Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-09-16

JUST dS EASILY DIS SaliOr cOulu Ii she were
still dashing away before the breeze.
Only it seems SO quiet, SO dumb like;
there are no waves down there-only
swaying back and forth Of the waters,
and a see saving Of the ship. You hear
nothing from above. The great fishes
will come swimming about, rubbing their
noses against your glass, and staring with
wondering look into your eyes The
very stiffness sometimes gives life chill
You hear just moaning, wailing sound
like the last notes of an organ, and you
cannot help but think of dead men float
ing over and around you.
have been down especially to rescue
the bodies of those drowned About four
years ago the propeller Buckeye, belong
ing to the Northern Transportation Com
pany, went down in the river St. Law
renee, in seventy eight feet of water, and
it was known that mother and child were
asleep in their state-room at the time of
her sinking. The father begged of me
and offered me good deal of money to
take Dat the corpses, and though I dread
GU tLC WIN, L db ldSb COuS6l UtQ. l.. udu
been all over the wreck two or three times
and knew just where the state-room was
The door was fast locked, and waited
good while before bursting it open.
Of course, dead person couldn't harm
you, but even in broad day, on shore,
and with people around you, don't you
know that the sight and presence of a
dead person bring up solemn thoughts
and nervous feelings ? knew how they
would look, how they were floating
around in the room, and if the father
hadn't been locking so wretched above.
there was no money to tempt me in there.
But at last got croWbar from forwards,
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
ia her left hand she held the hand of the
child. I knew how they would look, but
| screamed out, and jumped back Her
face was fearfuly distorted, showing how
hard death had been made, and the eyes
looked through the green waters at me in
way that made my flesh creep. The
child had died easily, its little white face
giving out no sign ofterror.
1t was good while before I fastened
the line to them and gave the signal to
haul up, and [ felt so uneasy that was
not long in following This is one of the
drawbacks to any feeling of curiosity
diver might otherwise have. l never go
down the hatchway or cabin steps without
thinking ola dead man floating about
there When the Lacela Belle sunk on
St. Clair fats the engineer was caught
in the rushing waters, and no trace was
ever found of his body. His wife came
to me, hearing that I was to 60 down to
the wreck, and asked me to find the body
if possible. I remembered this when [
went down, and went cropping through
the engine room in momentary expecta-
ton of encountering the body. l looked
SO long without finding it that | got ner
vous, and had started for the ladder to 60
up, when [ felt something strike my he'll
met and give way, and chill went dane.
ing over me as [ thought the dead body
was at hand. But, on reaching up, [
found that | had run against the fire hose,
the end of which was hanging down, and
what I so dreaded was still hidden beyond
my sight.
A diver does not like to go down more than
q hundred and twenty feet at that depth
the pressure is painful and there is danger
Of internal injury. | can stay down for
five or six hours at time, at a hundred
and fifteen or twenty feet, and do good
deal of hard work. In the waters of Lake
Huron the diver can see thirty OR forty
feet away, but the other lakes will screen
a vessel not ten feet from you.
Up here you seldom think of accident
or death, but hundred feet Of water
washing over your head would set you to
thinking. A little stoppage of the air
pump, leak in your hose, a careless &C
ton on the part of your tender, and the
weight of mountain would press the life
out of you before you could make a move.
And you may "fouP' your pipe or line
yourself, and in your haste bring on W hat
you dread. I often got my hose around a
stairs OR rail, and though l am not called
cowardly, and generally release it without
much trouble, the bare idea of what a
slender thing holds back the clutch of
death off my throat, makes cold sweat
start from every pore.