The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-18
DRAGGING ron THE DROWNED
The Melancholy Trade AT which Mr.. Robert
Peach IL an Adept.

The Melancholy Trade at which Mr.. Robert
Peach IL an Adept.
Dckons's readers will recall Gator
Hexam. who with the muf1led. shivcring Liz
zie. is introduced in tho opening chapter In an
old boat drifting down the Thames at night.
on the lookout for something "-Hexam. who
ia neither n boatman. nor fisherman, nor n
riverman. but n man who carries rope and
graphing hooks. and witches the currents and
tides and lows 1t ashore when tho gurglng
water brings the terrible freight to his boat. In
New York here and there from Peck slip to tho
Battery one may meet n dozen or more men
who follow Hexam's calling. weather-beate
swarthy full-bearded fellows most Of them:
but unlike Hexam. honest and working hard
for all they get Robert Peach. William Ben
Gen. John Rea. William Brock Harry Single
ton Henry Flock John CreH. John Brewer.
Andy leighton. William Peppers. William
Dunbar. and Bill Anderson are the principal
ones. Chief among these Is Robert Peach. who
has been alonRshore and about Coentles slip
for twenty-five years. and the skill and pro-
nciency which he has acquired. with tho feel
crs approaches the artistic.
~" You can JUS bet" said one OF his admirers.
leaning rcnectivey over heap OF oyster shells.
you can JUS bet. II he's feein' after anything
he won't let up till he gifts it. l don't care
WUtlutT IL , n Wdc0 OF n DOuy, ne III DTl0R IL up
sooner or later"
After dark. when the lettering Tsallors and
'ongshoremen who block up South street and
tho slips in the day time had struggled of to
one place and another. Mr. Peach was found
in the He'll Cute Hotel. near PER-. He IL n tall.
| wlry man, with shrewd. Intelligent face. Ho
talked freely about his way Of making n living.
" run away from home when | was thirteen
years old" he said. and I've been about here
ever since. Never did anything but grappie.
Never got into my scrapes, or got arrested or
locked up IN t9e FONTS lye kept righ, along
n man out alive or dead I've done II and took
nothing or whatever was given me. / built
boat alone when was a boy, and begun hook.
ing up bodies then. | haven't drank n pint OF
liquor In twenty years. and own a house over
in Brooklyn. No man. you see. can be a good
grnppler Il he don't keep his head level. The
thing all depends ON his judgment and delicate
touch.n
Mr. Peach then explained his method OF find
ing drowned person. TO begin with. he con-
siders all the particulars that can b. ascertained
necessary, whether the person wns drowned
accidentally or committed suicide. whether no
swan. struggled. or made any efforts Whatever
10 sayc hlmselI, whether ne was llght or heavy
weight When none OF these facts are known.
the mostth can be done IL TO drag the river
from point 70. point with sweep lines and hooks.
| IL. however. the place where the drowning Oc-
Cured happens to DO known. the first thing to
! determine Is tho condition OF the tide ut tho
time. Then. on the recurrence OF like tide,
n fresh cowhide rolled together and held by a
! line, Is allowed TO sink as 1t may. II Will 30
down about the same as man would ana
u
times. an expert grdppler can usually max a
very good guess where the drowned body
struck bottom. A pair of graphing irons are
next used and ii is with these that Mr.. Peachs
| long experience comes particularly into play.
! When u body reaches the mud II Is usually held
! there by suction and the pressure OF the water.
aud after this spot has been hit upon the Crap
| ping irons must be- used very carefully. IL Is
necessary to feel OF the body delicately until the
ankles are reached. by which II should be
Can really feel about tho body with the
] Eraunprs p Mr.. Peach asked. rouputlnE the -
! portrr's question. Why, should say / could.
There are 9 hundred men hereabouts who'll tell
! you what I've done. / never disngure body.
and the only things can't always tell the differ
cnre between rs soon as the irons touch. arc
| diving suit cant begin 70 do this kind OF work
rs well rs a good graDpler. When diver gets
on On p9uo ae fieSs up ana mass oil mnd 1nat riles
| happens to tumble over IT, Take, for instance.
the Westileld ferryboat when it blew up in the
! The diver who went down didn't get single
body though be- walked around on the bottom
w from right before him twenty-six bodies"
Ia reply TO the Inquiry how many bodies he
s years ON OF Peach Pea avs sa he sSe
my work. haven, cared 70 be heard
pull it ashore. tie it TO the dock and notify the
/ and frequently | don't. People come 10 mo
from all oyer the city TO hunt up drowned
] lrlrnuS. ana tney give ms Wnnt they like-tlOO
/ $50, or S25. When Preston King. the Collector
/ OF tho Port. jumped off the Christopher street
! ferryhont several years ago was offered 81 900
/ 70 Ind him. But he came up in the Atlantic
| BASIN. and all my work was thrown away.
| That's Just the way II is half the time" he
/ went on. "A great many people that we
| look Tor are never found. There must be hun
! drcds Of them that 80 out 10 sea every year
! people who fall on Of exclusion barges in the sum
mcr men and boys who arc drowned while in
| swimming. and drunken men who get asleep
! on the piers and roll OFF unbeknown to any one.
II they cntch anywhere in going out, it's usually
| IN the cddies of the Battery or in those AZ Bay
! Ridge. Sometimes on stormy nights we 10 out
the winter II a body is floating round. its almost
| sure 10 be found there at last in the slush and
! icn."
Frequently in the winter bodies do not come
| 10 the top until after two or three months. In
/ The summer the time IS usually about a week.
! Inc Hiring OF cannon at the Navy Yard and on
| Governors Island sometimes produces this
effect.
Mr. Peach. besides graphing for bodies. does
much for the marine insurance companies, and
] IN his time, has brought up an odd variety OF
! things from tho rivers and harbor-ship loads
! OF merchandise, anchors. cannon, Iewelry sus-
! plciOus bugs with hideOus contents a great
| many young infants. clothing enough to set up
Chatham street dealer, and small articles too
| numerous to mention. He has also saved over
| MY horses from drowning, and more men,
! women and children than he can remember. all
! OF which is well known along the East River
| front.
OF another gang OF men. who Turk along the
| river from Greenpoint down, Mr. Peach spoke
| IN no mild terms. They pretend TO be gtapplers
only to conceal the character OF thief They
watch for bodies in order 10 rob them Of what
ever may chance to be In the pockets OF their
! clothes, lowering around the eddies and places
where bodies are likely to lodge. tho same us
birds OF prey.