The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-10-20
Down in the Sea.
WHAT A DIVER SEES, FEELS AND THINKS
z HORRORS OF THE DEEP.s

WHAT DIVER SEES, FEELS AND THINK
HORRORS OF THE DEEP.
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Foremost among the bold divers q
the lakes is John Quinn, resident q
I Detroit. He furnishes the Free Pres
of that city the following interes.in
sketch: III
lt'is a strange business, this diving
| The DANCE fascirn tes some, bns tn
peril is never for a moment lost sigh
OF. 1 put on the helmet tor the. frs
time more than ten years ago, and We
L never resumed it without feeling tina
it. may be the last time shall ever Q,
down. Of course, one, has more conf
dence after awhile, but there is some
thing in being shut up in an armor
weighed down with a hundred pounds
and knowing that a little leak in YOU
life pipe is your death, that no diver
can get rid of. Aud l do not know
that should care to banish the feeling
for the sight of the clear blue sky, the
genial sun and the face of fellow
man, afte Wong hours among the fishes
makes You feel like one who has sud.
denly been drawn away from the GRASP
OF death. l have had some narrow es.
capes while pursuing my strange pro.
tession every diver is, or has been
usually lucky to escape them. think
the most dangerous place I ever got
into was going down to examine the
propeller, Comet, sunk off Toledo.
In working about her bottom got
my all. pipe coiled over a large silver
from the srOven hole and could not
reach it with my hands. Every time ]
sprang up TO remove the hose my ten :
der would give me the '.slack" Of the
line. thus letting me-fall back again..
He did not. understand his duties, and
did not know what Iny Signals on the
life line meaEt. tt was two hours, and
half before / was relieved, and there
was not moment that was not look
ing to see the hose cut by the ragged
wood. It's strange feeling You have
down there. You 60 walking over a
vessel, clambering up her sides, peer
lug here aud there, and the feeling that
you are alone makes you nervous and
uneasy. Sometimes vessel sinks
down SO fairly that she stands up on
the bottom as trim and neat as if she
rode on the surface. Then You, can go
down into the cabin. M the shronds.
walk all over her, just as easily as a
sailor could if she were still dasIling
away before the breeze. Only it seems
so quiet. so tomb like. There are no
waves down 9thereAonly axswaying
back and forth of the waters, and a see
saving of the ship. Yon hear nothing
from above; the great fishes will come
swimming about, rubbing their noses
against your glass, and staring with a
wonderful look into your eyes.
The very Stiffness sometimes gives
life a chill. You hear just a moaning,
wailing sound, like the last notes of an
organ, and you can not hplp but think
of dead men floating over and around
you. I have been down specially to
rescue the bodies of those drowned. -.
About four years ago the propeller
Buckeye, belonging to the Nprtliwes-
tern Transportation Company, went
down. in the river st. Lawrence, in
seventy eight feet of water, and it was
known that a mother and child were
asleep in their staterOOm at the time Of
her sinking. Tie father begged of me
and offered me a good deal of money
to take out the corpse, and though i
dreaded the work, at last consented.
| had been all over the wreck two or
three times and / knew inst where the
stateroam was. 9The door was fast
locked, and waited a good while be-
fore bursting it open. Of course a
dead person could not harm you, but
even in broad day, on shore, aud peo-
pie around you, don't you know, that
the sight and presence ola dead per-
son brings up solemn thoughts and
nervous feelings | knew how they
would look, how they were floating
around the room, and, if the father,
hadn't been looking SO wretched above,
there was no money to tempt me in
there. But, at last, l got a crowbar
from forward, and, not letting myself
think, gave the light door blow that
stove it in. The water came rushing
out, the vessel just then lurched over
toward my side, and out they came,
the woman first, her. eyes wide open
and hair trailing behind, and in her
left hand she held the hand of the
child. Il knew how they would look,
hut screamed out and JUMPED back.
Her face was. fearfully distorted, show
ing how hard death had been met, and
the eyes looked through the green wa
tiers at me in way that made my flesh
creep. The child had died easily, it's
little white face giving out no sign of
terror. 1t was aIgood while before
fastened the line to them and gave the
signal to hand up, and felt so uneasy
l was not long following. This is one
ofthe drawbacks to any feeling of Gu
riosity diver might otherwise have.
/ never go down the. hatchway rorytIe
cabin steps without thinking Of q dead
man floating about there. ia gossf bee
Ira, diver does not like to go down
more than hundred and twenty feet !;
at that depth the. pressure is painful
and There is danger of internal injury.
l cap, stay down for Eve or six. hours
at a time at a hundred and fifteen or
twenty, feet, and d0a gRM des,Iofhprd
work. III the waters OF Lake Huron.
tire diver can see thirty or forty feet
away, but tie other lakes Will screen a
vessel not ten feet from ypu. .sT
auUplheres you selaans think sofaccideSt
DEATH but knRdftdl feet sef water
washing over : our head would set ,yssa
thinking. A little istoppage of your air
pump leak in your hose, n careless
actionson the part Of Your tenders and
tie weight ola mountain would press
the lite out of you before you could
make a move7 Andr ynn may "fOnl"