Swallowed By The Deep?

 

Many disappearances at sea are tragic. Others are strange. And then there are those that leave behind only mystery; a few scattered clues—just enough to unsettle you, not enough to offer any sort of satisfying explanation.

This feels like one of those stories.

A Squid Jigging Nightmare

Yellow Wooden Dory

It was July 23rd, 1900 and a beautiful evening on Placentia Bay, the kind of day that might lull a fishermen into feeling safe.

Two men, by the name of Hallett and Dicks, were squid jigging off Harbour Buffett. They were in separate dories each tied to a trawl buoy. The water was calm and clear.

For hours as they worked, the only sounds were the splash of lines and the occasional call of gulls. But when Dicks turned to check on Hallett, his stomach dropped—Hallett’s boat was gone.

Panic set in as Dicks rowed to the spot. When he reached the buoy, he found only a jagged piece of the stern still tied to the floating keg. The wood was splintered as if something massive had struck it. There was no sign of Hallett and no explanation. Whatever had happened to the boat had happened quickly and with great force, and it did it with enough stealth that it didn’t draw Dicks’ attention.

Back on shore, the story spread quickly.

Thresher Shark, F. Schönfeld, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Some blamed a thrasher, — a long-tailed shark that is sometimes seen in the Newfoundland Waters during the  summer. It has a long whip-like tail with which it can propel itself out of the water. The thresher shark, as it’s now more commonly called, is thought to pose little threat to humans, but can be a nuisance to mackerel fisherman. It sometimes does feed on squid. Thresher sharks, which can reach 16ft in length have been known to damage boats and even, accidentally land aboard them when jumping from the water.

According to reports there had been thresher sharks seen in Placentia Bay that summer. Perhaps one had been feeding on the same squid Hallett was jigging. Perhaps it jumped, hit and smashed his boat.

Maybe.

Not everyone was so quick to blame the thresher. Some wondered if some other creature, maybe older and stranger, lurked in the depths of the bay.

“Thrasher or not,” Dicks spoke gravely to the crowd on the wharf, “it destroyed his boat in an instant—smashed it like it was nothing, and I didn’t hear a sound.”

Whatever it was — known predator or something more mysterious — one truth was clear: even for seasoned mariners, the deep holds surprises — and some are swift, silent, and merciless.

Hallett’s body was never found.

• Sources & Further Reading

  1. Singular Accident, Evening Telegram, July 25, 1900.

  2. The Thrasher, Excursions in and about Newfoundland in the years 1839-1840, J.B. Jukes

  3. Offbeat History, Evening Telegram, Dec 4, 1969

  4. Thresher Shark, Fisheries and Oceans Canada