Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-07-03
uNDER THE WATER.
SGnkea sron-Clads- Curious 1'hiags Seen
hy Divers.

Sgakea sron-Clads- Curious 1'hiags Sect
by Divers.
The Charleston Nea0S, Ia giviBg an
account of the work of wl'eckers In
Charleston harb0r, says that the iron
clad HOusatOnic lies in thil.ty-siX feel
of water, Just ever the bar, siXteeI
miles from the city. She rests on &
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 Low left OF
her 5nt the huge black hull Her pro
| pellef, shaft, chains and anchor, and
a large portion Of her machinery have
! been hOisted from her by the machine,
| and also two Of the smaller guns COM
posing her armament. The rest Of
them were taken up by the Govern
ment several years ago. Tie Govern
ment has bOuy planted aoout three
/ hundred yards east-sOuthe3st Of this
wreck, which enables the VTeekerS to
guess pretty closely as to her where
abOuts. To render the matter a GER
tainty, however, Captain Soames,
when he leaves her to come up to the
city, marks her position with bouy
fastened to the centre Of her hull.
About twenty feet south of the wreck
Of he'dOOmed ship lies the hull Of her
destroyer, the Confederate torpedo
boat.
She has been visited by the Captain,
who reports her to be lying bottom
upwards, and sseemingiy in good pre-
servatiOn. There are no holes in her
hull, and the wings Of her diminutive
propeller, now uppermOst, seem to be
in good running order. She did her
work efiectually. In the hull on the
port quarter of the huge ship is a
Jagged hole large enough to drive a
carriage and pair through. The heavy
Oaken ribs aud thick planks were
blown in with tremendous power, and
the HousatOnic must have gone down
with hut little preparation. Her di-
minutive butdaugerOust foe met with
similar fate, and the two HOW rest in
silence, side by side, in the bottom of
the sea.
Under the waters the divers see
curious things and make curious ac-
quaintance. Near the surface Of the
water on his way down, the diver sees
sharks Of enormous dimensions, which |
seem airaiI of the curious monster
thus intruding upon their domain. !
The sharks are never seen at the bot |
tom; they keep their distance; but
the small fry &C the bottom are much |
more sOciable. These swim around |
the diver in the most Indifferent man |
ner. and, with a curiosity truly temi- |
nine, insert their noses in every Oritice |
in his submarine arm0r. Their I
particular amusement is ID pry into /
the giass eyes, and at times they /
are as troublesome as the mos
qUitOes are to Us landlubbers. All |
varieties and immense quantities
of these small fish feed around
on the shells, and their curiosity rem
deFs them easy victims tO,the insinu.
atiOns of the hook and bait. AT night
the phOsphOreScent sparks IN the clear
blue water out at the HOusatOnas |
light up the depths in a wonderful
and the diver enjoys the
though he has not much
time for admiring the beauties Of ma
tGre. He stays down six hours, or
less. as his work renders it necessary.
In rummaging about the ship, the
Captain discovered several bottles of
Rhine wine and ale. Healso brought
4 glObular glass lamp, snd several
meta! mOuntiDgs from officers swords.
The Captain has also in his possession
a massive jaw bone. It IS evidently
the lower maxillary Of man; but its
size and the strength Of the teeth are
wonderful.