Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-14
Coast Guard Ordered to Aid in
Clearing Atlantic Seaboard of
Dangerous Fish.
NO SCIENTIFIC THEORY
TO EXPLAIN ATTACKS
House Resolution Authorizes SIS, 900
for Campaign of determination.
Bathers Are Warned.

Tragic stories of attacks by sharks
upon bathers along the New Jersey coast
were discussed at today's meeting of the
cabinet. Later Secretary McAdoo an
nounced that the coast guard would be
ordered to do what 1t could toward clear
ing the coast of the dangerous fish and
preventing further loss Of life.
Instructions were sent by the Treas
ury Department both to the coast guard
cutters and life-saving stations. No
definite plan of action has been worked
out. but the idea is to have the service
aid In locating and killing sharks, and
when possible warn resorts of their
proximity.
Secretary Redaeld told the cabinet
that the bureau of fisheries had been
unable to offer any scientific explana-
tion of the unprecedented attacks upon
human beings.
5000 for determination.
A resolution was introduced in the
House today by Representative Bacha-
rach of New Jersey authorizing the De-
partment of Commerce to cooperate
with state authorities in an effort to
exterminate the sharks and appropriate
ing $4,000 for the purpose.
A formal statement made public by
Acting Commissioner Moore of the
fisheries bureau said the bureau ex-
perts reluctantly had been compelled
to come to the conclusion that no
certainly effective preventive meas
ures could be recommended, but ad-
vtsed a shark-catching campaign and
warned bathers to stay in shallow water.
Attention was called to the small num-
Der of attacks compared with the vast
army Of bathers, with the suggestion
panic among the people at seaside re-
sorts.
Records of the bureau show that I'M
til this year there have been no sharks
In the waters where. during the last
few weeks they have claimed several
victims. Bureau officials believe a lack
of food may have brought them to the
northern Atlantic coast in great num-
bers.
Inquiries have poured into the bu-
reau, and its opinion of the recent Incl
dents is best summarized in the follow
ing which Commissioner Smith has sent
to Representative Bacarach of New Jer-
Sey:
First Known Attacks on Human.
while it is true that occasional hu-
man beings have been attacked by
sharks in tropical waters, the number
of such instances in temperate waters.
of which these are apparently the first
authoritative ones on our coast, are so
exceedingly rare that bathers need have
little fear.
in substantiation of this it may be
stated that for a number of years this
bureau investigated reports coming to
it's attention without finding proof of
a single attack. DIR. Frederic A. Lucas.
director of the American Museum of
Natural History, who has also en-
l. ~ =, Iii
has stated that the danger Of being at
tackled by sharks in the waters near
New York is infinitely less than that
Of being struck by lightning. Some
years ago Mr.. Herman Oelrichs. through
the columns of the New York Sun. Of
fered a reward of $500 for an anthem
ticated case of man having been at
tackled by a shark in temperate waters.
This reward was never claimed.
None of our common sharks have
been known to attack a human being.
Although stragglers of dangerous trop-
ical species, e. g., the white shark and
blue shark, have been taken in our
waters, in practically every instance
they were immature, not adult fish.
Suggests Batting Sharks.
I'm the present instances we have
cases in which human beings have been
attacked. presumably by a shark. We
have either a solitary individual that
has acquired a taste for human flesh,
or possibly small number of sharks
driven by scarcity of food to adopt I'M
usual measures. In either case it
should not be difficult to remedy this
condition. for hungry sharks promptly
fall an easy prey to a baited hook.
LAS a precautionary measure, 1t is
suggested that if the authorities at the
various resorts on your coast will at
tach a heavy line and baited shark
hook to within two or three feet of the
surcease of the water, to a pile or an
chored buoy some four or five hundred
yards from the life lines, at intervals
of about one-Quarter of a mile parallel
with the shore line, the dangerous
species now in your water will soon be
captured. The hooks should be kept
well baited. especially at night"