Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-11-24
A DOCKS MYSTERIES.

1t IL not an agreeable sight, the bot
tom of ships dock at low water, bu
a thought OF what is hidden in and un
der the soft and bubbling mud mus
give pause to many mind. Diver
and dredgers only are familiar by per
sonal contact with the probabilities o
the hidden depth, and their experiences
are exceedingly varied The find may
be watch, q telescope, or whatever
is liable to fall over from the rail of Q
tied-up vessel, or, horrible possibility
a human body. But the curiosities OF
dredging is the point here. A large
steamship dock in East Boston is be.
ing cleaned out, for the first time in
twenty years, and the many finds in
the oozy substance, after it has been
deposited by the capacious nav of the
iow-like dipper into the scow, are very
suggestive Dishes of all kinds, spoons.
knives and forks are hooked out by the
hundred, whole and well preserved, to
say nothing of the myriad particles of
broken crockery, scraps OF iron and
other debris, which serves only TO en-
phasize the ordinary imprecatiOn of the
dredgman as his "pull'' proves disap.
pointing. But the strangest happen.
ing of all, and the luckiest fish out of
the season, occurred recently, one man
recovering more than four dozen pieces
of tableware without o crack or a nick
to mar the beauty of their surface
English crockery Of the heaviest and
most ornamental description used on
first class passenger steamship, Those
only who have Travelled know the care
that staken on a transatlantic line in
table furniture. Dishes aud tureens,
with their covers, fitting, and in one
instance a half dozen matched dinner
plates with the company arms, were
found
How did these valuables find their
way over the vessels sides No other
theory seems plausible than that of
lazy scullion committing to everlasting
mud what he was too indolent to wash.
Think how expensive the cheapest
servant can become, unmatched on
one of these floating palaces, where the
means of ever hiding the object of his
dread of work are so near at hand.
How easily all the evidences Of theft
ond pocket-picking can be obliterated
by the light fingered gentry. The
depth of mud in a dock is always prob.
lematical until tested by pole or diver,
the latter way being attended with
more or less danger. Some months
ago large steamer was hauling out,
and the man in charge of the wharf.
line did not slip il at the proper mo-
ment. The result was, the capstan
head was wrenched from the deck and
this costly piece of shipgear cast into
the dock. The vessel proceeded on its
voyage, and diver was engaged lor
$50 to recover the capstan. He de-
scended in the usual way, with loaded
shoes and metallic head.dress, but he
did not bargain to sink so deep in filth,
though in water it would have been
comparatively pastime. Down, down
he went, yet with painful sowness, and
hard bottom was not struck until he was
tar deeper than his own height, and
he was not Shorty" as the boys say.
1t was out of the question to attempt
to grope around for capstan under
such conditions, and he signaled to
rise. Nothing daunted in his original |
purpose, however, he dotted the load |
ing from his shoes and made q second |
descent horizontally, as a swimmer
sinks at will, and grouped around for
the missing article until be had ex.
plored by his sense of touch the sur |
face mud Of the entire dock bottom. |
No capstan, no pay aud the discom.
fted diver was obliged to relinquish |
his search The capstan has not been
found yet, and probably sank with it's
cable attached to greater depth than !
human perseverance, could fathom. 1t |
is expected that the present dredging |
will bring the lost capstan to light.