The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-09-01
Gpeni,,a state SonrnaL


Mr.. Wood. the noted diver, relates
number of interesting incidents Of life un-
der water. He says: fi&si8hfHi
A great eonger eel paid the divers visit.
He was an immense fellow, and kept swim
ming around Wood, but would not come
near him. Wood was afraid OF his hand
being bitten, as q conger's bite IS very bad.
He once knew diver whose finger was
seized by conger. The brute took all
the flesh off the. mans finger. a conger
is very dangerous animal III the water
However, this conger kept swimming
around about Wood, so he took his clasp
knife out and tried to stab him, but the
conger would not come near to be stabbed.
IL was long while before the conger
would 90 away, and even after he had gone
away, Wood could not go on working, be-
cause he was not sure that he had really
zone for good, and it might have come out
at some corner at any moment and nlpped
one of his fingers off.
Mr.. Wood has had other adventures with
fish while working under the water. lie
was once employed in fixing some heavy
stones in the harbor of Dover; while walt
ing for the stones to come down from the
ship above, he sat down on rock, and be-
ing very quiet, a shoal OF whiting pout
came up to examine the strange visitor to
their sub-aaueous residence; they played
all about him, and kept on biting at the
thick glass which formed the eyes OF his
diving helmet; so next time WOOD Went
down'he took with him fish-hook fastened
into the end of q short stlck-a gan, IN iact.
The pouts came, around him as usual, and
he GATED them one after another with ms
hook. He then strung them on string,
and came up after the days work was over
with goodly fry of whiting pouts iors ms
supper. 7ea ses ~,
On another occasion, Wood was EN-
ployed to bring up some pigs oil lead from
the hold of vessel. When he was walk
inc about on the top of the lead he found
something alive under his feet. 1t kicked
tremendously. but he knelt down upon it to
keep it steady; he soon ascertalned i. that II
was an enormous skate he was standing on,
so he treated him as he did the fish. He
watched his opportunity, and slipped the
moose of his line around the skates tail ;
he then sgnalled to s'haul,o and up went
Master Skate, Tapping his great wings like
wounded eagle and nightly astonishet
were the people in the boat when they
found monster skate on the end OF The
line, and not pig of lead.
Wood once nearly lost his life when a
the bottom of the sea. A Prusslan yesse
had gone down off Mouse buoy in TIN
Thames estuary. The captain was drowned
in his cabin. and Wood had undertaking tt
get him out of it if he possibly could. AR
irving at the bottom, Wood found the yes
sci living over on her side, and that she ha;
gone down with all her sail set. lie triet
to get into the cabin, but found the mann
sail all over the cabin door. lie was JUS
about 20 return when he found that his air
pipc and signal line had suddenly got jam
med. Fully aware Of his very dangerou
position. and without losing his presence
mind, he sat quietly ON the edge of the YES
sci and considered. The men above h
could find were signaling violently Tor hir
to come up, but he could not answer, as tn
line was .jammed. /,
He took out his pocket-knife and though
two or three times of cutting himself adrll
AS last chance, he determined to adoT
another course, so he climbed up thc re
ging among the great wet sails and looss
ropes, as well as he could, and iortunatel
found the place where his alr-pipe w;
hitched. lie carefully loosened it, gave til
signal and was hauled up Immediately, ~
understand right the line was clear whe
he went down, but. while he was engage
at work on the sunken ship, the tide turl
ed. and carrying his pipe and line IN Il
opposite direction to that in which it he
been originally conducted, it became jan
med. lie did not go to the surface an j
slant too soon, for the boat was Just d1li
ing, as her anchors would not hold.