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Fight With Alligator
Death Struggle at Adelaide River
Man Without Weapons beats Reptile
At the Adelaide River last night,
just at sunset, an heroic fight for
life was put up by Harry Summerfield
a gardener at Adelaide River. It
appears that Mr. Summerfield was
standing about five feet away with his
back to the water when he heard a
slight noise and immediately found
himself gripped by an alligator which
dragged him into the water. As quick
as lightning Summerfield with his
free hand, poked his finger into the
beast's eye, which was endeavouring
to drag him under the water. The
beast then let go the arm which it had
broken at the wrist, but immediately
seized the man by the leg, and this
enabled the man to thrust his thumb
into the alligator's other eye. Now
blinded in both eyes, and no doubt
suffering intense agony, the beast was
compelled to let go, and the man
struggled asbore, where assistance
was forthcoming and first aid given.
Telephone messages were sent in to
Darwin, and Mr. Millican, Officer in
Charge of Railways, with his usual
promptness, immediately despated
motor quad to bring the unfortunate
man to Darwin. It arrived at daylight
this morning and the sufferer was
taken to the hospital where Dr. Jones
promptly attended to his injuries and
found that, in addition to the broken
arm, they consisted of badly torn
flesh wounds on the right arm and
leg. So far the patient is doing well,
but it is too early to say whether the
torn flesh is completely free from any
poisoning effect.
The incident completely explodes
the popular idea that the fresh water
alligator will not attack human beings.
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