Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1864-01-28
LIFE UNDER WATER.
The Divers and the Monitors.

u lcCcub tioib W OH 1kOldl, l.
witnessed with considerable interest the
operations OF the divers employed to clean
the bottoms of tue monitors, and perform
Other operations under the water Messrs.
Joseph Ii. Smith and James B.. Phelps
have a contract with the Government for
the performance of this work, and have
been of great use here. Their principal di-
ver--appropriately named Waters--is so
used to this work that he has become al
most amphibious. remaining for Eve or six
hours at time under water. A man of
herculean strength and proportions, when
clad in his submarine armor he becomes
monstrous in size and appearance. a
more singular sight than to see, him roll
or tumble into the water and disappear
from sight, or popping up, blowing as the
air escapes fiom his helmet, like young
whale, can scarcely be imagined.
Waters has his own ideas of joke, and
when he has curious audience will wave
his scraper about as he "bobs around" on
the water, with the air Of veritable river
god. One of his best jokes-the better
for being veritable fact--occurred last
summer. Whilst he was employed
scraping the null of one of the Monitors.
negro from one of the up-river planta-
tons came alongside with boat-load Of
water melons. Whilst busy selling his
melons. the diver came up, and rested ON
the side of the boat. The negro stared at
the extraordinary appearance thus sudden
ly coming out of the water with alarmed
wonder, but when the diver seized one of
the best melons in the boat and disappear
ed under the water, the gurgling of the air
from the helmet mixing with his muffled
laughter, the fright of the negro reached
climax. Hastily seizing bis oars. without
waiting to be paid for his melons, he put
off at his best speed. and has not been
seen in the vicinity of Station Creek since.
He cannot be tempted beyond the bounds
of his plantation, and believes that the
Yankees have brought river devils to aid
them in making war. ~--, .,-.-..
The diver, when clothed in his armor Is
weighted with one bundled and eighty five
pounds. Besides this armor he has two
leaden pads, fitting to his breast and back.
The soles of his shoes are of lead an
inch and half thick All this weight is
needed to overcome the buoyancy given by
the mass of air forced into the armor and
dress, the later of India rubber. worn by
the diver. When below the surface he
can instantly bring himself up by closing
momentsrily the aperture in the helmet for
, the escape of air. His buoyancy imme-
diately increases. and be pops up like q
cork and floats at will upon the surface
The work of scraping the bottoms of the
Monitors is very arduous. The diver sits
upon a spar, lasbed athwart the bottom Of
the vessel. SO arranged as to be moved as
the work progresses. and with a scraper
fixed to a long handle works on both sides
OF himself as far as be can reach. The
mass of oysters that become attached to
the iron hulls of one of the Monitors. even
during one summer here is immense. BY
actual measurment it was estimated that
two hundred and fifty bushels of oysters.
shell and seagrass were taken from the
bottom of the MontaulS alone. The cap
tains of the Monitors have sometimes in
duiged in the novelty of mess of oysters
raised on the hnlls of their own vessels.
Besides cleaning the Monitors the divers
perform other important services. They
have ransacked the interior of the Kcokuck.
attached buoys to lost anchors, and made
under water examinations Of the rebel OBJ
structions. Waters recently examined the
sunken Weehawken and met an unusual
danger for even his perilous calling.
The sea was so violent that he was twice
thrown from the deck of the Monitor
Finally getting hold of the iron ladder be
climed to the top Of the turret, when q
heavy sea cast him inside the turret. be-
tween the guns. Fearing that his sir hose
would become entangled, he made bis way
tout with all possible speed. and was forced
to give up his Investigations until calmer
weather offered more favorable oppor-
tuuity. az i. - se-es -,.,'s - -