August 14, 2012 • 40 mins
In this special episode of Stuff You Should Know, Chuck and Josh tip their hats to Shark Week with an old-fashioned radio play. Join the guys (and a few guests) as they present a dramatization of the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera.
It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you should Know
from House Stuff Works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to
the turn of the century radio play. How's it going, Chuck? Great?
(00:21):
How are you? I'm doing good? I'm like, this sounds
not like a radio play. No, it will very soon. Um,
this is a very special stuff you should know in
honor Shark Week. That's right. Um, we're doing something different,
something that Mr Charles W. Chucker's Bryant put together. Yeah. Um,
a group of radio diaries. I guess you could say, yeah,
(00:44):
you know. I think we touched on the um shark
attacks at the Jersey Shore in Mattawan Creek in nineteen
sixteen and a previous podcast, how Shart detect Work Dogs
Shark's favorite meal. It's right because the dog was actually
in the water and the first victim was attack. Uh.
This is the story that UM inspired Jaws Peter Benchley. Yeah,
(01:06):
and it is the famous UM And there's been a
lot of specials on this, like some pretty good ones. Well,
it's pretty sensational. It's like a hugely sensational I would
call this the special of all specials on this. You
did a great job, you think, so, yeah, well, thank you.
Uh So, we want to give you a little backstory
so you know what you're listening to. Then we want
to introduce the players to this little radio play or
(01:27):
I guess you call it a podcast play. Yeah, and
uh so, so you know who you're listening to and
what you're listening to. Well, Chuck, let's let's talk about
the attacks. O. Um, what year is this. Yeah, and
it's a time when beach recreation was like new, the
frozen banana had just been invented, yeah, sort of, but
(01:49):
this was the first time, like this was the beginnings
of like massive amounts of people going to the beach.
Dude swimming in the ocean, Ladies just starting to show
a little ankle, just dipping their toe in. Mainly the
men out there swimming in there one piece sure, weightlifters,
uniform bathing seats, right, that's right. And it was just
like a beautiful time to be alive in America. And
(02:12):
so this is the Jersey Shore. It's much like the
Jersey Shores today where if you live in New York
or Philly, this is where you're going when it's hot
also very different I mentioned, right, but this is the
origin of that time, yeah, or of that movement or
absolutely so this would all come screeching to a halt.
Uh over the course of twelve days, with um five
(02:34):
different victims of four which died on two on the
Jersey shore and then two more on a creek in
an inland Title creek and Mattawan or Mattawan. So the
first attack takes place on July first, nineteen sixteen, right,
and um, people thought it was a fluke. Yeah, it
was a Philly vacation or named Charles van Zandt. And
(02:54):
um he died. Five days later there was another attack
on the shore. So yes, now of a sudden you
have the entire nation's attention because everyone was like a
guy got attack by shark. It never happens, totally unusual occurrence.
Then five days later in the same area there's another one. Yes,
a Swissman attacked on the shore. And then um, after
that is when uh, they don't even know shark or
(03:18):
sharks moved inland to a Title creek and like kids
swimming in this creek thinking it's completely safe. Boy dies.
Man dies trying to save boy. Another voice severely injured,
and uh, it was pretty nuts after that, Like President
Wilson got involved. It was like a nationwide frenzy because
(03:40):
no one had ever known about shark attacks before. Oh yeah, yeah,
this is like the first thing. It was like an anomaly. Okay,
so you were basically like a sailor to know about
a shark attack. Of an introduction it is. So that's
what we got going on. We'll introduce the players now. Um.
First up, you're gonna hear uh and these are lost
(04:01):
diaries that we found from the scene. We should point out.
I thought that was a given. It is. Dr John C.
Nichols is played by tech stuffs Jonathan Strickland. He uh
is regarded as the first American ich theologist and worked
with his mentor, doctor Frederick Lucas, who was very uh.
They were kind of at odds for a while on this,
(04:22):
like Lucas was like, yeah, that's not sharks. Sharks don't
do that, and so Nichols went to the scene and
he was kind of who Matt Hooper was based on
Awesome of Jaws. Next up, you're gonna hear Louise Van's aunt,
who was the sister of the first victim Charles and
she was played by Rachel Frank who coolest stuff on
(04:43):
the planet. Yeah, I was doing that. I don't know
she still doing that. Uh. And she actually saw her brother,
like from the beach get attacked in the water. Third up,
we have Stanley Fisher and then Mary Anderson after that,
and they were um virgin love relationship in Mattawuan. Between
these two, Stanley was a local taylor, very well loved dude,
(05:05):
and Mary Anderson was a school teacher and they were
just like starting their courtship when Stanley perished right in
front of her face in the creek. Let me think
about it. It's bad enough to see someone killed by
a shark, and somebody that you care about killed by
a shark. That's got to really like leaving an impression,
say so. Uh. And Stanley Fisher is voiced by Robert Lamb.
(05:28):
Stuff to blow your minds Robert Lamb, that's right. And
Mary Anderson is voiced by the former I guess she's
still Katie Lambert, the former stuff you missed in history
class host right, was now departed from our work ranks.
I think that was probably good point that Katie's still
doing great. And then Finally, we have Joseph Dunn, who
was one of the little boys who actually survived. This
(05:50):
is crazy, man, Are you really going to tell everybody
who does Joseph Dunn? I don't think so. I think
we should just leave the mystery boy, Joseph Donne, the
mystery boy who is of legal age to be acting
in a podcast play without any kind of like child
labor laws being broken. Right, that's right. And Joseph he
was actually from New York and he and his brother
(06:11):
Michael went to visit his uh aunt and uncle and Cliffwood,
New Jersey and go swimming in the creeks there with
her buddy Jerry Howard hand and things turn pretty gruesome
for all of them. So some rotten luck for the
Jersey shore. With that, should we go ahead and proceed
with the s y s K radio play? Okay? What
do you call this thing? Uh? Uh? Call it listener
(06:35):
mail from a fan in Canada. That's terrible. Okay, how
about the Shark Diaries of the attacks at Mattawan Creek
July one, nine four p m. Dear Diary, We're headed
(06:56):
to Beach Haven on the train and it could not
be any hotter. I'm covered from head to toe in
woolen cotton, and it is quite tiresome. I consider trying
the ocean out this time, but Father says that women
should not bathe with Besides, whoever thought wool stockings and
seawater go together should be run up a flagpole, lead
(07:17):
weights and the hymn of the skirt. It's as if
they're attempting to drown us. Even so, it will be
grand to be at the beach for Independence Day. My
brother is beside me making fun of my diary. He
has threatened to steal it and shared around his office.
I'm sure there would be quite bored with it. Though
we must be close to a riding, because I can
(07:39):
smell the salty air. July one, nineteen sixteen, m Dear Diary.
The resorts are all booked full, and I bet half
of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are at the shore. Every
(08:00):
fifteen minutes a train dispatches another thousand people. It is
quite a sight. Who would have thought that the ocean
would draw such a crowd. There are young men everywhere
playing cards and keeping an eye out for commers. Father
and sister are resting out before dinner, and I'm roasting
on the hot sand, watching my brother swim to England.
(08:21):
Presumably he promised me a walk on the beach but
befriended a dog that seemed keen for a swim instead.
I call him Patches. Currently, he and Patches are swimming
out well past the others, both doing their best dog paddle.
I can barely see him from here, but he looks
to be having loads of fun. He's yelling and waving
(08:44):
his arms for Patches, but it looks like the pooch
has exhausted himself and is heading back. I'm beginning to
think that July nine, two pm where to arrived this
(09:11):
morning of an attack on a human in beach Haven,
possibly a shark most odd naturally. Dr Lucas has already
discounted it, but I wonder my inexperience next to Lucas
is pronounced yet I doubt his resolve to test his
own hypotheses now he nears retirement and news of sharks
feeding on humans is not something that appears to interest him.
(09:33):
His lack of investment was striking. I need to go
to beach Haven and investigate, but I am bound to
the museum. The Fish commissioners said that it was likely
after a dog in the water with the victim stripped
the man to his bone on the right and lost
several pounds of flesh on the left. My early thought
is a tiger, or perhaps a bowl. Lucas is convinced
(09:53):
there are no great whites round here. The victim was
very young. July two, nineteen sixteen, three thirty a m.
Dear diary, I cannot believe the words that I am
(10:15):
about to write. My brother has died. He was swimming
far out in the water when the people around me
began shouting. I saw a long, dark shadow in the
water just behind him. A man said that it was
a shark, but I don't know. I've never seen one.
(10:35):
It had a tall fin that sat high in the water.
It took him by the legs and drew him under.
A lifeguard swam out to retrieve him, but it was
too late. He was gone by the time he reached shore.
The water ran red with his blood around my feet,
(10:56):
and I've never felt so helpless in all my life.
His left thigh was in shreds all the way to
the bone. His right leg was hollowed out from waste.
To me, his lifeless face stared skyward. July two pm.
(11:25):
Summer has come upon us fully. It was more than
ninety degrees yesterday, and it may have been even hotter today.
Business has been steady, but slower than it was in
the spring and the winter before that. Mary and I
went for a walk down by the creek after church
on Sunday. She told me about our students. We talked
about Mattawan. We both love it here and don't desire
(11:45):
the bright lights of Philadelphia or New York. It is
a close community and we look out for each other.
I want to raise a family here. I've grown quite
fond of Mary, and I believe that in three weeks
it can be called a genuine courtship. She's kind and
pretty smart. It comes from a good family. There's a
rumor in town that a man was attacked by a
(12:07):
giant fish yesterday in beach Haven. Captain Cantrell has told
us all stories of man eaters at sea, but has
also regaled us with tales of giant squids and way
heaves as tall as four stories. He's well known to
stretch the truth, and his words should be taken with
a pinch of salt. July two to nineteen sixteen, seven
(12:31):
thirty six pm. Dear Diary, July, Oh July. I cannot
believe I have not written in my diary since the
end of the school year. Summer break was supposed to
be my time to catch up on this sort of thing.
Ah well, lad Da, I am being courted by a man.
He's tall and broad, with blonde hair and blue eyes,
very handsome. He's beloved in town as well. His name
(12:53):
is reputable as the mayor himself. He's a tailor and
has one of only four shops on Main Street, and
as consequently quite a snappy dresser. We took a walk
after church on Sunday and talked about life and our
hopes and dreams, and our families and our past and
our future. I'm just over the moon about it. Really.
He loves Mattajuana as much as I do, and would
(13:13):
not give a nickel for the bells and whistles of Philadelphia.
We were in his shop this afternoon and I watched
him cut a suit jacket. It was really something, a
true art. A strange thing happened as well. Captain Cotrell
came by and told us a man in beech Haven
was attacked by a fish, perhaps a shark. Very odd
to hear such a thing. Ju sixteen am, Dear Diary.
(13:47):
Today's Independence Day and it's very hot here in New York.
Father is home because it's a holiday for families. We're
supposed to think about freedom today, but I don't know
what they mean. My brother told me there was a
man who got buy a shark in New Jersey. But
I think he's just trying to scare me because we're
traveling to visit my aunt's house in Cliffwood next week.
(14:07):
They say a lot of people go to the beach
now and swim in the ocean, but we only go
in the creek in Mattawan with our friends. We're going
to parade earlier today. My brother said he would buy firecrackers,
even though Mom said not to. I'm putting a picture
of New York in this diary so I can show
my friends at Mattawan what the city looks like. I
hope we get a good mark for my diary riding
(14:28):
project when we start school. I like it. M July three,
nineteen sixteen, five seventeen pm, Dear Diary. I decided to
take lunch to Stanley today at his shop. I do
not want to run him off by calling too much.
But I missed him, so I threw caution to the wind.
He seemed very pleased to see me, and we made
plans to go to the Twin Lights Lighthouse at the
(14:50):
Atlantic Highlands on the Bay. It is going to be
just splendid and I can hardly contain myself. I'll pack
a picnic supper and we'll watch the sun set together
and then the big fireworks show. My favorite. Stanley traded
a man a tailored suit for life insurance today a
cecil suit, which was far too generous. What on earth
does a man his age need with life insurance? But
(15:10):
that is also what I am growing to love about him.
His generosity is only matched by his kindness. He plays
baseball with the children and they absolutely adore him. I
want to bring him by the schoolhouse this fall to
meet my students. Listen to me already planning for fall
with him by my side. Oh and I just had
to clip out the ads Stanley placed in the MOTTA
one journal U nineteen sixteen m Dear Diary. I met
(15:47):
the lifeguard who tried to save my brother at the funeral.
He was very kind. I believe that he did everything
he could do to save my brother. No one has
ever been attacked by a fish before, and many doubt
the events as they occurred. There have long been stories
of man eaters in the sea, but I most believed
(16:08):
them to be legend. I was there. I know I
saw him flung from the water. I saw his mangled
left leg exposed fully to the bone. It had been
virtually torn from his body. The Times ran a small
story on page eighteen. My brother deserved more, so much more.
(16:41):
N six am another shark attack yesterday in New Jersey
Spring Lake. The Times this morning is already all over
this event. So much for dodging a media circus. Lucas
finally agrees that something is amiss. This is no blasted
sea turtle. We have eye witness accounts this time. It's
(17:02):
clear that someone should go to Spring Lake and examine
the body. I feel like I'm the most qualified man
in New York, maybe even the country. Lucas may fight
me on this press conference in the morning at the museum,
so we had better get our ducks in a row.
Lucas said that the jaw of the shark is not
strong or capable of severing human bone. I have grave doubts.
(17:27):
July sixteen PM, Dear Diary, It's been almost a week
since we lost my dear brother. I found his journal
today and reading his final entry breaks my heart each
time my eyes pass over it. We received word this
morning that another bay there was killed two days ago.
(17:48):
It Spring Lake, a bellhop at a local resort. His
attack has drawn much more attention than our own just
days ago. I feel terrible for his family. Perhaps in
time I can reach out to them. No one seems
to know what is happening on our beaches that were
so different just days ago. What was previously a welcome
(18:09):
distraction from the polio epidemic in New York is now
a beach awash with the blood of our brothers and sons.
I pray for the end of summer. M Word has
come to Mattawin that another bather was attacked on the
shore yesterday. This time it was spring Lake, not far
(18:33):
from here. If this is true, it is most uncommon.
We have never heard of a shark attacking a man,
and now we have heard stories of two in just
one week. I imagine that the news will disrupt activity
at the shore. Luckily, for us, all we have to
worry about is the odd catfish nipping our toes. I
tried to talk Mary into coming for a swim sometime,
but she said she prefers to watch me from the bank.
(18:55):
I think she's just being shy. She said that she
would not want Captain Cottrell to see her in a
bathing on, and I think she may have a good point.
She's smart, she is. Surely the shark business is just
people's imagination getting the best of them. There are no
sharks in New Jersey. July seven, nineteen sixteen to seventeen PM,
(19:27):
Stanley just phoned and said that Captain Cantrell reported another
shark attack on the shore. They did not believe him
at first, but the newspaper confirmed it. It was at
Spring Lake this time, which means much more to do
about it, I'm sure. Stanley said that a scientist in
the paper insisted that sharks do not come to New Jersey,
and even if they did, they would not be interested
in humans. I just do not know what to think
(19:50):
sharks biting people in New Jersey? Whoever heard of such
a thing? Stanley swims in the creek, but you would
not catch me dead in there you cannot see six
inches into the water, but hides. Captain Cottrell is always
running up and down in his motor boat. And let
me just say that he will never see me in
a skirtain stockings. The very thought makes me pale. Nineteen
(20:18):
sixteen three pm press conference went well enough. Lucas was
met with questions straight away. The first blasted question asked
what he would tell the thirty mayors of the Jersey
Shore about their beaches. High loath reporters. We did our
best to calm nerves. Lucas is convinced that it was
mistaken identity and that the incidences are a merely a
(20:39):
sad coincidence. He avoids using words like man eater and
does a much better job with the press than Murphy
or I could. Asbury Park has erected wire netting, and that,
along with caution, should do for now. It is highly
unlikely that we should ever hear of another shark incident
on this coast. Even so, this is rich with opportunity
for our records. A man has never been attacked by
(21:00):
a shark before in the United States, and I go
to see him tomorrow. J P. M just returned from
the examination of victim number two, Charles Brewder, Spring Lake, Swiss,
with no family in the States. The Times was correct
(21:22):
in its story. Both legs were taken, one at the
knee and one at midcalf. Lifeguards rode out in a
boat this time and pulled his body in. One remarked
about how light it was, not realizing initially the legs
were missing. Most disturbing, the flesh was torn in strips, jagged,
the bones splintered like wood. There's no doubt that this
(21:45):
was the result of a shark. But what species? Could
it be? A road great white? The President has mobilized
the Coast Guard. I am reporting news to his men now.
M July nine, nineteen sixteen PM. Dear Diary, My brother
(22:07):
told me today in church that another man was eaten
by a shark in New Jersey. But Mom said it
wasn't true. She said they both got bit and died.
But sharks only go into the ocean, and I don't
need to be scared of them. In Mattawan, Mom said
after supper tonight she's going to talk to her aunt
on the telephone, and my brother and I could talk
to our friend and Mattawan because he has a telephone
(22:29):
now too. J nineteen, sixteen, eight am. Dear Diary. My
brother and I talked to our friend on the telephone
last night. It was really swell. Mom says that he's
a hooligan, but my brother said he's a good egg
and swims good too. We asked him about the sharks
(22:52):
and he said nobody there talked about it, but they
are sad. He said we could sneak into the dock
at the New Jersey Clay Company and no sharks there.
July eleventh, nineteen sixteen, eleven p m. Dear Diary, It
(23:13):
has now been ten days since we lost my brother.
I missed him so much, we all do. His car
is still in front of the house, and I catch
myself seeing him behind the wheel. After the second attack,
a scientist who studies ocean fish came to Spring Lake.
He's having a hard time with the local journalists. They've
(23:36):
printed that my brother was bitten by a giant sea turtle.
They've written that it was a bloodthirsty rogue shark. The
scientist makes claims of sensationalism and pleads for patients. He
says that only a great white has been known to
attack a human and that there are none in New Jersey.
Resorts have hired armed guards to patrol the beaches. They've
(23:59):
erected wire nets for bathing areas. I never want to
see the ocean again. July eleventh, nineteen sixteen, nine fifteen pm.
Dear Diary, I'm in bed now. My brother is teasing me.
(24:23):
He said that when we go back to Mattawan, it's
going to be scary. He said that last summer he
felt something touched him underwater by the dock, and he
said it was a shark. Probably. I'm supposed to be
asleep now because it's my bedtime and we leave early
in the morning. I'm scared of the shark, but I
don't want him to know, because he'll tease me again.
(24:51):
July twelve, sixteen eleven. Am back at the museum at last.
Seems like all's calm now. It has been nearly a
week since the Bruder attack. The media has taken a
rest for the time being. There is much research to
be done now. Lucas and Murphy are keen to hear
my account. Everyone looks to us now for answers, and
(25:11):
for now my colleagues are deferring to me as the
only ichthyologists. Popular theories abound. Ship sinkings and sailor depths
in the North Sea are creating a taste for human flesh.
Naval bombings are driving European sharks this way. Some have
even said it was a purposeful conspiracy of the Germans
to Luis into war. It's tiresome to deal with such
(25:33):
poppy cock. My strongest inclination is that there is a
Pacific weather phenomenon known as El Nino that has shifted
the warm Gulf stream closer to shore. This has brought
sharks that have never been to our waters. More Later,
(25:53):
July twelfth, m I am famished Mary say she would
bring lunch by after she finished her tutoring, and she
cannot arrive soon enough. In fact, I believe I see
her coming my way now. She told me last night
that today marks one month from when I first called
on her. It's hard to believe that much time has passed.
(26:15):
We should do something special. Maybe I should close the
shop early and take her into Philadelphia for dinner. She
is closer now, and the sun is cast an angelic
glow around her head. Or perhaps that is not the sun.
I may curse myself by writing it down, but I
believe I might love her. July n seven oh three,
(26:40):
a m. Dear Diary, I feel positively on cloud nine
this morning. Today marks one full months from Stanley first called.
Everything is going so well. I hate to tempt fate
by writing about it, but I think that I may
be in love. It gives me goose bumps to even
write such a thing. I've stopped by his shop yesterday
evening and he was going out with Red to play
(27:01):
baseball with the boys. He invited me to come along
and watch, and was surprised to learn that I enjoyed
the game very much. It's very exciting to me, and
there's a great level of skill involved. He is so
wonderful with the boys. They love him and fight over
whose team he should play on. It has been a
full week since any word of shark attacks. We are
all relieved to know that it is over. The scientists
(27:23):
from New York are learning what happened and trying to
decide why this occurred. It is largely perplexed them. I
do not plan to go to the ocean anytime soon.
Even so, I don't like the boys in my class
or Stanley swimming much at all. But the creek feels
like a much safer option. July twelve, nineteen sixteen, eight am,
(27:43):
Dear Diary, I had a bad dream that a giant
fish with a big mouth eight me. I don't know
if it was a shark, because I've never seen one.
It was as big as a street car and had
long teeth and were red. I was swimming in the
creek with my brother and my friend, but they looked different.
The fish bit my leg and pulled me in the creek,
(28:05):
but I came up and I was in the ocean.
My aunt was on the beach in a wooden chair,
but she could not hear me scream. Then my brother
was in a boat beside me, and I tried to
climb in. He laughed and kicked me until I fell
on the ocean, and the big fish bit me again
until he ate me. I woke up and my brother
said I was screaming, so I guess I really did
(28:28):
scream when I was asleep. I don't want to go
to Mattawan anymore. Maybe I can fake sick and stay
in Cliffwood. We leave on the train. M shocking news
(28:54):
today we'red in from Mattawuan, New Jersey of three shark
attacks in the tidal Creek. This is very difficult to believe,
and we all suspect that the state has succumbed to
shark hysteria. Matta Juan is a full eleven miles inland.
Very doubtful. Regardless, Dr Lucas has dispatched me directly. I
depart on the morning train. July nine, six am. Dear Diary,
(29:32):
it is with a broken heart that I write these words.
Stanley is dead. He's gone from me before he was
even mine. It has been two days since the awful event.
It was a shark, dear God, a shark. It got
him right in front of my eyes, in front of
(29:55):
the eyes of many. We buried him at two today
in the pouring rain. I am unable to sleep or eat.
I have hardly moved from my bed. Father said it
will take time, but I will never forget the events
of July twelve. The imments will haunt me to my grave.
(30:22):
July nineteen, sixteen, six fourteen pm. Today I examined two
of the victims, a man named Fisher who was trying
to retrieve the body of another victim, a boy named Stillwell.
Another boy Joseph Dunn is the only survivor and is
recovering in the hospital. His left calf is torn to pieces.
(30:44):
Fisher's injury was similar to the two at the shore.
The right thigh had a deep wound and the femoral
artery was severed. There was no way to stop the blood.
He was taken in front of dozens of locals, including
his new sweetheart. Stillwell, was not of it until the
following day. His left ankle was chewed off, left thigh
(31:04):
mangled from hip to knee. His left abdominal region was open,
and his intestines were nearly all torn out. The right hip,
chest muscle, and left shoulder were also lost. His right
leg and face were the only parts untouched. July nineteen,
six PM. I have just returned to my boarding house
(31:28):
after two days of chaos. Matajuan has turned into a battleground.
Men dangle legs of lamb and sides of beef from
the bridges. There's a near constant barrage of exploding dynamite.
Women line the banks with rifles. Their methods are not safe,
but I cannot deny my desire to catch the beast.
I believe that the shark is moving north and attacking
(31:49):
people on its journey. I suspect it is either a
rogue white or a tiger shark that is strayed thousands
of miles from its natural environment. July sixteenth, nineteen sixteen,
eight pm. Back at the museum again. The shark hunt
in Mattawan seems to be working, but I doubt that
(32:09):
any caught so far are responsible. Could be the work
of more than one. A local sea captain named Cartrell
caught a seven footer and has it on Ice and
Town a nickel per viewing. A nine footer was captured
in Long Branch twenty five pounds. Lucas informed us that
a man drowned at the Atlantic Highlands yesterday. People were
(32:31):
afraid he was being attacked by a shark. The headlines
now reach all the way from London. A parcel was
delivered today from the men who captured a seven footer.
It contained human bones taken from the belly and a
description dark, dull, blue white belly. They said a man's
head could fit inside its mouth. Sounds like a small
(32:51):
great white to me. Upon examination, however, the bones, while human,
were from the lower arm. All five victims of New
Jersey were attacked at the legs. This means there's been
at least one unreported attack. People will never hear the
words shark again without feeling fear. July nineteen, sixteen, twelve,
(33:22):
fourteen pm. It has been nearly two weeks since I
lost Stanley. Though I can still smell him on my clothes.
Each day brings new promise, only to shadow again. I
feel like the story must be recorded, as hard as
it is for me to write it. I was at
his shop in the afternoon on July twelve when some
(33:43):
boys ran down the street by the shop in a panic,
shouting about a shark in the creek. Stanley dismissed them
at first, but I saw that the boys were naked
and pale as ghosts. They said that a shark had
taken Lester, stillwell in the creek. Stanley did not hesitate
for even a moment. He said that Lester had the
fits and that if he did not get to him soon,
he would be finished. He grabbed Red and Arthur Smith
(34:06):
and was gone before I could stop him. I arrived
at the creek several minutes after Stanley. He was in
a rowboat with Arthur and Red searching for Lester. They
dragged chicken wire under the boat to try and find him.
The water was red with blood and people began to
arrive in a panic. Stanley became frustrated and suggested they
dive for him. They all changed into bathing suits behind
(34:29):
a tree, and one by one entered the water. They
searched for a while, and we're losing hope, and cold
Red said they should call it off, and they all
began to come to the bank. Stanley decided to take
one more dive. He went deeper than before. You could tell.
Stanley surface, holding what remained of Lester stile all in
(34:49):
his arms. He was walking toward the bank, knee deep
in water when the beasts took him by the right leg.
He dropped Lester and yelled, he's got me. The sharks
got me. Those words ring in my head. I do
not remember what happened after that. They told me that
a deputy was able to fight off the shark with
an oar, and that Stanley was aware of what happened.
(35:11):
His only words were, oh my god. A doctor applied
a rope to his thigh, and they took him by
train to Monmouth Memorial Hospital. He died there hours later
without me by his side. M August nineteen sixteen, five
(35:46):
p m. Dear Diary, I'm in St. Peter's Hospital in
a town called New Brunswick. It has been a month
since I wrote in my journal, and it's because I
was bitten by a shark. My brother feels bad about
teasing me now, and it's very nice to me. We
were swimming at the dock with our friends and Maddowen,
(36:09):
and an old man came by in a boat yelling shark.
My brother and the others got to the dock and
got out, but I was behind them. I got all
the way to the ladder when I felt something bite
me very hard. It was a shark and it pulled
me back into the water. My brother and my friend
jumped in and pulled me away from the shark, and
(36:30):
they put me on the dock. I don't remember anything
after that. I woke up in a hospital and my
leg hurt very bad. I have had three surgeries and
my doctor put new skin on my leg. He said
I'm going to be okay. My mom cried when she
saw me, but I told her it didn't hurt. The
(36:52):
nurse here is nice and gives me candy. She says,
I had bad dreams when I first got here about
the shark, but now I'm not scared anymore. The people
that work here called me a little Jonah because he
was eaten by a whale. August sixteen, six pm, Dear Diary.
(37:20):
They let me walk today with crutches, and it hurts some.
The doctor said that it will not hurt forever. My
mom told me today about the other people in Mattawan
who died because of the shark. Some boy named Lester
Stillwell and a man who tried to save Leicester. I
think his name was Stanley. That makes me sad for
their families. They say that I'm brave before people got
(37:44):
killed by the shark, and I think the least I
could do is still fortunate. I'm okay. October teen pm.
It has been three months since the terror at Mattajuan Creek.
(38:06):
Joseph Dunn fully recovered and was released home one month ago.
My final thoughts on what happened in New Jersey this summer.
Whether sharks in general are more numerous in our waters
this summer than during previous years may be seriously questioned,
notwithstanding the way in which local fishermen and the crowd
of incoming steamers have vied in frightening the public. Shark
(38:27):
stories with a certain foundation, and truth will always be
forthcoming when reporters have been ordered to get them. It
may be recalled that the summer of nineteen fifteen, although
marked by no such horrifying events as we have known
this year, was nevertheless popularly considered an exceptional sharks season.
So now we must move forward and try to learn
from the events of July nineteen six, a summer that
(38:50):
I believe in the future may be remembered not only
as a terrible tragedy, as the birth of modern in theology. Wow,
holy cow, that was chilling. Chucky did so good with this.
(39:11):
Jerry did great Who Jerry chownd designed the whole thing.
Oh yeah, yeah. And then in Robert and Jonathan and
Katie and Rachel and h the Mystery Boys, the Mystery boy.
Everyone did a great job. And that was that. I
hope you guys enjoyed it. That's a heck of a
way to wrap it up. That was that. How about
the uh the familiar sign off? Let's hear it for
Chuck Bryant first, everybody way to go check writer, producer, director,
(39:34):
I believe Uh yeah, I guess it's a little directing
going on. Yeah, trimple threat. Um yeah. Okay. Well, if
you want to contact us, you can tweet to us
at s Y s K podcast. You can join us
on Facebook dot com to tell Chuck what a great
job you do with this, and you can send us
an email. Wrap it up, spake it on the bottom,
send it off to Stuff podcast at Discovery dot com.
(40:00):
For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit
how staff works dot com. M h m hm. Brought
to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready,
are you
Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera.
It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you should Know
from House Stuff Works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to
the turn of the century radio play. How's it going, Chuck? Great?
(00:21):
How are you? I'm doing good? I'm like, this sounds
not like a radio play. No, it will very soon. Um,
this is a very special stuff you should know in
honor Shark Week. That's right. Um, we're doing something different,
something that Mr Charles W. Chucker's Bryant put together. Yeah. Um,
a group of radio diaries. I guess you could say, yeah,
(00:44):
you know. I think we touched on the um shark
attacks at the Jersey Shore in Mattawan Creek in nineteen
sixteen and a previous podcast, how Shart detect Work Dogs
Shark's favorite meal. It's right because the dog was actually
in the water and the first victim was attack. Uh.
This is the story that UM inspired Jaws Peter Benchley. Yeah,
(01:06):
and it is the famous UM And there's been a
lot of specials on this, like some pretty good ones. Well,
it's pretty sensational. It's like a hugely sensational I would
call this the special of all specials on this. You
did a great job, you think, so, yeah, well, thank you.
Uh So, we want to give you a little backstory
so you know what you're listening to. Then we want
to introduce the players to this little radio play or
(01:27):
I guess you call it a podcast play. Yeah, and
uh so, so you know who you're listening to and
what you're listening to. Well, Chuck, let's let's talk about
the attacks. O. Um, what year is this. Yeah, and
it's a time when beach recreation was like new, the
frozen banana had just been invented, yeah, sort of, but
(01:49):
this was the first time, like this was the beginnings
of like massive amounts of people going to the beach.
Dude swimming in the ocean, Ladies just starting to show
a little ankle, just dipping their toe in. Mainly the
men out there swimming in there one piece sure, weightlifters,
uniform bathing seats, right, that's right. And it was just
like a beautiful time to be alive in America. And
(02:12):
so this is the Jersey Shore. It's much like the
Jersey Shores today where if you live in New York
or Philly, this is where you're going when it's hot
also very different I mentioned, right, but this is the
origin of that time, yeah, or of that movement or
absolutely so this would all come screeching to a halt.
Uh over the course of twelve days, with um five
(02:34):
different victims of four which died on two on the
Jersey shore and then two more on a creek in
an inland Title creek and Mattawan or Mattawan. So the
first attack takes place on July first, nineteen sixteen, right,
and um, people thought it was a fluke. Yeah, it
was a Philly vacation or named Charles van Zandt. And
(02:54):
um he died. Five days later there was another attack
on the shore. So yes, now of a sudden you
have the entire nation's attention because everyone was like a
guy got attack by shark. It never happens, totally unusual occurrence.
Then five days later in the same area there's another one. Yes,
a Swissman attacked on the shore. And then um, after
that is when uh, they don't even know shark or
(03:18):
sharks moved inland to a Title creek and like kids
swimming in this creek thinking it's completely safe. Boy dies.
Man dies trying to save boy. Another voice severely injured,
and uh, it was pretty nuts after that, Like President
Wilson got involved. It was like a nationwide frenzy because
(03:40):
no one had ever known about shark attacks before. Oh yeah, yeah,
this is like the first thing. It was like an anomaly. Okay,
so you were basically like a sailor to know about
a shark attack. Of an introduction it is. So that's
what we got going on. We'll introduce the players now. Um.
First up, you're gonna hear uh and these are lost
(04:01):
diaries that we found from the scene. We should point out.
I thought that was a given. It is. Dr John C.
Nichols is played by tech stuffs Jonathan Strickland. He uh
is regarded as the first American ich theologist and worked
with his mentor, doctor Frederick Lucas, who was very uh.
They were kind of at odds for a while on this,
(04:22):
like Lucas was like, yeah, that's not sharks. Sharks don't
do that, and so Nichols went to the scene and
he was kind of who Matt Hooper was based on
Awesome of Jaws. Next up, you're gonna hear Louise Van's aunt,
who was the sister of the first victim Charles and
she was played by Rachel Frank who coolest stuff on
(04:43):
the planet. Yeah, I was doing that. I don't know
she still doing that. Uh. And she actually saw her brother,
like from the beach get attacked in the water. Third up,
we have Stanley Fisher and then Mary Anderson after that,
and they were um virgin love relationship in Mattawuan. Between
these two, Stanley was a local taylor, very well loved dude,
(05:05):
and Mary Anderson was a school teacher and they were
just like starting their courtship when Stanley perished right in
front of her face in the creek. Let me think
about it. It's bad enough to see someone killed by
a shark, and somebody that you care about killed by
a shark. That's got to really like leaving an impression,
say so. Uh. And Stanley Fisher is voiced by Robert Lamb.
(05:28):
Stuff to blow your minds Robert Lamb, that's right. And
Mary Anderson is voiced by the former I guess she's
still Katie Lambert, the former stuff you missed in history
class host right, was now departed from our work ranks.
I think that was probably good point that Katie's still
doing great. And then Finally, we have Joseph Dunn, who
was one of the little boys who actually survived. This
(05:50):
is crazy, man, Are you really going to tell everybody
who does Joseph Dunn? I don't think so. I think
we should just leave the mystery boy, Joseph Donne, the
mystery boy who is of legal age to be acting
in a podcast play without any kind of like child
labor laws being broken. Right, that's right. And Joseph he
was actually from New York and he and his brother
(06:11):
Michael went to visit his uh aunt and uncle and Cliffwood,
New Jersey and go swimming in the creeks there with
her buddy Jerry Howard hand and things turn pretty gruesome
for all of them. So some rotten luck for the
Jersey shore. With that, should we go ahead and proceed
with the s y s K radio play? Okay? What
do you call this thing? Uh? Uh? Call it listener
(06:35):
mail from a fan in Canada. That's terrible. Okay, how
about the Shark Diaries of the attacks at Mattawan Creek
July one, nine four p m. Dear Diary, We're headed
(06:56):
to Beach Haven on the train and it could not
be any hotter. I'm covered from head to toe in
woolen cotton, and it is quite tiresome. I consider trying
the ocean out this time, but Father says that women
should not bathe with Besides, whoever thought wool stockings and
seawater go together should be run up a flagpole, lead
(07:17):
weights and the hymn of the skirt. It's as if
they're attempting to drown us. Even so, it will be
grand to be at the beach for Independence Day. My
brother is beside me making fun of my diary. He
has threatened to steal it and shared around his office.
I'm sure there would be quite bored with it. Though
we must be close to a riding, because I can
(07:39):
smell the salty air. July one, nineteen sixteen, m Dear Diary.
The resorts are all booked full, and I bet half
of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are at the shore. Every
(08:00):
fifteen minutes a train dispatches another thousand people. It is
quite a sight. Who would have thought that the ocean
would draw such a crowd. There are young men everywhere
playing cards and keeping an eye out for commers. Father
and sister are resting out before dinner, and I'm roasting
on the hot sand, watching my brother swim to England.
(08:21):
Presumably he promised me a walk on the beach but
befriended a dog that seemed keen for a swim instead.
I call him Patches. Currently, he and Patches are swimming
out well past the others, both doing their best dog paddle.
I can barely see him from here, but he looks
to be having loads of fun. He's yelling and waving
(08:44):
his arms for Patches, but it looks like the pooch
has exhausted himself and is heading back. I'm beginning to
think that July nine, two pm where to arrived this
(09:11):
morning of an attack on a human in beach Haven,
possibly a shark most odd naturally. Dr Lucas has already
discounted it, but I wonder my inexperience next to Lucas
is pronounced yet I doubt his resolve to test his
own hypotheses now he nears retirement and news of sharks
feeding on humans is not something that appears to interest him.
(09:33):
His lack of investment was striking. I need to go
to beach Haven and investigate, but I am bound to
the museum. The Fish commissioners said that it was likely
after a dog in the water with the victim stripped
the man to his bone on the right and lost
several pounds of flesh on the left. My early thought
is a tiger, or perhaps a bowl. Lucas is convinced
(09:53):
there are no great whites round here. The victim was
very young. July two, nineteen sixteen, three thirty a m.
Dear diary, I cannot believe the words that I am
(10:15):
about to write. My brother has died. He was swimming
far out in the water when the people around me
began shouting. I saw a long, dark shadow in the
water just behind him. A man said that it was
a shark, but I don't know. I've never seen one.
(10:35):
It had a tall fin that sat high in the water.
It took him by the legs and drew him under.
A lifeguard swam out to retrieve him, but it was
too late. He was gone by the time he reached shore.
The water ran red with his blood around my feet,
(10:56):
and I've never felt so helpless in all my life.
His left thigh was in shreds all the way to
the bone. His right leg was hollowed out from waste.
To me, his lifeless face stared skyward. July two pm.
(11:25):
Summer has come upon us fully. It was more than
ninety degrees yesterday, and it may have been even hotter today.
Business has been steady, but slower than it was in
the spring and the winter before that. Mary and I
went for a walk down by the creek after church
on Sunday. She told me about our students. We talked
about Mattawan. We both love it here and don't desire
(11:45):
the bright lights of Philadelphia or New York. It is
a close community and we look out for each other.
I want to raise a family here. I've grown quite
fond of Mary, and I believe that in three weeks
it can be called a genuine courtship. She's kind and
pretty smart. It comes from a good family. There's a
rumor in town that a man was attacked by a
(12:07):
giant fish yesterday in beach Haven. Captain Cantrell has told
us all stories of man eaters at sea, but has
also regaled us with tales of giant squids and way
heaves as tall as four stories. He's well known to
stretch the truth, and his words should be taken with
a pinch of salt. July two to nineteen sixteen, seven
(12:31):
thirty six pm. Dear Diary, July, Oh July. I cannot
believe I have not written in my diary since the
end of the school year. Summer break was supposed to
be my time to catch up on this sort of thing.
Ah well, lad Da, I am being courted by a man.
He's tall and broad, with blonde hair and blue eyes,
very handsome. He's beloved in town as well. His name
(12:53):
is reputable as the mayor himself. He's a tailor and
has one of only four shops on Main Street, and
as consequently quite a snappy dresser. We took a walk
after church on Sunday and talked about life and our
hopes and dreams, and our families and our past and
our future. I'm just over the moon about it. Really.
He loves Mattajuana as much as I do, and would
(13:13):
not give a nickel for the bells and whistles of Philadelphia.
We were in his shop this afternoon and I watched
him cut a suit jacket. It was really something, a
true art. A strange thing happened as well. Captain Cotrell
came by and told us a man in beech Haven
was attacked by a fish, perhaps a shark. Very odd
to hear such a thing. Ju sixteen am, Dear Diary.
(13:47):
Today's Independence Day and it's very hot here in New York.
Father is home because it's a holiday for families. We're
supposed to think about freedom today, but I don't know
what they mean. My brother told me there was a
man who got buy a shark in New Jersey. But
I think he's just trying to scare me because we're
traveling to visit my aunt's house in Cliffwood next week.
(14:07):
They say a lot of people go to the beach
now and swim in the ocean, but we only go
in the creek in Mattawan with our friends. We're going
to parade earlier today. My brother said he would buy firecrackers,
even though Mom said not to. I'm putting a picture
of New York in this diary so I can show
my friends at Mattawan what the city looks like. I
hope we get a good mark for my diary riding
(14:28):
project when we start school. I like it. M July three,
nineteen sixteen, five seventeen pm, Dear Diary. I decided to
take lunch to Stanley today at his shop. I do
not want to run him off by calling too much.
But I missed him, so I threw caution to the wind.
He seemed very pleased to see me, and we made
plans to go to the Twin Lights Lighthouse at the
(14:50):
Atlantic Highlands on the Bay. It is going to be
just splendid and I can hardly contain myself. I'll pack
a picnic supper and we'll watch the sun set together
and then the big fireworks show. My favorite. Stanley traded
a man a tailored suit for life insurance today a
cecil suit, which was far too generous. What on earth
does a man his age need with life insurance? But
(15:10):
that is also what I am growing to love about him.
His generosity is only matched by his kindness. He plays
baseball with the children and they absolutely adore him. I
want to bring him by the schoolhouse this fall to
meet my students. Listen to me already planning for fall
with him by my side. Oh and I just had
to clip out the ads Stanley placed in the MOTTA
one journal U nineteen sixteen m Dear Diary. I met
(15:47):
the lifeguard who tried to save my brother at the funeral.
He was very kind. I believe that he did everything
he could do to save my brother. No one has
ever been attacked by a fish before, and many doubt
the events as they occurred. There have long been stories
of man eaters in the sea, but I most believed
(16:08):
them to be legend. I was there. I know I
saw him flung from the water. I saw his mangled
left leg exposed fully to the bone. It had been
virtually torn from his body. The Times ran a small
story on page eighteen. My brother deserved more, so much more.
(16:41):
N six am another shark attack yesterday in New Jersey
Spring Lake. The Times this morning is already all over
this event. So much for dodging a media circus. Lucas
finally agrees that something is amiss. This is no blasted
sea turtle. We have eye witness accounts this time. It's
(17:02):
clear that someone should go to Spring Lake and examine
the body. I feel like I'm the most qualified man
in New York, maybe even the country. Lucas may fight
me on this press conference in the morning at the museum,
so we had better get our ducks in a row.
Lucas said that the jaw of the shark is not
strong or capable of severing human bone. I have grave doubts.
(17:27):
July sixteen PM, Dear Diary, It's been almost a week
since we lost my dear brother. I found his journal
today and reading his final entry breaks my heart each
time my eyes pass over it. We received word this
morning that another bay there was killed two days ago.
(17:48):
It Spring Lake, a bellhop at a local resort. His
attack has drawn much more attention than our own just
days ago. I feel terrible for his family. Perhaps in
time I can reach out to them. No one seems
to know what is happening on our beaches that were
so different just days ago. What was previously a welcome
(18:09):
distraction from the polio epidemic in New York is now
a beach awash with the blood of our brothers and sons.
I pray for the end of summer. M Word has
come to Mattawin that another bather was attacked on the
shore yesterday. This time it was spring Lake, not far
(18:33):
from here. If this is true, it is most uncommon.
We have never heard of a shark attacking a man,
and now we have heard stories of two in just
one week. I imagine that the news will disrupt activity
at the shore. Luckily, for us, all we have to
worry about is the odd catfish nipping our toes. I
tried to talk Mary into coming for a swim sometime,
but she said she prefers to watch me from the bank.
(18:55):
I think she's just being shy. She said that she
would not want Captain Cottrell to see her in a
bathing on, and I think she may have a good point.
She's smart, she is. Surely the shark business is just
people's imagination getting the best of them. There are no
sharks in New Jersey. July seven, nineteen sixteen to seventeen PM,
(19:27):
Stanley just phoned and said that Captain Cantrell reported another
shark attack on the shore. They did not believe him
at first, but the newspaper confirmed it. It was at
Spring Lake this time, which means much more to do
about it, I'm sure. Stanley said that a scientist in
the paper insisted that sharks do not come to New Jersey,
and even if they did, they would not be interested
in humans. I just do not know what to think
(19:50):
sharks biting people in New Jersey? Whoever heard of such
a thing? Stanley swims in the creek, but you would
not catch me dead in there you cannot see six
inches into the water, but hides. Captain Cottrell is always
running up and down in his motor boat. And let
me just say that he will never see me in
a skirtain stockings. The very thought makes me pale. Nineteen
(20:18):
sixteen three pm press conference went well enough. Lucas was
met with questions straight away. The first blasted question asked
what he would tell the thirty mayors of the Jersey
Shore about their beaches. High loath reporters. We did our
best to calm nerves. Lucas is convinced that it was
mistaken identity and that the incidences are a merely a
(20:39):
sad coincidence. He avoids using words like man eater and
does a much better job with the press than Murphy
or I could. Asbury Park has erected wire netting, and that,
along with caution, should do for now. It is highly
unlikely that we should ever hear of another shark incident
on this coast. Even so, this is rich with opportunity
for our records. A man has never been attacked by
(21:00):
a shark before in the United States, and I go
to see him tomorrow. J P. M just returned from
the examination of victim number two, Charles Brewder, Spring Lake, Swiss,
with no family in the States. The Times was correct
(21:22):
in its story. Both legs were taken, one at the
knee and one at midcalf. Lifeguards rode out in a
boat this time and pulled his body in. One remarked
about how light it was, not realizing initially the legs
were missing. Most disturbing, the flesh was torn in strips, jagged,
the bones splintered like wood. There's no doubt that this
(21:45):
was the result of a shark. But what species? Could
it be? A road great white? The President has mobilized
the Coast Guard. I am reporting news to his men now.
M July nine, nineteen sixteen PM. Dear Diary, My brother
(22:07):
told me today in church that another man was eaten
by a shark in New Jersey. But Mom said it
wasn't true. She said they both got bit and died.
But sharks only go into the ocean, and I don't
need to be scared of them. In Mattawan, Mom said
after supper tonight she's going to talk to her aunt
on the telephone, and my brother and I could talk
to our friend and Mattawan because he has a telephone
(22:29):
now too. J nineteen, sixteen, eight am. Dear Diary. My
brother and I talked to our friend on the telephone
last night. It was really swell. Mom says that he's
a hooligan, but my brother said he's a good egg
and swims good too. We asked him about the sharks
(22:52):
and he said nobody there talked about it, but they
are sad. He said we could sneak into the dock
at the New Jersey Clay Company and no sharks there.
July eleventh, nineteen sixteen, eleven p m. Dear Diary, It
(23:13):
has now been ten days since we lost my brother.
I missed him so much, we all do. His car
is still in front of the house, and I catch
myself seeing him behind the wheel. After the second attack,
a scientist who studies ocean fish came to Spring Lake.
He's having a hard time with the local journalists. They've
(23:36):
printed that my brother was bitten by a giant sea turtle.
They've written that it was a bloodthirsty rogue shark. The
scientist makes claims of sensationalism and pleads for patients. He
says that only a great white has been known to
attack a human and that there are none in New Jersey.
Resorts have hired armed guards to patrol the beaches. They've
(23:59):
erected wire nets for bathing areas. I never want to
see the ocean again. July eleventh, nineteen sixteen, nine fifteen pm.
Dear Diary, I'm in bed now. My brother is teasing me.
(24:23):
He said that when we go back to Mattawan, it's
going to be scary. He said that last summer he
felt something touched him underwater by the dock, and he
said it was a shark. Probably. I'm supposed to be
asleep now because it's my bedtime and we leave early
in the morning. I'm scared of the shark, but I
don't want him to know, because he'll tease me again.
(24:51):
July twelve, sixteen eleven. Am back at the museum at last.
Seems like all's calm now. It has been nearly a
week since the Bruder attack. The media has taken a
rest for the time being. There is much research to
be done now. Lucas and Murphy are keen to hear
my account. Everyone looks to us now for answers, and
(25:11):
for now my colleagues are deferring to me as the
only ichthyologists. Popular theories abound. Ship sinkings and sailor depths
in the North Sea are creating a taste for human flesh.
Naval bombings are driving European sharks this way. Some have
even said it was a purposeful conspiracy of the Germans
to Luis into war. It's tiresome to deal with such
(25:33):
poppy cock. My strongest inclination is that there is a
Pacific weather phenomenon known as El Nino that has shifted
the warm Gulf stream closer to shore. This has brought
sharks that have never been to our waters. More Later,
(25:53):
July twelfth, m I am famished Mary say she would
bring lunch by after she finished her tutoring, and she
cannot arrive soon enough. In fact, I believe I see
her coming my way now. She told me last night
that today marks one month from when I first called
on her. It's hard to believe that much time has passed.
(26:15):
We should do something special. Maybe I should close the
shop early and take her into Philadelphia for dinner. She
is closer now, and the sun is cast an angelic
glow around her head. Or perhaps that is not the sun.
I may curse myself by writing it down, but I
believe I might love her. July n seven oh three,
(26:40):
a m. Dear Diary, I feel positively on cloud nine
this morning. Today marks one full months from Stanley first called.
Everything is going so well. I hate to tempt fate
by writing about it, but I think that I may
be in love. It gives me goose bumps to even
write such a thing. I've stopped by his shop yesterday
evening and he was going out with Red to play
(27:01):
baseball with the boys. He invited me to come along
and watch, and was surprised to learn that I enjoyed
the game very much. It's very exciting to me, and
there's a great level of skill involved. He is so
wonderful with the boys. They love him and fight over
whose team he should play on. It has been a
full week since any word of shark attacks. We are
all relieved to know that it is over. The scientists
(27:23):
from New York are learning what happened and trying to
decide why this occurred. It is largely perplexed them. I
do not plan to go to the ocean anytime soon.
Even so, I don't like the boys in my class
or Stanley swimming much at all. But the creek feels
like a much safer option. July twelve, nineteen sixteen, eight am,
(27:43):
Dear Diary, I had a bad dream that a giant
fish with a big mouth eight me. I don't know
if it was a shark, because I've never seen one.
It was as big as a street car and had
long teeth and were red. I was swimming in the
creek with my brother and my friend, but they looked different.
The fish bit my leg and pulled me in the creek,
(28:05):
but I came up and I was in the ocean.
My aunt was on the beach in a wooden chair,
but she could not hear me scream. Then my brother
was in a boat beside me, and I tried to
climb in. He laughed and kicked me until I fell
on the ocean, and the big fish bit me again
until he ate me. I woke up and my brother
said I was screaming, so I guess I really did
(28:28):
scream when I was asleep. I don't want to go
to Mattawan anymore. Maybe I can fake sick and stay
in Cliffwood. We leave on the train. M shocking news
(28:54):
today we'red in from Mattawuan, New Jersey of three shark
attacks in the tidal Creek. This is very difficult to believe,
and we all suspect that the state has succumbed to
shark hysteria. Matta Juan is a full eleven miles inland.
Very doubtful. Regardless, Dr Lucas has dispatched me directly. I
depart on the morning train. July nine, six am. Dear Diary,
(29:32):
it is with a broken heart that I write these words.
Stanley is dead. He's gone from me before he was
even mine. It has been two days since the awful event.
It was a shark, dear God, a shark. It got
him right in front of my eyes, in front of
(29:55):
the eyes of many. We buried him at two today
in the pouring rain. I am unable to sleep or eat.
I have hardly moved from my bed. Father said it
will take time, but I will never forget the events
of July twelve. The imments will haunt me to my grave.
(30:22):
July nineteen, sixteen, six fourteen pm. Today I examined two
of the victims, a man named Fisher who was trying
to retrieve the body of another victim, a boy named Stillwell.
Another boy Joseph Dunn is the only survivor and is
recovering in the hospital. His left calf is torn to pieces.
(30:44):
Fisher's injury was similar to the two at the shore.
The right thigh had a deep wound and the femoral
artery was severed. There was no way to stop the blood.
He was taken in front of dozens of locals, including
his new sweetheart. Stillwell, was not of it until the
following day. His left ankle was chewed off, left thigh
(31:04):
mangled from hip to knee. His left abdominal region was open,
and his intestines were nearly all torn out. The right hip,
chest muscle, and left shoulder were also lost. His right
leg and face were the only parts untouched. July nineteen,
six PM. I have just returned to my boarding house
(31:28):
after two days of chaos. Matajuan has turned into a battleground.
Men dangle legs of lamb and sides of beef from
the bridges. There's a near constant barrage of exploding dynamite.
Women line the banks with rifles. Their methods are not safe,
but I cannot deny my desire to catch the beast.
I believe that the shark is moving north and attacking
(31:49):
people on its journey. I suspect it is either a
rogue white or a tiger shark that is strayed thousands
of miles from its natural environment. July sixteenth, nineteen sixteen,
eight pm. Back at the museum again. The shark hunt
in Mattawan seems to be working, but I doubt that
(32:09):
any caught so far are responsible. Could be the work
of more than one. A local sea captain named Cartrell
caught a seven footer and has it on Ice and
Town a nickel per viewing. A nine footer was captured
in Long Branch twenty five pounds. Lucas informed us that
a man drowned at the Atlantic Highlands yesterday. People were
(32:31):
afraid he was being attacked by a shark. The headlines
now reach all the way from London. A parcel was
delivered today from the men who captured a seven footer.
It contained human bones taken from the belly and a
description dark, dull, blue white belly. They said a man's
head could fit inside its mouth. Sounds like a small
(32:51):
great white to me. Upon examination, however, the bones, while human,
were from the lower arm. All five victims of New
Jersey were attacked at the legs. This means there's been
at least one unreported attack. People will never hear the
words shark again without feeling fear. July nineteen, sixteen, twelve,
(33:22):
fourteen pm. It has been nearly two weeks since I
lost Stanley. Though I can still smell him on my clothes.
Each day brings new promise, only to shadow again. I
feel like the story must be recorded, as hard as
it is for me to write it. I was at
his shop in the afternoon on July twelve when some
(33:43):
boys ran down the street by the shop in a panic,
shouting about a shark in the creek. Stanley dismissed them
at first, but I saw that the boys were naked
and pale as ghosts. They said that a shark had
taken Lester, stillwell in the creek. Stanley did not hesitate
for even a moment. He said that Lester had the
fits and that if he did not get to him soon,
he would be finished. He grabbed Red and Arthur Smith
(34:06):
and was gone before I could stop him. I arrived
at the creek several minutes after Stanley. He was in
a rowboat with Arthur and Red searching for Lester. They
dragged chicken wire under the boat to try and find him.
The water was red with blood and people began to
arrive in a panic. Stanley became frustrated and suggested they
dive for him. They all changed into bathing suits behind
(34:29):
a tree, and one by one entered the water. They
searched for a while, and we're losing hope, and cold
Red said they should call it off, and they all
began to come to the bank. Stanley decided to take
one more dive. He went deeper than before. You could tell.
Stanley surface, holding what remained of Lester stile all in
(34:49):
his arms. He was walking toward the bank, knee deep
in water when the beasts took him by the right leg.
He dropped Lester and yelled, he's got me. The sharks
got me. Those words ring in my head. I do
not remember what happened after that. They told me that
a deputy was able to fight off the shark with
an oar, and that Stanley was aware of what happened.
(35:11):
His only words were, oh my god. A doctor applied
a rope to his thigh, and they took him by
train to Monmouth Memorial Hospital. He died there hours later
without me by his side. M August nineteen sixteen, five
(35:46):
p m. Dear Diary, I'm in St. Peter's Hospital in
a town called New Brunswick. It has been a month
since I wrote in my journal, and it's because I
was bitten by a shark. My brother feels bad about
teasing me now, and it's very nice to me. We
were swimming at the dock with our friends and Maddowen,
(36:09):
and an old man came by in a boat yelling shark.
My brother and the others got to the dock and
got out, but I was behind them. I got all
the way to the ladder when I felt something bite
me very hard. It was a shark and it pulled
me back into the water. My brother and my friend
jumped in and pulled me away from the shark, and
(36:30):
they put me on the dock. I don't remember anything
after that. I woke up in a hospital and my
leg hurt very bad. I have had three surgeries and
my doctor put new skin on my leg. He said
I'm going to be okay. My mom cried when she
saw me, but I told her it didn't hurt. The
(36:52):
nurse here is nice and gives me candy. She says,
I had bad dreams when I first got here about
the shark, but now I'm not scared anymore. The people
that work here called me a little Jonah because he
was eaten by a whale. August sixteen, six pm, Dear Diary.
(37:20):
They let me walk today with crutches, and it hurts some.
The doctor said that it will not hurt forever. My
mom told me today about the other people in Mattawan
who died because of the shark. Some boy named Lester
Stillwell and a man who tried to save Leicester. I
think his name was Stanley. That makes me sad for
their families. They say that I'm brave before people got
(37:44):
killed by the shark, and I think the least I
could do is still fortunate. I'm okay. October teen pm.
It has been three months since the terror at Mattajuan Creek.
(38:06):
Joseph Dunn fully recovered and was released home one month ago.
My final thoughts on what happened in New Jersey this summer.
Whether sharks in general are more numerous in our waters
this summer than during previous years may be seriously questioned,
notwithstanding the way in which local fishermen and the crowd
of incoming steamers have vied in frightening the public. Shark
(38:27):
stories with a certain foundation, and truth will always be
forthcoming when reporters have been ordered to get them. It
may be recalled that the summer of nineteen fifteen, although
marked by no such horrifying events as we have known
this year, was nevertheless popularly considered an exceptional sharks season.
So now we must move forward and try to learn
from the events of July nineteen six, a summer that
(38:50):
I believe in the future may be remembered not only
as a terrible tragedy, as the birth of modern in theology. Wow,
holy cow, that was chilling. Chucky did so good with this.
(39:11):
Jerry did great Who Jerry chownd designed the whole thing.
Oh yeah, yeah. And then in Robert and Jonathan and
Katie and Rachel and h the Mystery Boys, the Mystery boy.
Everyone did a great job. And that was that. I
hope you guys enjoyed it. That's a heck of a
way to wrap it up. That was that. How about
the uh the familiar sign off? Let's hear it for
Chuck Bryant first, everybody way to go check writer, producer, director,
(39:34):
I believe Uh yeah, I guess it's a little directing
going on. Yeah, trimple threat. Um yeah. Okay. Well, if
you want to contact us, you can tweet to us
at s Y s K podcast. You can join us
on Facebook dot com to tell Chuck what a great
job you do with this, and you can send us
an email. Wrap it up, spake it on the bottom,
send it off to Stuff podcast at Discovery dot com.
(40:00):
For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit
how staff works dot com. M h m hm. Brought
to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready,
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