Rhode Island American And Providence Gazette

By the arrival of the ship Thomas Gelston, of this port, from Africa, we learn the following particulars of a singular escape of one of the crew of that vessel. The Thomas Gelston Capt. Martin, was taking in African oak, at the island of Tombo, in the Sierra Leone river, in the month of June last; and Captain Martin perceiving the river crowded with sharks, cautioned his crew not to bathe. To facilitate the operations of loading, the ship had a stage rigged from her aft port nearly level with the water's edge. Disregarding the caution of the captain, one of the crew, named William Davis, resolved to bathe in the river, and he took with him a boy for the same purpose, with whom he was swimming on his back, when his foot was seized by a shark. The boy was flung from the back of the sailor himself was instantly pulled under water. In a moment however the unfortunate man rose again, having escaped from the jaws of the Shark, and with all his energy he endeavored to reach the stage on which stood the carpenter of the ship and the boy. In this endeavor he was sufficiently successful as to seize it with his hands. The carpenter stood and seized him by the arms, and when in the act of hauling him out of the water, the wretched sailor was again seized by the leg by the shark. In this horrible situation, the shark striving to pull him into the water, and the carpenter to pull him out of it, poor William Davis remained until the shark succeeded in tearing away his leg. He was then brought on board and Captain Martin having bound up the stump as well as he was able, sent a boat to Sierra Leone with him. On his arrival in the colony, the stump was skilfully amputated, and he is now in this port and is doing well. The name of the carpenter by whom he was rescued is John Bully.—Liverpool Chronicle.