Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-03-01
A LIFE OF PERIL.
1hrillirg Adventures Of n Veteran Diver
Corpser, sharks, and Other Submarine
HsrrOrs-A Rub With Death.

Thrilling Adventures Of n Veteran Diver
CorPses, sharks, and Other Submarine
HsrrOrs-A Rub With Death.
The assistant superintendent at the
police headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, is
"Old Jack" Campbell now nearly
sixty-hve years Of age, and who has
been, and still proposes to be, sub
marine diver. To a reporter he has
related some of his thrilling adventures.
He gave a graphic description of the APP
penance Of the first sunken steamboat
into which he ever went. II was about
two miles from shore that the vessel had
gone down. He went into her for the
purpose of recovering her cargo. The
bodies were of no consequence, he
stated. "It is a singular fact, said he
IN substance, "that the corpses of
women in a sunken vessel always lie
face upward, while men are invariably
face downward. The cabin of the vessel
presented a horrid appearance. The
bloated bodies all laid up next the cell
ing. Some were clasped in each others
arms. One mother had in her arms her
baby. A husband and wife were clasped
in each others embrace so firmly that
they could not pull them apart.
az dove once in Mobile bay, where 1
put over three thousand chains under an
iron-clad. The greatest annoyance that
We had there was sharks. They didn't
hardly dare tackle us because with our
armor we looked more like scare-crows
than anything else. They would come
sailing along and gradually swim up
toward us with their great big mouths
wide open, but when within few feet
of us they would stop and lay there
happin' their fins and looking, it seemed
to me like the very evil one himself.
Finally we devised way to scare them
off that never failed to brighten them so
that they would stay away an hour or
longer before they dare to come back.
The armor that we wear is air-tight, you
know. Our jacket sleeves were fastened
around our wrists with an elastic, so
that the air could not escape. By run.
ming my finger under the sleeve of my
jacket I could let the air out, and as it
rushed into the water it would make a
sort of kissing noise and a volume of
bubbles shoot up. So, whenever those
sharks would come prowling around me
would hold out my arm toward them
and, putting my finger under the elastic
of my iacket-sleeve, would let lot of
air out and send stream of bubbles
into the sharks face, with a kissing
noise like steam from gauge-cock.
The way that those sharks would 90
scooting off was funny to behold.
"I have had several narrow escapes
from drowning" said Jack, as he re-
lighted his ancient and much tanned
pipe, "but about the closest call was
when I was worlAn' in the waterworks
crib in Cleveland. You see, much de-
ponds on having a good signal-tender.
can tell when some one else besides the
regular signal man steps up and takes
hold Of the line. So can any good diver
for that matter. There was the diver
that worked for the Lake Shore Railroad
Company when they were building
the abutments of their new bridge here
across the Maumee. He, by the way,
was paid $40 day for 100 days. He
was working one day, shortly after he
had begun on the job, and went down
to see him. The signal-tender asked
me if I would take hold of the line. |
did so, and gave it three or four little
shakes that a god diver always under.
stands. He Immediately answered back,
and let me understand that he knew
was there. But l was going to tell yor
about that narrow escape. I had {
signal-tender who didn't hardly under
stand his business. The mouth of the
crib had become stopped up with dirt
and I was clearing it out. Ihad crawlet
rrrh "a 81
and was outside of the crib. My life
line and hose chafed against the top O
the door, and all at once when I went tt
turn around, | pulled my helmet off
There l was out in the water, where in
short time I knew would drown.
pulled twice on the lifeline for thu
signal, tender to pull me up, but HI
didn't do it. felt that was filling VI
with water fast, and I pulled again
But still he did not understand. O
course all my armor had filled will
water, and as there was no air in it,
was held down by tons weight. Sud
denly George, who / was telling yo1
about, and who had just come down t,
see ne, stepped up and took hold of tn
life line, shook it and asked me what
wanted. l had just strength enough
left to give two hard pulls, which mean
Pull me up quick George, after
ward heard them tell, yelled to tn
signal man and told him Help me t.
pull in that lifeline, and pull for al
you're worth, for Jack is drowning.
They hauled me up out of there might
quick, now tell you, and it took lots @
strength to do it, because my armor wa
full of water. When they got me to tn
surface I was clear gone, and it wa
more than an hour before l came t.
enough to speak.
"The deepest water that I was in wa
1913 feet. When one is down so low it
hard work to get air. I have had tn
air.pump manned by six men workin
with all their might, and still I've bee
obliged to keep pulling on the life lin
and calling for more air."