The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-05-25
Tie Scene on Board the Hunguriab.
When the vessel has settled do ~p

When the vessel has settled down
in ssandy bottom, it is preserved
for many months tom breaking up;
and 10 position may be much the
sameas II would be when floating
in cain water, If II be not tilted
over BY under-current drifts. The
light, d course, depends upon the
depth aod nature OF tue bottom; hut
where tlero is no chalk to give a
milky thickness to the water. the
diver pursues his work in a kind Oh
gloomy twilight. BY the aid oI
this he can see and feel his way
round the ship, but when he ascends
the deck and winds his way down
into the principal cabins, he iints il
pitch dark, and has nothing to guide
him but his hands. This is til,
most diilicglt and yet the mot fre.
danger being that in large vessc!
where the cabin stairs are deep, and
the cabins are long and broad, he
may get his airiube twisted round
come unfamiliar projection, and thus
squeeze off his supply of life from
above. In positions such as this he
requires ell his nerve aud sclf.pos
session. all his power Of feeling his
way back in tho exact road that he
came.
He may have got the precious
casket to which he has been direct
ed, in arms, but villa, OF that, if he
die before hc eau iiud the slaiIss-
The cold helpless masses that bump
against his helmet. rs they flpa,
along the lower roof over his head
and the decomposed corpses Of those
who were In aided together in the
cabin when the ship went down. A
few OF these may be on the floor
-tnder his feet, but only when pinned
down by an overturned table or a
fallen chest. fhvir tendency is ever
upward, and the remorseless sea
washes away the dead infant from
its dead mothers arms. the dc I'd
vile from her dead husbands en-
brace. IL the wreck be in the
channel, the snail crabs are al
ready beginning to fa,ten on their
prey. The diver disentangles him.
sell from this silent crowd, and as
cends the silent stairs to the deck.
The treasure he has rescued is hauled
up into the attendant diving bort,
and he turns again to renew his
work. He seldom meets with an
accident under water; never, per.
haps, with death; and the chic
risks he runs is from getting some
heavy piece OF ship lumber overturn
ed on his long train OF air pipe. -
Even in this he feels the sudder
cifsck and tho want of air, gropes
his way back to the obstruction, re-
moves it. signals to his companions
to be raised, and reaches the boat
exhausted and alarmed, bnt not so
much as to give up his place in the
trade. HIS earnings mostly take
the form Of shares in what he re.
covers. Ii fortunate, his gains may
be large; il unfortunate, they may be
small; but no man can grndge him
the highest prizes it ia possible for
him to win.
Mr.. Sherid IN, n diver, has several
times descended into the interior oil
the wrecked steamer Hungarian. -
lie says:
TIE scene that presented itself
was apal!ing in the extreme; for,
although there were no corpses il.
the interior Of the ship, there were
nearly twenty bodies discovered
entangled in the wreck alongside
and IN the gul!ies close by. rhes,
'rlghinl remnants OF poor humanit,
exhibited all the stages Of dismem
berment, heads, arms, legs, &c.
and all more or less in IA state OF de
composition. Those seen appear &c
have been up and dressed, or partly
so, as some of them were evidently
IN the act OF putting on their shoes
stockings, or other clothing, wher
the king OF terrors put stopto theil
toilet forever.