Ocean County , NJ History

Ocean Emblem 31 Aug 1859

New Jersey Courier 14 Jul 1916 If you read the Barnegat letter in this issue you will get the bayman's idea of the shark question; and will find that they are always here in the summer,in greater or less quantities. It does seem likely that there are more of them just now than the average summer brings; but again it may be simply because attention has been focused on them, and every person who sees one or who catches one, tells about it. For instance, two big fellows, 8 and 12 feet long, were caught Monday at Little Egg harbor inlet, and the captor towed them to Beach Haven, to have a picture taken of them, when ordinarily they would have been left to float away, or else to feed the pigs. At Seaside Park on Monday a twelve footer was caught by Dick Meyer and crew at the Larkin pound. Ordinarily, the catching of a shark in a fish pound is all in a day's work; but just now it is good for a newspaper story.

From the New Jersey Courier of 14 Jul 1916: TWO LADS DROWN; SHARK GOT THREE MORE BATHERS First Drowning of Summer at Barnegat Pier Sunday Lewis Stoer, aged 19 years, was drowned at Barnegat Pier on Sunday while swimming. The body was recovered Monday and taken to his home at Palmyra. The boy's mother was prostrated by the shock. Stoer with his father, John Stoer, his brother Roy, and three friends, Frank and Conrad Windish, and Austin Raymond, came to the Pier on the Sunday excursion train for a days outing. Three of the lads went in swimming. Lewis swallowed a lot of water and seemed to be in difficulty, and the other two swam to him and held him up. He told them he was all right, but wh en they let go of him he went down and did not come up again. This was about 2:30 on Sunday afternoon. The body was found by Capt. Holmes Van Note on Monday at noon. Coroner Shuts gave a burial permit and his brother took the body home. WILL HARROP DROWNED IN ALMONESSON LAKE, MONDAY Will