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PERILOUS VOYAGE – ARRIVAL OF CAPT. LAWLOR’S LITTLE DORY ON THE OTHER SIDE.
MANY HAIR-BREATHTH ESCAPES-EXCITING ADVENTURE WITH A SHARK
[Welland Telegraph, 14 August 1891]
LONDON, Aug. 7- Capt. Lawlor, on board the American dory, Sea Serpent, which started from Boston on an ocean race with the Mermaid, another dory, officered and manned by Capt. Andrews, arrived at Coverack near Lizard Point on the English Channel at 6.30 o’clock Wednesday morning. His recital of the incidents of the trip shows many narrow escapes from death.
The most exciting event was an encounter he had with a shark. On the night of July 24 he went to sleep after he had made his rudder ropes fast and otherwise prepared his boat to care for herself. He was suddenly awakened by a grinding noise and found a shark rubbing against the boat. He paid no attention to this as it was a common occurrence. Suddenly the boat gave a twist and he found the shark had turned over and had one end of the boat in its mouth trying to gnaw it off. Lawlor had a harpoon, but was afraid that if he threw it he might lose it. He tried to lash a knife to the harpoon so that he might stag the shark without danger of losing his weapon, but found he would not have time to do it as the shark’s powerful jaws were almost crunching the boat. He therefore took a patent yacht signal, a number of which he had on board, and which consist of an explosive preparation which acts somewhat after the manner of a Roman candle, lit the fuse and wrapped the signal in a newspaper. Then he threw his novel weapon overboard. As soon as it touched the water the shark seized it and the signal exploded, much to the detriment of the shark’s internal economy.
On August 3, while trying to speak to the bark, Finland, Lawlor lost control of his boat and the latter went down on her beam side ends and was half filled with water. He had hard work to right her. After parting company with the bark he had very dirty weather. When he arrived at Coverack he was drenched and greatly fatigued. The Postmaster there offered him the hospitalities of his house and Lawlor is now there resting from the strain of the voyage.
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