Maritime Monday - 1906 Fishing Yachts Capsize, Sharks, Deaths, Daring Rescues!

 Herbert M. Shivers

Today, for a change of pace, I am leaving my family to rest and will be talking about an incident that happened in 1906 to my "other half" Jim's grandfather, Herbert M. Shivers of Anglesea, N.J.  Herbert at this time worked for his father's bricklaying and plastering business.but spent part of his time fishing for the local and New York markets. Herbert also ran and captained fishing parties for tourists and locals. News of what happened on this particular day was published as far away as in the New York Times, Philadelphia newspapers and even my hometown newspaper, the Reading Eagle,  which is about 60 miles west of Philadelphia.

Herbert later went on to be elected to serve on the town Council for 12 years (2 of which were as president)  and he was then elected to serve as Mayor of North Wildwood (of which by that time, Anglesea had become a part) for one term, 1923 - 1925.

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Reading (PA) Eagle, Monday July 30, 1906, Page 4 Column 4

MANY DROWNED.
Sloop Yachts Capsized Near Angleesea

Anglesea, N.J., July 30 --- Caught in the trough of a tremendous sea, the sloop yachts Nora and Alva B., coming in from the Fishing Banks just after noon yesterday, capsized on Hereford Inlet Bay.

There were 32 persons on the Nora, of whom seven were lost, and 12 on the Alva B., all of whom but one were saved.The list shows these bodies recovered:

Fisher, Frederick, Phila.
Hammell, Herbert, Lansdale, Penn.
Snyder, Walter, Phila.
Fogarty, John, Haverford, Penn.
Starkey, J., Phila.
Donohue, Jerry, Phila.
Williams, Griffith, Phila
Lodner, Samuel, of Woodbury, N.J.

To add to the terrors of the situation a school of sharks was seen swimming around the scene of the disaster, and some of the survivors declare that they had to fight the big fish as well as try to save themselves. Rescuers also declare that the sharks gave them a lot of trouble. Others say the fish were porpoises.

Dramatic features of the double disaster are the heroic work of United States life savers, who were ready for the emergency, and met it with their usual magnificent bravery, in spite of the fact that they are out of service and without pay during this and next month; the heroic behavior of Captain Herbert Shivers, in charge of the Nora, who dived into the hold of his foundered craft and secured an armful of life preservers, which he distributed among those who were struggling in the water about him, and the astounding coincidence of the second wreck following so closely upon the heels of the first.

The Alva B. was owned by E. J. Haliman, a lawyer, of Pottsville, Penn'a. He and a party of friends were on board at the time.

A thorough search to-day failed to bring to light further loss of life. Some of those rescued, in an exhausted condition, remained here over night and departed for home to-day.

Typing with a life vest because you can't be too sure,

~Karen the AncesTree Sprite