Lester Stillwell, 11, was attacked by a shark in the Matawan Creek W. Stanley Fisher, 24, heard the screams and headed to the creek with friends to recover Stillwell's body Watson Stanley Fisher, a young man at the scene, dove in with several other to help capture the fish, but was grabbed himself. He bled to death due to injuries to his thigh in the hospotal. His grandmother, then 16-year-old Mabel Smith, was playing in Matawan Creek on July 12, 1916, when the shark attacked 11-year-old Lester Stillwell. The surf rolled in and broke against the warm sands. President Woodrow Wilson called a meeting and the White House agreed to give federal aid to “drive away all the ferocious man-eating sharks which have been making prey of bathers,” according to a July 14, 1916 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Screams filled the air as his head bobbed up and down on the surface. Charles Vansant, Charles Brother, Lester Stillwell and Watson Stanley Fisher wanted to have a nice day at Jersey Beach in 1916. At approximately 2:00 pm, 11-year-old Lester Stillwell splashed in the Matawan Creek with his friends near the Wyckoff dock. July 1, 1916, was a fine day at the New Jersey resort town of Beach Haven. A special memorial service was held at the graves of both Fisher and the boy, and a new monument in Fisher's honor was unveiled. Mar 29, 2018 - Thirty miles farther north, residents of Matawan, a small town 11 miles inland from the open ocean, naturally felt that they were safe from attacks. He suffered devastating injuries to his right leg and died a few hours later at Monmouth Memorial Hospital. Suddenly, something pulled Lester beneath the water. Shark hysteria finally rang high when Lester Stilwell’s maimed little body was eventually found. The Jersey Shore Attacks of 1916. The hero of the event was the deceased tailor, Stanley Fisher, who so nobly lost his life trying to save the preteen Lester Stillwell from the jaws of death. Watson Stanley Fisher, 24 - called to the scene by the boys where Lester was attacked, Watson dove in and was attacked too. Lester Stillwell’s body was recovered just 150 feet upstream two days later. To the horror of his friends, the water turned scarlet. Joseph Dunn, 14 - was attacked a half mile from the Wyckoff dock nearly 30 minutes after the attacks on Stillwell and Fisher. Rogue Shark! He dove into the creek to recover Lester’s body and was attacked by a shark in front of the others. A great white shark came to the beach and attacked the 4 young men and an unknown lifeguard – they all died on the spot Injuries. You could Of course, don’t expect them all to lose their lives that day would let. ... Mr Fisher died from his injuries, suffering a massive bite from his groin down to his right knee. On July 12, Lester Stillwell, 11, was playing in the creek 16 miles inland when the shark attacked. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but confidant that what he saw was very real, Cattrell ran into Matawan to warn everyone. Howard Crawford heard the story many times. Part One: Killer on the Loose. On July 12, 11-year-old Lester Stillwell was fatally attacked while bathing in the Matawan Creek. Injuries to Conger's thighs were extensive (both femoral arteries were severed), and his hands and buttocks were severely bitten; the wounds suggest an attacking great white shark about 14–16 feet (4.3–4.9 m) long. Grave of Lester Stillwell (photograph by the author) Fischer believed he had found Stillwell’s body, when suddenly the shark sank its teeth into Fischer’s leg. The beach was filled with people who had taken the train down from Philadelphia to beat the city heat. Brother, Lester Stillwell and Watson Stanley Fisher wanted to have a nice at! 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