Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-11-07
all the gold was dropped very nearly to-
gether In one spot among the "bones" Of

4 was 100 terrlnc IOr men 10 work IN the
gold was undoubtedly scattered and deeply
| buried In the sand; recovery was q sheer
impossibility. One expedition-that Of the
steamer Active, under Capt. Waterman
cost the insurance companies e65, 600. and
did no more than any Of the rest. All this
WAS duly reported by the San Francisco
papers to the quiet Maine man out among
the red-woods, who thought it all well
over, and finally made up his mind that he
could get that money. II nobody else could.
He went down to San Francisco to proffer
his services. The hackers OF the expedi-
ton proposed to send him down to Capt
waterman, who was then on the ground,
10 whom the question of his employment
should be referred, but he declined that
proposition. having no faith either 10 Capt.
| Waterman's outfit or management. just
| then William Ireland, q veteran wrecker,
OF San Francisco, who had been down with
Waterman and had left him in disgust, re-
turned and began fitting out another ex-
pedition on his own account. With him
Sidney Cook agreed to go.
As Ireland afterward said, the principal
reason why he took Cook was because he
had so little to say about what he could
do" None on board but Ireland and
Cook knew the latter was a diver until
they were at the field Of their operations.
Then Cook began overhauling the appara-
| ius. and another diver on board said;
What are you touching that stuff for? p
Il am diver replied Cook. quietly.
'The-you are,' CALCULATED the other.
looking with manifest depreciation at his
slender figare. The expedition was well
supplied with carpenters, blacksmiths,
calkers. iron, lumber, &c, and had on
board two divers-Duncsn Johnson,a q mus
cular man, who weighed over 200 pounds,
and
| mile of shore, In 20 fathoms OF water.
! where the surf-rollers were no, yet formed.
their little $50 ton schooner was anchored,
and there. In few days. their first lighter
! from which the divers were to work, was
| built. About that tire q Mexican sloop
came down the coast from Mszatlan, with
| l. native pearl-dvers on board--stalwart
fellows, who turned out to be little. il any.
better than pirates, and gave no small
amount OF trouble.
The first dive was made by johnson who
went down outside the surf aud worked his
way In as well AS he could on the bottom.
TO the wreck. But he only took down
with him the ordinary weights that divers
use, and the waves made a playihns OF
him. The big rollers going in would heave
him along AT race-horse speed. and the
under-tow would seize his bulk and roll
| him back along the bottom like "A barrel
| gowing down hill. In half an hour he got
back to the surface, a badly scared and
discouraged man.
Cook made the next dive. for which he
had prepared himself according TO his
views OF the requirements OF the occasion
| Two hundred pounds of lead were disposed
firmly on and about him. That weight
kept him down. and a. he crawled on his
abdomen over the sand he escaped the
force of the pillows and had only the under
| tow To contend with. Relating the story
| himself he says:
"Shodly after reaching the locality of
the broken end OF the keel which wac
| confined In the sand under the engine bed
plate-I was violently forced along the
| bottom by the under-tow. After being
dashed in shore by "A huge breaker. came
in contact with two square ends OF wood
sticking out Of the sand about six inches.
but before | could make an examination of
| them. | was dashed away. When | again
| found them | clasped both arms around
| them. while the surf aud under-tow would
| swing me around In circle. | did not
know what had hold OF. whether the ends
OF timber or boxes OF gold, until the under
tow running under my arms cut the sand
| away around the boxes so that they tilted
over. then realized what held clasped
la my arms. shouted and cheered TO NY
boxes would reach the lighter. Now, |
did not. know what To do with them.
/ could not handle them both. and was afraid
| to leave one lest the Mexican divers might
| lind il, or it might become buried before
could return for ii. | finally took one in
my arms and gave quick. strong pull on
my lifeline, which Is the signal OF distress,
and Is never given except when the diver
wants TO be drawn up 10 haste. l lay
about 800 feet from the lighter. The bot
| tom was wiurowed In small ridges of sand
running parallel with the shore. Over
those drifts was dragged as fast as tour
men could haul me with an inch rope about
my waist. On being hauled up under the
end of the lighter my back came out OF the
water first, my feet being loaded with
| leaden boots, and the box OF gold In my
arms. could family hear excited words
that l was dead. In the excitement the
men ceased pumping air to me. The skiff
came round to where | was suspended. and
l could distinctly hear the men say was
dead. One of them reached under my head
to unscrew my face-glass and discovered
| the box in my arms. Then all was changed
from sadness TO extreme joy, and three
cheers went up for the diver. After being
relieved Of my burden waved my hand to
be lowered to the bottom again, and soon
found the other box. gave the same sig
nal on the lifeline, but received kind treat
ment compared with my first trip TO the
| lighter. l never want another such a ride
as had over those sand.ridges, with
box of gold weighing us pounds in my
arms, lying on my side, and dragged at
the end Of rope. thought every bone
in my body would be broken"
One or two more boxes were found the
next day, making up q total value OF some
| ann mn which sd haon kent nm near th,.
surface OF the sand by some broken panks.
but all the rest were deeply sunk in the
sand, and it seemed for a time impossible
to reach them. After some days spent in
inactiOn and consideration, the bright idea
occurred to Mr.. Cook of employing hy-
draulic power to bore through the hard
sand bottom. down to the gold. holes suf-
nciently large for him to descend and ex-
plore. The carpenters constructed rude
wooden fOrce-pump. A hose was made OF
canvass, and rO,led-up piece of sheath
ing g-metal answered for nozzle. With
that crude apparatus he made his first at
tempts at submarine hydraulic washing,
and found that it would fully realize all he
hoped for from II.
Sitting on the sand. he would point the
nozzle downward between his legs, and in
few minutes hole about As big as bar
rel would be bored. into which he would
gradually sink. As long as the stream Of
water from the pump was kept up it would
keep the hole open around him, and the
rising current from it would maintain a
stropy current. laden full with sand, boil
ing aud bubbling up around him. But if
the stream slackened for an instant. the
heavy sand would Immediately pack in
about him, combining him - tightly as II
he had been In q mold. In such al event
he would, Of course, have been beyond all
possibility Of human help, and every mo-
ment thus employed by him was fraught
with deadiiest peril. He had to 20 down.
in that way. through holes II and even Is
feet deep to reach the desired point. TO
d. 20 would sometimes occupy an hour.
Often. when partially down, huge roller
would seize the hose, fastened to his waist
and his lifeline, and would seem to strive.
with giants force, to tear him out OF the
hole. On one occasion, As he relates:
Il descended to plate Of boiler-iron,
and In turning the stream Of water in front
l ,~ = - Kill