Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-11-10
A Docks Mysteries.

Ii is not an agreeable sight, the bottom
OF ships dock at low wate-, but a
thought of what is hidden in and under the
soft and bubbling mud must give pause TO
many a mind. Divers and dredgers only
are familiar by personal contact with the
probabilities of the hidden depth. and their
experiences are exceedingly varied. The
find may be watch, telescope or what
ever is liable to fall over from the rail- of a
tied-up vessel, or horrible possibility, a
human body But the curIosities of dredg-
ing Is the point here. A large steamship
dock in East Boston is being 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 jaw-hke 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 serve only to emphasize the
ordinary imprecation of the dredgman as
his 'puli" proves disappointing. But
the strangest happening of all and the
lucklest fish-out of the season occurred re-
Gently, one man recovering more than four
dozen pieces of tableware without crack
or a nick TO Mar the beauty of their sur
face-English crockery of the heaviest and
most ornamental description in use en- a
tirst-class passenger steamship. Those
only who have Travelled know the care that
is taken on transatlantic line in table
furniture. Dishes and tureens, with their
covers, fitting, and in one instance a half
dozen matched dinner-plates with the COM
pany 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 ex-
pensive the cheapest servant can become,
unmatched, on one of these floating palaces,
where the means Of ever hiding the objecI
of his dread of work are so near at hand.
How easily all the evidences of theft and
pocket-picking can be obliterated by the
| light Fingered gentry. The depth of mud
in dock Is always predetermined until
tested by a pole or diver, the latter way
/ being attended with more or less danger.
Some months ago large steamer was haul
ing out, and the man IN charge OF the
/ wharf-line did not ship it at the proper mo-
ment. The result was, the capstan head
was wrenched from the deck, and this
costly piece of ship-gear cast into the
dock. The vessel proceeded on Its voyage,
and a diver was engaged for $50 to recover
! the cdpstan. He descended in the usual
way, with loaded shoes and metallic head
dress, but he did no; bargain to sink so
deep IN fifth, though in water 1t would
have been comparatively pastIme. Down,
down he went, yet with painful slowness,
and hard bottom was not struck until he
was far deeper than his own height, and
| he was not SHORTY" as the boys say.
1t was cut of the question TO attempt TO
grope around for capstan under such con-
ditions, and he slgBalled to rise. Nothing
daunted in his original purpose, however,
he doifed the loading from his shoes and
made secoad descent horizontally, as a
swimmer sinks at will, and groped around
! for the missing article until he had ex-
plored by his sense of touch the surface
mud of the entire dock bottom. No cap
stan. no pay; and the discomfited diver
was Obliged to relinquish his search, The
capstan has not been found yet, and pro-
badly sank with its cable attached to a
greater depth than human perseverance
could fathom. Ii Is expected that the
present dredging will bring the lost capstan
to light.