KILLED BY A SHARK.

Evening Star, Issue 4051, 19 February 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

KILLED BY A SHARK.

A young man named Peter Roonon « eighteen years of age, a marble mason'¥# -' trade, and residing with his mother in LittlV * ; Leichhardt street, off Lonsdale «treet, while; '-' bathing yesterday morning near EtoeraM- r Hill, was seized by a huge «hark,«nd toin < mso frightful a manner that death soon ' afterwards ensued. Indeed, but tot *he '"■' > courage of a man named Mannix, man would have been ' ' the presence of Mb companions, who Were' 1 ' 5 quite unable to render him the least assist ' ance. About six o'clock in the moraine ' Rooney and his mate, a lad-' named Johnson, with several others, Proceeded to the jetty on the Emerald ' Mill beach, and not far from the' baths, for the purpose of bathing: The de- 1 f ceased was an expert swimmer, andswatt" ri •from the jetty to the baths, and remained" ' * seated on one of the piles for a short limev ; l The water in the immediate vicinity 1 i* shallow, but at some little distance the rihore - 1 dips suddenly. Young Rooney, not *waw " l of the risk he ran, jumped from the spot" ' where he was resting himself, and struck ° out for the deep water, while Johtison ketif' * m. shore and made for the jetty. The Utter ( had jußt reached the landing wien he heard l a terrible shriek and a cry for help. On "i looking round he saw his unfortunate friend i[ struggling in the water and frantically en-- R deavoring to escape from the jawa/of a shark. r said to be about 16ft in length! The monster f had caught the unfortunate lad by the back * of the thigh of the left leg, and wasflramrinff * him further out into the Bay. ' Thcpoor : L fellow cried most piteously for help, and' "' Mannix, who is a cabdrivcr, and whoiwtor l on horseback, with great pluck at once-' ' plunged into the water, and rode in thb' v ' ' direction of the boy, who was gradually being borne away. Just as he was suAm* Mannix, with a powerful effort, jseirediffi ; '- ! * by the band and drew' Mm towards : the ' nL horse, the noise of which iii the water caused :i y - r I the shark for a moment to relax ite"hbl\F ( ' ' Manmx thereupon drew the lad well out' o f r * the water, but before he could place him' but' * of the reach of the monster's jaws' the shafk' ' * rushed forward, and with onfc •' 3 away the greater part tHe calf'bf %e '-" a same leg that had been previously^bitten. " r Mannix, with his burden, turned the head to the shore, but was pursu^bVth* iJ r f ,: shark, which went between the' ~ l shore, as if to cut him off. Thehbkeofitfcb ' " J> horse and theories of the pebpVcoliecW"' ''•"■* on the,shore seemed to frighten the : .. r ' : ' ture, and he gradually sheered .off into deep J water. Rooney never spoke from the mo- r ment he was rescued. The Arab, was com- " : '"' - 3 pletely torn away from the left thigh,.and ,' B the bone exposed from the hip to the kne»' J 7 r joint, and as themain artery was severed' tbV 1 * poor fellow soon bled to death. On the ' beaeh being reached he was placed on the '! sand, his head resting on his mate's knee. i He was unconscious, and in a few minutes ceased to breathe, death being caused by '! shock to the system and loss of ' 'Age,'February 7.