The Republican journal., 1871-07-06
Under the Water.

The Charleston News, in giving an ;lr-
count OF the work OF WreckerS in Charles
| ton harhor, says that the lron-clad I[ousa-
tonic, lies in thirty-slN feet OF water, Just
over the bar, sixteen miles from the city.
She rests on Il hard shell bottom. and lies
northwest and southeast, upright on her
keel. The water out here is beautifully
blue and clear. and the divers prosecute
their work with much less difficulty than
at the Weehawken. Her decks, masts.
and rigging have all been eaten away by
the worms. and little else is now left OF
her but the huge black hull Her pro-
| peller, shaft, chains, and anchor, and a
large portion OF her machinery have been
hoisted from her by the machine, and al
so two of the smaller guns composing her
armament, The rest OF them We're taken
up by the Government several years ago
lhe Government has Il buoy planted
;ibont three hundred yards eaSt-southeast
Of this wreck, which enables the wreckers
10 guess pretty closely as TO her whore
about. 70 render the matter n certain
ty, however, Captain SoaneS, when he
leaves her to come up to the city, marks
her position with a buoy fastened to the
centre of her hull. About twenty feet
south of the wreck Of the doomed ship
lies the hull Of her DESTROYER, the Conted-
crate torpedo-boat.
She has been visited by the Captain,
who reports her to he lying bottom mp
wards, and seemingly in good preserva-
ton. There are no holes in her huh, and
the wings OF her diminutive propeller,
now uppermost. seem to be in good run
ming order She did her work etectually
In the hull on the port quarter Of the huge
ship is a Jagged hole large enough to
drive a carriage and pair though The
heavy oaken ribs and thick planks are
blown in with tremendous power, and
the Housatonic must have gone down
with but little preparation. Her diminu-
tive but dangerous foe moi with similar
fate, and the two now rest in silence, side
by side, in the bottom of the SET.
Under the waters the divers sec curious
things and make curious acquaintance.
Near the surface Of the water on his way
down, the diver sees sharks of enormous
dimensions, which seem afraid of the
curious monster thus intruding their do
main. The sharks are never seen at the
bottom; they keep their distance; but
the small fry at the bottom are much
more sociable These swim around the
diver in the most Indifferent manner, and
with curiosity truly feminine, insert
their noses in every orilicc in his submar-
inc armor. Their particular amusement
is to pry into the lass eyes, and ut times
they are as troublesome as the mosquitoes
are to us landlubbers. All varieties and
immense quantities of these small fish feed
around on the shells, and their curiosity
renders them easy victims to the insinua-
tions of hook and bait At night the
phosphorescent sparks in the clear blue
water out at the Housatonic light up the
depths in q wonderful manner, and the
diver enjoys the illumination, though he
has not much time for admiring the
beauties of nature. He stays down six
hours, or less, as his work renders it
necessary. In rummaging about the ship,
the Captain discovered several bottles of
thine wine and ale. He also brought
globular brass lamp and several metal
mountlngs from officers swords. The
Captain has also in his possession a mas
slve Jaw bone 1t is evidently the lower
maXlllary OF man; but its size and the
strength of the teeth are wonderful.
Wife beating in Fitchburg, Ky, is q
luxury which has some unpleasant draw
backs. Shelton Dennis tried it in his fami-
ly, and the next night strong party of
the neighboring Amazons took him from
his little bed and left the visible evidence
OF 100 lashes upon his bare back before
they were through with him.