The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-01
"GATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE
NOE ANY IROr TO DRINK"
A chat with HiII the Diver-"hat
He says About His Experiences
and rhe Business Generally.

md the Business Generally.
SUNDAY morning was cold and bust
ery, on the river, and the wind came
sweeping down upon the great railroad
bridge al Bellaire, as If it sought to shake
its foundations. 1t did not succeed IN
accomplishing that purpose, but 1t red
dened the ears and noses OF the men at
work on Mr.. Hills fst-boat, and lsshed
the water in tiny "white caps" that re-
sembled the flashing wings OF thou
sand sea gulls sporting in the morning
sunlight. Right glad was REGISTER
reporter, who mad gone down from the
city to have little chat
with Mr.. Hiram Hill the
diver, when that gentleman suggested
that both should enter the little shed AT
one end of the boat, and talk beside the
fire.
"Can YOU remember your first expert
ence in diving, Mr.. Hill?" asked the re.
porter.
.Well, no, / can't say that | d." was
the answer. ii have been In the wreck
ing business ever since 1o47, and Tor
eighteen years l have been diver.
About the first man l worked tor was
Captain Eads, who built the jettIes IN the
Mississippi. He was wrecker theE,
and was not as prosperous as he is now.
"How does q man fee when he hrst
puts on the srmor and goes into the
water?"
"He feels rather queer ct the start, but
that soon wears of, and when he learns
to manage his air pipe and walk about be
is almost rs comfort able as he would be
on land. If he doesn't get his clothes
well filled with air. the pressure OF the
water will incommode him and be some
what uncomfortable, But II he takes the
necessary care this will not happen
lis the business al unhealthy oncE
"Not at all Ii man Will only be
, discreet and not expose himself unneces-
sarily it will not hurt him. The tenn
perature in his armor is uniform AID he
IS but very little affected by the GOODNESS
or heat OF the water that he works IN
The air in his helm ct, u moment or two
after the air pump begins to work, and
the smell of the oil in the cylinders goes
of, becomes pure and he has plenty OF 1t
1t is Just like any other business and can
be made healthy or TIE reverse by
mans prudence or imprudence."
"Hsve you ever done any deep sea
work."
mo! Nv work has been confined
almost entirely to the western rivers,
especially the Ohio and Mississippi. l
suppose that l have helped to RAISE 1T
least a hundred steam boats and two or
three hundred barges and other kinds o.
crafts"
"Does the business pay well?"
pretty fairly. The wages OF good
divers range from $50 to $3.50 q month.
Sometimes they get percentage on the
goods they recover, but Us Il general
thing they are salaried. The stories
about their receiving $40 an hour while
they're under waite; are not true. have
known OF men getting that much day,
bu: 1t is very seldom that so much is
paid"
"How many first class divers are there
on the Mississippi and its tributaries?
should think there would be large
number OF them as the pay is good,
"Oh, no, you're mistaken about that.
Good divers are very scarce. A man
mas to have peculiar organization and
fitness fer the business. There are only
ten really first class men on all the great
river. OF The West"
81 suppose You have worked at some
OF the most famous wrecks on this and
other stresms2"
Yes; I've done considerable in that
way. | worked at the wreck OF the
United States" and "America" that
collided and burnt near Warsaw In 1867
or 1868, and recovered n number OF
bodies. When the "W. K. Garter" went
down near VIcksburg, | tried for week
TO find the express safe, in eighty feet OF
water. but without success. The wreck
ing boat expenses were very heavy, and
we did not have fair show for it. The
safe was afterward found by tearing up
the wreck. | worked at the cargo OF the
'Glencoe" that WAS lost below Vicksburg,
and got up the entire load of cotton,
-four and whisky. A diver from st.
Louis named QuIgIey came down
TO the wreck after we left
it and was nearly drowned. He
got caught between decks, and was kept
there Tor four hours.
"You must have had some narrow es-
cspes, Mr.. HIP
al should say sol | WAS csulking the
bottom of sunken vessel once near
Cairo, when she turned over and caught
me against the river bank. 1t WAS
tight squeeze, but managed to get out.
Another time my air pipe broke close TO
the helmet. happened to be near the
foot of the ladder, and the way L came
up TO the deck WAS y caution. When n
mans air pipe bursts he will drown in q
very few seconds, tor those who control
the life rope can't lift him up. If his
armor i filed with air rs full ms possible,
and he Will lie down on his back, he may
live for about five minutes. There have
notbeen many lost of late years One
was drowned at Vicksburg on the wreck
OF the Golden Rule last summer, but
that was through his own csrelessness,
Tor he stood on the wheel of the wrecked
boa. against orders. and without his hel.
met, and when the wheel gave way OF
course be was lost.
What is the cost of the divers out
ft?"
mine hundred dollars is what we pay
for the best, such Us use"
How long will you be at work here,
Nj. Hip
If We have good luck we'll finish by
Wednesday. We have raised between
thirteen and fourteen hundred kegs OF
nails here, and will get the others by the
dav | have named. There's one thing
I'd like to mention before you go. | Al
ways make point of recovering the
BODIES of sny persons drowned near
where l hsppenE.o be, and do it free OF
charge. A telegraph operator was
drowned at Cairo last summer, and al.
though l did not know where he WAS, l
went to the place snd found his body in
IL minutes"
sunday school Entertainment.