Approx. 5:00 pm: Charles Epting Vansant arrived in Beach Haven via train from Philadelphia, Pa., with his father and sisters in an attempt to escape the sweltering city heat and celebrate the holiday weekend. While his father and sisters went to the Engleside Hotel to unpack, Charles headed to the beach for a swim before dinner. Charles was a 25-year-old businessman who was known for his athleticism – he was on the golf and baseball teams in college – and outgoing personality.
Approx. 6:00 pm: Charles was attacked by a shark approximately 50 yards from shore. Lifeguard Alexander Ott, a member of the 1910 American Olympic swim team, was the first to attempt to rescue Charles from the shark. (Subsequently, he also became the first lifeguard to perform such a duty – rescuing a swimmer from a shark attack – in American history.) It is reported by witnesses that the shark does not release him until he had been dragged by rescuers to water shallow enough for the shark to scrape its belly on the sand.
6:45 pm: Charles had been moved to the Engleside Hotel manager’s desk, where he passed away from blood loss.
Note: A sea captain witness claims the shark to be a sandpiper shark.
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