Look for two new books based on the Matawan Shark attacks of 1916 -- Close to Shore : A True Story of Terror  and Twelve Days of Terror. 

Shark!

by Virginia Moshen

of the Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library

The headline of the Matawan Journal for July 13, 1916 reads as follows: "Man eating shark in Matawan Creek causes death of man and boy." The first paragraph continues: "No time in recent years has there been so much continued excitement as on Wednesday, when a man-eating shark came up Matawan Creek as far as the old Propeller Wyckoff dock and attacked one of a party of boys bathing in there, resulting in the disappearance of the boy ..."

In July, 1916, the Jersey Shore was the scene of a series of shark attacks resulting in several deaths and injuries. Among them were 12 year old Lester Stillwell and 24 year old Stanley Fisher who were attacked by a shark in a narrow freshwater creek in Matawan, New Jersey. On July 12th, despite the fact that there had been two prior deaths in Beach Haven and Spring Lake, and despite the warnings of Thomas Cottrell, a retired sea captain who had seen a shark in that creek earlier in the day, several boys had gone swimming to alleviate the heat. When the other boys saw Lester screaming and being pulled under, they ran into town for help. Stanley Fisher was one of three young men who dived into the creek to search for Stillwell. After several attempts, according to reports, Fisher had apparently found the child's body when he himself was attacked.

Although he was able to escape from the shark, Fisher's wounds were too severe and he died in the hospital at Long Branch that evening. Lester Stillwell's body was not recovered until Friday. The press and local residents converged on the town of Matawan and nets, guns and dynamite were used in an attempt to kill the shark; it was, however, not until the 14th that a large shark was caught in Raritan Bay and put on display to over 3,000 people at ten cents each.

References

Brown, Edward. "The shark that devoured New Jersey." Philadelphia Magazine. Philadelphia, PA: Municipal Publications (1975).

"Death in New Jersey." Sharks: silent hunters of the deep. New York: Reader's Digest, 1986, p. 120. (<<< NOTE: This is an active hyperlink to an excerpt from this book!)

Fernicola, Richard G. In search of the "Jersey man-eater." Deal, NJ: George Marine Library, 1987.

Matawan Journal. Matawan, NJ. Out of print. July 13, 1916 and following.

Menapace, Christine. "Real life 'Jaws' tale happened right in Matawan." The Bayshore Independent. Freehold, NJ: Greater Monmouth Pub. Co., Dec. 11, 1991, p. 19.

Moss, George H., Jr. "Summer of '16: 'year of the shark'." The Sunday Register. Shrewsbury, NJ. Out of print. June 18, 1978, p. A7.

Muller, Shannon. "'Jaws' at the shore: the 1916 shark attacks." Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, NJ: Ernest W. Lass, Aug. 11, 1996, p. 1.

Schaefer, Henry. "Fishing captain recalls the day a shark killed two in Matawan." Daily Register. Shrewsbury, NJ. Out of print. July 23, 1975, p. 17.