. For considerable dis
tance the sharks trailed after the
boat and made rushes at the captain,
but with the aid of the boatman ne
fought them off.
The squall had hidden the captain
from the sight of those on the Ad-
vance soon after the battle with the
sharks commenced, but the first and
second officers had seen the capslzlng
of the small boat and had sent an
ether boat to the aid of their COM
mander. In the wind and rain they
made slow progress and came up
with the native boat just as the latter
drew into the shore.
Capt. Clarke was taken back to
the Advance, where he soon recovered
from the strange experience and re-
ceived the congratulations of officers
and passengers.