New-York tribune., 1916-07-14
Two Bathers, Man
and Woman, Pursued
at Sheepshead Bay,
MATAWAN CREEK
HUNTERS SEE 10
Long Island and Jersey
Coasts Seem Infested
with Man-Eaters.

Sharks are swarming in the waters
adjacent 70 New York and all along
the coast 20 the southwark, according
70 reports yesterday from widely sep
arsted localities. Coney Island and
Ambrose Channel were added to the
points where the ravenous fish had
been seen. A British sloop from the
Bermudas brought in a score Of sharks
that the crew had caught on the voy-
age Up the coast. At least ten were
reported IN Matswan Greek, where two
rersons were killed and one MANNED on
Wednesday.
Banks of the creek and the surface
of the water were thick with shark
hunters. Rifles cracked and dynamite
booned all day. Windows of Pennsyl-
vsria and Jersey Central trains were
nlled with curious faces as the coaches
crossed the drawbridge about 100 yards
north Of where lie ter Stillwell was
dragged 10 his death.
Boy Victims Body Missing.
Stillwells body was not found,
though half a dozen charges Of dyna-
mite, consisting of FIVE sticks each,
we're exploded in the hope OF bringing
il 20 the surface. Nor we're any sharks
caught in the creek.
4. F. Davis, Ralph Gall and Henry
Macholl, patrolling the stream in their
motorboat, had reached point Just
above the railroad bridge at 1850 in
the afternoon when they caught sight
Of four sharks. The FISH were swim
ming downstream and their fins cut the
water in a single rank. AS the motor
boat neared them three of the sharks
swerved and made upstream. Inc
fourth swished past.
The men are fishermen. They are
familiar with the sandshark and the
dogfsh. but all agree that the FISH
which they saw yesterday were neither
sandshark nor dogfsh. They were
lighter in color and incredibly swift.
Guesses al the length ranged from nine
10 fifteen feet
Race to Give Warning.
Thev turned their boat about and
sped downstream TO Keyport warning
the fishermen to get out their nets
again. Many of the meshes that had
been planted Wednesday night were
hauled up yesterday. Last night the
lighter nets were supplanted by lengths
OF heavy chicken wire woven together
by light cables.
The chicken wire barrier was first
established by a group of hunters
watching from the railroad bridge.
They were Norman Tyce, Robert Burns,
Michael Borman. Charles Iyce, Tony
Duss and Anton Costick. Welghung
length of the wire, that was long
enough TO span the creek and ABOUT
five feet in height, with SASH weignts'
the six watched for results
Shark Crumples Netting.
Their trap did not reach the surface
OF the creek by about three ieet' IL
was at the height Of the afternoon
thunder shower that a sharK 'eS'eu
the contrivance. A.. e.h
crnmnled the netting by his impact.
nfInUER
hunters had left their guns under shei-
ter and only Norman Tyce was on
guard. rrce
Shouting 10 his companions, 1yce
groped for missile TO hurl at tne
fsb which was already poklng us
snout above the water in an EFFORT 10
surmount the netting. There was
nothirr 10 be had, and in his eager
ness Tvce almost lost his balance.
Snatching his sodden straw nat, ne
nung ~ downward II landed Just IN
front of the struggling shark. The
FISH turned tail and made upstream
Six Man-Eaters Sighted.
Davis. returning from his trip TO
Keyport TO get the net, reported that
six sharks hsd been seen swimming up
the creek near its mouth.
Large hooks, with wire or chain lead
ess, have been set along the bank OF
the creek from Keyport TO Matawan
and above. The hooks are VISITED Dy
watchers every few minutes. one OF
these set lines is watched over oy tue
boys who were swimming with Still
well when the shark seized him. They
voweo to keep up their vigil all night:
At noon boys who were fishing on
the pier of the New Jersey Brick Com
pany, below Mstawan, where Joseph
Dunn was attacked, ran up 10 the VII
lase with tie story that they had seen
a great fin cutting through the water.
Invaders Are Rare Here.
Johnson Nichols, curator of recent
fishes at the American Museum OF Nat
ural History, went to Matawan yester-
day on hearing a report that shark
had been caught. He wished TO ex-
anime il, as he had no record OF a
m.n-eating shark having been captured
IN these wa,els. The rumor proved
erroneous.
at may be one shark or there may
be dozen of them" he said. From
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