Swimming CASE: GSAF 1913.00.00.c DATE: Summer of 1913

ACTIVITY: Swimming
CASE: GSAF 1913.00.00.c
DATE: Summer of 1913
LOCATION: The incident took place in
the Indian Ocean at the Barachois
bridge, Saint Denis, Reunion Island.
NAME: Unknown
DESCRIPTION: male
BACKGROUND
ENVIRONMENT: Barachois bridge was
a sort of pier, according historian Henri
Cornu.
Barachois, St. Denis
“[F]or a long time there was always at the end of the bridge a chain equipped with a huge
hook embedded in the body of a dead dog. From time to time we took a shark on the
pebble beach where for two or three hours the shark’s mouth was held open by a piece
of wood. I have seen this with many friends and can assure readers that I have always
had a lot of respect for their teeth: it's scary.
“There were a lot of sharks at the Barachois bridge because the slaughterhouse poured
blood and pieces of meat into the sea.”
“... Towards the end of the bridge was a hole surrounded by a railing, down which there
were stairs to the level of the water. In the time of sailing ships, passengers were brought
to the bridge Barachois by rowboat. The landing was difficult. ... For cattle from
Vohemar, Tamatave and Tulear, the landing ceremony was different. The oxen .were
tied by the horns around boats and hung vertically in the sea. It happened that from time
to time a shark detached a leg or two.”
NARRATIVE: A man suddenly disappeared as he was bathing in the sea outside the
station. It was believed he was taken by a shark, as was the man seen killed by a shark at
the same place 15 days after this incident (GSAF 1913.00.00.d)
INJURY: Fatal
SPECIES: Not identified
SOURCE: Henri Cornu
© Global Shark Accident File, 2010. All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or
reproduced in any form without written permission of the Global Shark Accident File.
SAINT-DENIS 1913 : requins longtemps
Courrier des lecteurs, Journal de l'île de la Réunion, 15/07/1991 :
"En 1913, un dimanche soir à la saison chaude, l'antique "pont du Barachois" était plein de monde
venu jouir de la brise fraîche. Le drame suivant s'est passé sous mes yeux.
Un petit Mal'bar (on ignorait le mot Tamoul), bien habillé, coiffé d'un canotier, se pavanait sur le
pont avec l'air d'un "ténor casser". Une brusque rafale emporta son canotier à la mer. Sans
hésiter, le petit bonhomme enleva sa veste, ses souliers et sauta par-dessus la rambarde. Nous le
vîmes ressortir de tout le buste en poussant un cri inhumain, puis il disparut et une grosse tache
rouge se répandit sur l'eau. Il avait pour ainsi dire sauté dans la gueule d'un requin !
Quinze jours auparavant, un homme avait aussi brusquement disparu : il se baignait dans la mer
devant la gare.
C'est dire qu'autrefois, on ne se baignait gère qu'à Saint-Gilles et à Saint-Pierre à l'abri de la
barrière de coraux.
J'avoue avoir été étonné de voir, depuis une trentaine d'années environ, tant de gens plonger ou
surfer sans accident n'importe où et à toute heure. Or l'année dernière un surfeur a été attaqué
devant Sainte-Marie et, ces jours-ci, un autre l'a été à l'embouchure de la Ravine des Sables.
Jeunes gens, attention !
Pour revenir au Barachois et au temps longtemps, il y avait toujours, au bout du pont, une chaîne
munie d'un énorme "zin" enfoncé dans le corps d'un chien mort. De temps en temps, on prenait un
requin, on le tirait sur la plage de galets ; il y restait deux ou trois heures, la gueule tenue ouverte
par un morceau de bois. J'en ai vu plusieurs et puis assurer les amis lecteurs que j'ai toujours
gardé beaucoup de respect pour leur denture : elle est effrayante.
Il y avait beaucoup de requins à côté du pont du Barachois, parce que l'abattoir se trouvait devant
le Gouvernement (l'hôtel de la préfecture) et déversait à la mer du sang et des morceaux de
viande.
Le pont du Barachois était une sorte de jetée, d'embarcadère. La rue de Nice s'appelait la rue de
l'Embarcadère et était empruntée par notre petit train ; de la gare à la place du "Gouvernement", il
était précédé par un homme marchant au pas et qui agitait un grosse clochette.
Le pont comportait vers son extrémité un trou entouré d'une rambarde. Un escalier descendait
jusqu'au niveau du flot. Du temps de la marine à voile, les passagers étaient amenés vers le pont
du Barachois par une barque à rames. Le débarquement était parfois difficile.
L'aventure du poète Baudelaire est célèbre. Dans l'escalier, une grosse houle le submergea et l'on
vit apparaître sur le pont un individu coiffé d'une sorte de gibus et vêtu d'une redingote, tenant
entre les mains une pile de livres, tout cela complètement trempé. Mais Baudelaire gardait un air
impassible comme si les conditions de son débarquement étaient normales.
Pour les boeufs reçus de Vohemar, de Tamatave ou de Tuléar, le cérémonial était autre. Les
boeufs étaient attachés par les cornes autour des barques et pendaient à la verticale dans la mer.
Il arrivait qu'en route un requin prélevât une patte ou deux. Près du rivage, les boeufs étaient
détachés et gagnaient par leurs propres moyens le sol ferme où les gardiens armés de "chaboucs"
les attendaient. Quelquefois un boeuf s'échappait et des gardiens couraient le rattraper en criant :
"Boeuf l'a chappé, embarre devant !". En entendant ces hurlements, les passants au lieu de barrer
la route au boeuf, s'empressaient de se mettre à l'abri. Quant aux boeufs blessés par les requins,
© Global Shark Accident File, 2010. All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or
reproduced in any form without written permission of the Global Shark Accident File.
ils étaient abattus immédiatement.
oyeusetés d'autrefois.
Henri Cornu (Saint-Denis)"
l'article du JIR
SAINT -DENIS 1913 long sharks
Letters to the Editor, Journal of the Reunion Island, 15 July 1991:
"In 1913, a Sunday evening in the hot season, the old "Barachois bridge" was full of people who
came to enjoy the cool breeze. Following the drama happened before my eyes.
A small Mal'bar (the Tamil word was unknown) well dressed, wearing a straw hat, strutted on the
deck with the air of a "tenor break." A sudden gust took his boater (hat) into the sea. Without
hesitation, the little man took off his jacket and shoes, and jumped over the railing. We saw him
out of all the bust by pushing an inhuman cry, and then he disappeared and a large red stain
spread on the water. He had virtually jumped into the jaws of a shark!
Fifteen days earlier, a man had also suddenly disappeared as he was bathing in the sea outside
the station.
This means than in the past, it is bathed manages to Saint-Gilles and Saint-Pierre away from the
coral reef.
I admit I was surprised to see during the last thirty years or so, that many people dive or surf
safely anywhere and at any time. But last year a surfer was attacked in front of Sainte-Marie, and
these days, someone else was at the mouth of the Ravine des Sables. Young men, beware!
To return to the Barachois, for a long time there was always at the end of the bridge a chain
equipped with a huge hook embedded in the body of a dead dog. From time to time we took a
shark on the pebble beach where for two or three hours the shark’s mouth was held open by a
piece of wood. I have seen this with many friends and can assure readers that I have always had
a lot of respect for their teeth: it's scary.
There were a lot of sharks at the Barachois bridge because the slaughterhouse was before the
Government (the hotel of the prefecture) and poured blood and pieces of meat
into the sea.
Barachois bridge was a sort of pier. Nice street called Street and the pier was borrowed by our
train the station instead of "Government" it was preceded by a man marching and waving a large
bell.
Towards the end of the bridge was a hole surrounded by a railing, down which there were stairs
to the level of the water. In the time of sailing ships, passengers were brought to the bridge
Barachois by rowboat. The landing was difficult
The adventure of the poet Baudelaire is famous. On the stairs, a large swell washed over him
and there appeared on the bridge an individual wearing a a top hat and frock coat holding in
hands a pile of books, all completely soaked. But Baudelaire kept a straight face as if his landing
conditions were normal.
© Global Shark Accident File, 2010. All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or
reproduced in any form without written permission of the Global Shark Accident File.
For cattle from Vohemar, Tamatave and Tulear, the landing ceremony was different. The oxen
were tied by the horns around boats and hung vertically in the sea. It happened that from time to
time a shark detached a leg or two. Near the shore, the oxen were released and won on their
own firm ground where armed guards with clubs awaited them. Sometimes a bull escaped and
guard ran to catch up shouting "Beef has chappé embarre before". Upon hearing these cries,
passers instead of blocking the bulls on the road, hastened to shelter. As for cattle injured by
sharks, they were killed immediately.
Funny things of the past.
Henri Cornu (Saint- Denis) " Article of JIR
SOURCE: La Gazette des dents de la mer, edition Île de la Réunion,
© Global Shark Accident File, 2010. All rights reserved. This report may not be abridged or
reproduced in any form without written permission of the Global Shark Accident File.