US Politics | ‘Titanic’ of shark attacks left 5 swimmers dead or maimed with limbs chomped off in ‘twelve days of terror’ off US coast
CHARLES Vansant was the first victim, bleeding to death after was he was pulled from the water following a savage mauling. The 25-year-old's death was the first in a series of shark attacks that left five swimmers dead or maimed and sowed terror on the East Coast in what has been called the 'Titanic of shark attacks'. 
Two other men and an 11-year-old boy lost their lives in the ensuing carnage, while a 14-year-old had a miracle escape. The attacks over the summer of 1916 changed the whole way sharks were treated with the spectre of the deadly beasts lurking in the water firmly lodged in the public imagination. They have been compared to the way the sinking of the Titanic changed the attitude to passenger safety at sea. "It was the Titanic of shark attacks," said Richard Fernicola, a New Jersey physician and author of '12 Days of Terror'. The unsuspecting Vansant, from Philadelphia, was on vacation with his family at Beach Haven, a resort town on Long Beach Island off the southern coast of New Jersey, when he was attacked on July 1. READ MORE ON SHARKS 
FROM THE DEPTHS Horror moment 8ft shark leaps in front of surfers after string of attacks 
THE SHARK SIDE Most dangerous place for shark attacks where you should NEVER swim revealed The 25-year-old decided to take a quick swim before dinner but was heard shouting shortly after entering the water and a shark had taken hold of his legs. Lifeguards pulled him to shore, claiming the shark followed them as they pulled the bleeding man from the water. The shark had ripped Vansant's left thigh apart, stripping it of its flesh. Most read in News 'DEVASTATED' Mum's tribute to 'wonderful boy' after Brit, 22, killed by helicopter blades MEMORY LIVES ON 'Murdered' teen's loved ones believe she's sending tragic signs from grave 'world is shattered' Mystery after 9-year-old twin son of Meg and Harry's pal is found dead CRUCIAL EVIDENCE Chilling potential murder weapon that JonBenét's family want DNA tested CAMP TRIP TRAGEDY Chilling details emerge after parents and daughter, 6, killed in tent STAY SAFE Exact time of day you're least likely to suffer shark attack revealed by expert He later bled to death on the manager's desk of the Engleside Hotel just before 7pm that evening. Sightings of swarms of sharks were reported by sea captains entering nearby ports but were dismissed and the beaches along the Jersey Shore remained open. But five days after Vansant was struck and just 45 miles north, another attack claimed a life. Charles Bruder, 27, a Swiss worker at the Essex & Sussex Hotel was swimming just 130 yards from shore in Spring Lake, New Jersey. A shark bit him in the abdomen and severed his legs, turning the water red with blood. After hearing his terrified shrieks, a woman notified two lifeguards that a canoe with a red hull had capsized and was floating just at the water's surface. Lifeguards Chris Anderson and George White rowed out to Bruder in a lifeboat and soon realised he had been bitten by a shark. They pulled him from the water, but he bled to death on the way to shore. Scientists dismissed the attacks as coincidence but there was growing panic on shore and terror of what had been dubbed the Matawan Man-Eater On July 12, in the town of Matawan fishing captain named Thomas Cottrell saw a menacing shape glide under a town bridge but his frantic alarm was dismissed by the local police chief. In frustration, Cottrell ran through the streets warning passer-by to avoid the water. 
Bronx Home NewsOne of sharks suspected of carrying out the attacks '/ ' 
The creek where Lester Stillwell and Stanley fisher died 
Corbis - GettyAnother one of the sharks that may have been responsible for the deaths '/ ' But tragically a group of young workers from basket factory, who had been cooling themselves in the water in the summer heat, didn't hear the warning. Among them was 11-year-old Lester Stillwell who waded into the creek and had just shouted "Hey fellas, watch me float!". Suddenly his friends saw a dark form surge toward him and they heard a scream before he was pulled below blood soaked churning water. His friends ran into town for help, bringing back with them a group of men including local businessman Watson Stanley Fisher, 24. Fisher and other men dived into the creek to find the boy and attempted to return him to shore. But during the rescue, Fisher was also bitten by the shark, losing Stillwell in the process. Just 30 minutes after Stillwell had been attacked, another young boy fell victim to the sea pedator just half a mile away. Joseph Dunn, 14, of New York City, was bitten on his left leg while swimming nearby. Dunn's brother frantically tried to rescue him with a friend in a vicious tug-of-war battle with the shark. He was taken to Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick where he spent three months recovering from the wounds. In response hunters dynamited the waters around Matawan in a bid to kill the shark. "They wanted to kill as many sharks as they could but quickly figured out that was futile," said Fernicola. Read More on The US Sun 
HAUNTING VID Student made chilling prediction about 'being murdered' before disappearance 
HAIR GLUE I tried the Kardashians' viral hair stick dupe - is it worth it? Some believe the beast responsible for was caught by fishermen days later when human bones where found in the shark's gut when sliced open. The actual shark that a carried out the attack has, however, never been identified. 
Philadelphia InquirerThe attacks became front page news for the first time '/ ' 
Getty - ContributorBeach-goers relaxing on a New Jersey beach before the spate of shark attacks terrorised the region '/ '
Two other men and an 11-year-old boy lost their lives in the ensuing carnage, while a 14-year-old had a miracle escape. The attacks over the summer of 1916 changed the whole way sharks were treated with the spectre of the deadly beasts lurking in the water firmly lodged in the public imagination. They have been compared to the way the sinking of the Titanic changed the attitude to passenger safety at sea. "It was the Titanic of shark attacks," said Richard Fernicola, a New Jersey physician and author of '12 Days of Terror'. The unsuspecting Vansant, from Philadelphia, was on vacation with his family at Beach Haven, a resort town on Long Beach Island off the southern coast of New Jersey, when he was attacked on July 1. READ MORE ON SHARKS FROM THE DEPTHS Horror moment 8ft shark leaps in front of surfers after string of attacks THE SHARK SIDE Most dangerous place for shark attacks where you should NEVER swim revealed The 25-year-old decided to take a quick swim before dinner but was heard shouting shortly after entering the water and a shark had taken hold of his legs. Lifeguards pulled him to shore, claiming the shark followed them as they pulled the bleeding man from the water. The shark had ripped Vansant's left thigh apart, stripping it of its flesh. Most read in News 'DEVASTATED' Mum's tribute to 'wonderful boy' after Brit, 22, killed by helicopter blades MEMORY LIVES ON 'Murdered' teen's loved ones believe she's sending tragic signs from grave 'world is shattered' Mystery after 9-year-old twin son of Meg and Harry's pal is found dead CRUCIAL EVIDENCE Chilling potential murder weapon that JonBenét's family want DNA tested CAMP TRIP TRAGEDY Chilling details emerge after parents and daughter, 6, killed in tent STAY SAFE Exact time of day you're least likely to suffer shark attack revealed by expert He later bled to death on the manager's desk of the Engleside Hotel just before 7pm that evening. Sightings of swarms of sharks were reported by sea captains entering nearby ports but were dismissed and the beaches along the Jersey Shore remained open. But five days after Vansant was struck and just 45 miles north, another attack claimed a life. Charles Bruder, 27, a Swiss worker at the Essex & Sussex Hotel was swimming just 130 yards from shore in Spring Lake, New Jersey. A shark bit him in the abdomen and severed his legs, turning the water red with blood. After hearing his terrified shrieks, a woman notified two lifeguards that a canoe with a red hull had capsized and was floating just at the water's surface. Lifeguards Chris Anderson and George White rowed out to Bruder in a lifeboat and soon realised he had been bitten by a shark. They pulled him from the water, but he bled to death on the way to shore. Scientists dismissed the attacks as coincidence but there was growing panic on shore and terror of what had been dubbed the Matawan Man-Eater On July 12, in the town of Matawan fishing captain named Thomas Cottrell saw a menacing shape glide under a town bridge but his frantic alarm was dismissed by the local police chief. In frustration, Cottrell ran through the streets warning passer-by to avoid the water. Bronx Home NewsOne of sharks suspected of carrying out the attacks '/ ' The creek where Lester Stillwell and Stanley fisher died Corbis - GettyAnother one of the sharks that may have been responsible for the deaths '/ ' But tragically a group of young workers from basket factory, who had been cooling themselves in the water in the summer heat, didn't hear the warning. Among them was 11-year-old Lester Stillwell who waded into the creek and had just shouted "Hey fellas, watch me float!". Suddenly his friends saw a dark form surge toward him and they heard a scream before he was pulled below blood soaked churning water. His friends ran into town for help, bringing back with them a group of men including local businessman Watson Stanley Fisher, 24. Fisher and other men dived into the creek to find the boy and attempted to return him to shore. But during the rescue, Fisher was also bitten by the shark, losing Stillwell in the process. Just 30 minutes after Stillwell had been attacked, another young boy fell victim to the sea pedator just half a mile away. Joseph Dunn, 14, of New York City, was bitten on his left leg while swimming nearby. Dunn's brother frantically tried to rescue him with a friend in a vicious tug-of-war battle with the shark. He was taken to Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick where he spent three months recovering from the wounds. In response hunters dynamited the waters around Matawan in a bid to kill the shark. "They wanted to kill as many sharks as they could but quickly figured out that was futile," said Fernicola. Read More on The US Sun HAUNTING VID Student made chilling prediction about 'being murdered' before disappearance HAIR GLUE I tried the Kardashians' viral hair stick dupe - is it worth it? Some believe the beast responsible for was caught by fishermen days later when human bones where found in the shark's gut when sliced open. The actual shark that a carried out the attack has, however, never been identified. Philadelphia InquirerThe attacks became front page news for the first time '/ ' Getty - ContributorBeach-goers relaxing on a New Jersey beach before the spate of shark attacks terrorised the region '/ '
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