The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-08-30

"They'd loved him-live and raw
But roasted, they adored him!"
Experiences OF a Diver.
I have lately had the pleasure Of an
interview with Mr.. j. Wood, OF Herne
Bay, who has followed the business of q
diver for upwards of twenty-five years,
and who has now retired after q long
and active service.
Mr. Wood made his first start in life
by an extraordinary. and as it turned
out, very lucky piece OF diving. If
the reader will look at the map Of Ire
land, he will see that outside of Belfast
Lough, and little to the Southwest,
opposite Donaghadee, are situated the
Cobeland Islands. It so happened that
q Whltstable man was coast.guatd in
this district. He heard a legend that
ship laden with heavy cargo of silver
had been wrecked off the Copeland Isl-
ands some half century ago. He,
therefore, communicated with some of
his friends at Whitstable who were divera.
Accordingly, Mr.. Wood and four others
put their diving dresses on board ves-
sel, and sailed from Whitstable to Do
naghadee. The story they heard when
they got there was, that the wrecked
vessel was in the slave trade, and that
she had on board when she struck on
the rocks q large number of slaves and
considerable sum of money in silver
dollars Nothing would have been known
of the wreck having taken place had not
somebody discovered human legs pro-
jecting above the surface of the water.
It appears that the people on board the
ship had tried to escape; they had filled
their shirt-sleeves with dollars, but in
getting up the rocks many of them had
fallen back and met with an untimely
end, as the weight of the dollars had
kept their heads under water. No one
had ever disturbed the wreck since it
happened, 80 Mr.. Wood and Ills friends
set to work to find out where itwas.
They put on their diving dresses, and
for two or three days walked about to
and fro, at the bottom OF the sea, in
about forty feet of water, searching for
the treasure. This they did by clearing
away the weeds and turning over the
stones with orowbars, and feeling for
the dollars with their hands, as the water
was too thick to see. The wreck itself
had entirely perished through the lapse
Of time. After long and careful search,
Mt last they came upon the dollars; they
were spread about among the stones,
but many had slipped down among a
heap Of iron ore which had formed the
ballast of the ship. Many of the dollars
were worn away thin by the action OF
the waves. Some were lying separate.
others in great Jumps like rocks soldered
together by iron, certainly in some cases
tho handouts used for the slaves. Some
days the divers got 5000, sometimes
$500, sometimes $1,000; the best day
they got $4,000. In all, the number OF
dollars they got up from the wreck was
about $25. QUO, q considerable sum of
money when reduced to English pounds.
MIR. Wood showed me one of the dol
lars, which he always carries about with
him. The following is tho inscription:
On one side ''Curolu:g iifj Del Gratia,
1897. Hispan et Ind Rec N 8 Il. F'AL. y
The coin is about the size Of an old five.
shilling pi0ce. The divers Arms, :"
near the clock-tower at Herne Bay, Of
which Mr.. Wood is proprietor, owes its
existence to the discovery of these dol
lars. Mr.. Wood had. on this occasion,
"a curious underwater adventure. One
OF the divers complained that he was
annoyed BY a lobster, and couldn't work.
Mr.. Wood learned the whereabouts Of
the lobster, and went down after him.
ae aoc2 a!scovesed Mr.. Lobster sitting
under a rock, looking as savage as q
lobster can look. His ieelers were point.
ed we'll forward, and he held out his two
great claws wide open in threatening
attitude. Wood, knowing the habits Of
lobsters, gave this fellow his crowbar.
which he Immediately nipped with his
claws. Then, Watching his opportunity,
he passed his signal line over the lob
ster's tail, made it fast, and signalled to
the men above to haul up. This they
did, and instantly away went Mr.. Lobster,
flying up through the water into the mir
above, with his claws still expanded, and
as scared as lobster could be.
A great conger-eel also paid the divers
visit. He was on immense fellow. and
kept swimming around Wood, but would