"Shark-Eye"

Why He Was Called "Shark-Eye"

By D. H. Osborne

IN August “PIM,” Mr. R. A. Vivian asks, how did the New Guinea goldminer, Bill Park, get the name of “Shark- Eye.”

On the Yodda there were two men yarned Bill park—no relations, but great pals. It was the custom of the miners to gather at the stores on Sunday.

One Sunday, the storekeeper asked how he was to distinguish them. One' was of ginger complexion, so several miners said “Call him Red Bill.” Later, someone suggested “Shark-Eye.” They were known afterwards as “Red Bill” and “Shark- Eye.”

“Shark-Eye” was walking along the bank of the lakora one day. He had a cocoa tin in his sling bag, containing 28 oz. of gold. He slipped, and the sling bag caught and tipped out the contents. The tin rolled into the river.

His boys spent some time diving, but without finding it. He had taken the gold out of one part of the river, only to drop it in another part.

On another occasion, his cook boy was cooking the mid-day meal, near where they were working. The fire had been lit on top of some headings, thrown out of a sluice box by another man. The' cook boy ran to Park with a stone in his hands, saying, “Look, Taubada, gold.” The heat had caused the gold to show in a speci man that dollied 12 oz. of gold.

A branch of the lakora was known as Red Creek—the water was red, in flood.

A nomad tribe of natives lived on the head waters, who were hostile to the miners. They had murdered two miners and attacked others, wounding Fred May.

Later, Fred May was working on Red Creek—he was very scared of natives.

“Shark-Eye” had been prospecting on the higher waters, and had crossed on to Red Creek, higher up, and he was following the bed of the creek down, when a bullet struck a stone at his feet.

Fred May had seen a human being in the distance, and had mistaken him for a Red Creek native and opened fire early.

Park tried to keep the matter quiet, but May spoke about it later.

May was twice wounded by natives later, and was finally murdered by his cook boy on the Yodda.