The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-30
RELICS FROM OLD WRECKS.
QUEER fBTNGs no mr. SEN ~ CAPT.
MLRRTTI'S CfBINLE
Veteran Divers Relating thctr Experiences
tnrtsin h"mur"s:'s Adventure with Jew
Fish Captain tonkiing's Autobiography.

In the neatly furnished rooms Of the Coast
! Wrccking Company. in the fourth story ~ 81
Wall street. tn r." is n cabinet twelve feet long
| by ten in height. whose shelves are loaded
! down with variety Of relics seldom seen in So
small space. Originally each one Of them
was mcmcnto Of some sunkcn or stranded
vessel. ilshsd from the wreck by the hardy
| divers IN the service of the company There
are in the collection quaint piroc- Of furniture.
metals minerals. bits OF machinery. explosive
shells. and shells OF the ocean. shreds II ladies'
dresses. hugo star fish and shark jaws Of
enormous proportions, strange wood carvings.
rude weapons of savage races. and hundreds Of
other curious things. the purpose or use Of
some of which Is siill n secret % their present
possessors. During the past thirty years the
collection has i,aly in rcased. the cabinet
becoming a depository not only for relics re-
covered by the divers. hut for odd bits from re-
mote parts Of the world coming into the pos
session OK the masters OF vessels Mailing from
this port.
In the absence Of any catalogue. the visitor. II
fortunate enough 70 catch any one OF the old
divers or to buttonhoc Capt Israel Merritt the
Superintendent OF the Wrecking Company. can
obtain a euccint history Of most of the articles
Few Of the relics attract more attention than
the broken bell brought NJ from the III fatcd
steamer Atlantic Of the White Star line which
was wrecked on Golden Rule rock. on the Nova
Scotia coast, on the morning OF April | 1873
with loss of 557 out Of O07 souls on board.
This wreck was sold and broken up. but has not
yet been entirely removed. Other notable relies
arc "a rusty. hiltloss sword dug out Of the sand
five years ago near the hulk Of the British bark
Jersey. in 1911 three hotl 90 ~ sweet OIL hold
ing n pint and half each. the original corks in
tact And the on as clear ~ crystal taken last
month from the wreck OF the British bark Rob
rrt~. which went down in 1874 with cargo OF
lead and oil and i've " her crew of the place
~ s'l Atani'e Cry now stands a iTay.d piece
vessel sunk in twenty fHihoms of water in
insi river in l774 and also piec" Of IA"
nuNe oi an an h"r OF peculiar shape from
the same wr"ck firmly imbcddcd IN Clay that
nus hardened 10 the sulidty Of brick. a
South sea island cnrfonu iurnuiousiv r.u-
stru'tcd OF ,o,oHnut shells which wis nshcd
az from wreck IA seventy feet - water ON the
coh.t oi Mama queer ichthSologral sp"'i-
brought from IN" island ot st. Helena by the
N.lrrm '4ti; iritv ui this port; muscle She'll
level ON the Jersey con-f. a largo number of
sI' linens ~ worm cate wood taken from old
WRECKS; a pciiDdns skull and hul. measuring
oyrr Two ie'i from hark 10 in found near The
wrrc. ~ the bark Robert Fletcher. on ill. south
used 10 bail oft the boat iy the crew when en-
druNorin- L. make their esrape; starilsh. said
Go be- the lnrgrst ever captured found on a
wreck near Tyhec Islnnd. Ga; an alligator. dv"
'ect IN lengih. carefully stuffed and preserved
presented log ne crew 81 The II llsboro fla in
let wrrki ng station. where he was "A household
pet Tor three year,; four oyster shells each
neas uring over a foot IN length taken three
Dock ~ diver Geo W Chadwick the laws of
n shark. with several rows Of teeth. so largc that
they can easily h. passed down and over the
shoulders OF grown person killed hy diver f.
!. M.rriman on the south Carolina coast. the
neat little horns OF n rhamois. brought VI from
wreck IN Chesapeake lay IN 1860 and scores
81 other souvenirs, including an unknown ma
rin- subsistence which grew on the bottom ~ the
brig David owen twenty four inches in eight
cen DAYS. in tie hhrbor nj Havana.
One Of the most singular Of All the relies is 4
iiamp chimney. taken from the remains Of the
length were found along the glass firmly pro-
tecting II. and about the brass has" OF the Chin
n"y four shells adhere in regular order. form
plate II ward room NJ. OF the same ship.
IL has been asserted hat many " the German
emisranis lost ON Oh" steamer Atlantic had belts
containing money upun them. and that H."
hoaics were dug gp and Ir,nrd C,apt /; D.
the Wr-ckinx Company. was m charge OF the
?r'ratons at the wreck, said yesterday "
know 81 my own knowledge that bodies were
buried with viluahlos upon them when tho
bodies were secured on the shore nj Lower
Prospect near the wrerk and twenty two uilts
was chosen To- examine the bodies and number
ih' graves. All tn" valuahles found were rec
tered Tor Identification This book was leit
with the Government officials at Halifax. and
~
s.ngrrs have been id' fled and recovered. but
only "A row Of the cmigrants."
capt leMor"st wears on his finger n silver
ring made from hall dollar found ben. atl tAe
body ~ a Prusslan woman IN the wreck Tho
captain has lived much ot the time under
wai"r during the last fourteen years. Speak
lngof his experiences he said.
mover knew any diver 70 stay down much
longer than * and one-halt hours; three
hours il considered days work. and 100 feet
Dutchman. however who can st,y lonrerthaH
"a nov h4t NJ nLyhf Witt fin l.ftI
was nearly frightened out Of my senses 10y
Them Once. was ~ work On the wreck - the
on the coast of Venezuela. She was sunk IN
1915, with large amount Of treasGre-set on
cover up their rascaliW. We recovered very
large amount OF this treasure for the American
su1marine company the money being mostly
one day 70 use very heavy weight. and went
down 10 MAKE fast 10 one Of the ships cannon.
As got ready to come up looked up along the
chain. and there was the head Of n fish nearly
as large as barrel. its little dull-looking eyes
peering right AT me- The mouth wac enormous
| had never seen the like of II before To
maxi the matter worse. the shadow made the
body appear a rod in length / looked at it
then went down into the wreck again to collect
myself When started up the second time |
along the chain. l had no sooner taken my
eyes on u them than saw another within four
ieet OF me, and whichever way turned there
me. perfectly mgtiqnless. though. Tho silence
was awful. and. halt cut of my wits / signalled
the tender 10 come up. How passed them |
don't know ! afterward learned that they are
known NJ the Jewish. common n those waters
sharks are towards. and never attack a diver
You can see dozens,of them play ing about on the
surface, but never saw a shark down below
Small fish are there in force. and they are very
curious to ascertain what We are doing They
live IN old wrecks in large numbers and tho
sea bass fisherman who is up in his trade
always hunts up an old wreck to find the best
luck. Next To- my lewish scare was my trip in
tho quick sands nrnr the Galveston coast There
is no feeling like that which one has when sink
ing in qucksand. | walked, or rather half ran
many rods, and every step took sank 10 my
knees. moments pause would have been
sur death Call 10 mind your worst n ightmnre
and You may approximate the feeling | expe-
rlcuced."
The Oldest diver in the employ Of the Coast
Nrecklng Company Is Captain + W. Conkling
OF Belle Port. Long Island lis hair has been
sllvercd in the service. yet, although sixty years
Of age. he is MS 1.-the as n lad OF seventeen. and
as blum ns sailors from the tip end Of Capo Cod
usually are.
% have been in the business thirty-three
years, he said, yesterday. and / can't say
that I'd swap fur any other that knows Of. Ny
first yentur were on the United States sloop.of-
war Peacock, Capt Hudson. at Sydney. New
South Wales Sho blonged to the Wilkes ex-
poring expedition. and run into the ice, losing
he rtlllpr and pVaryt hing else heloW nj Thar