The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-06-09
A Divers Experiences.


Too often our services are sought in
sadness by, those who have lost friends
who have been drowned either in a
harbor or in lakes and rivers and whose
bodies they wish to recover for burial.
Such calls are usually responded to,
though it is a service from which the
heart of the boldest diver may well
shrink. .n.-E oz el = .s
lis it not horrible togo down into
deep, dark water and bring up bodies
of drowned persons from out the slip
perry submerged cabins and holds of
sunken shipsa" is a question often
asked. A-1I -- st..t. lrsi.-f.uj
all the strange experiences of a diver,
that is at once the most repulsive aud
the most melancholy. The terrible
scenes of death, terror and despair pre-
sented by the cabins of vessels like the
steamer Atlantic, lost off Halifax, and
the Thalia, have been but too graphical
ly described to again shock the reader
by repetition. Even the most Injured
diver cannot fail to experience shock,
when, cropping his way in lost ships
dark corridors, his hands, or his he'll
met, come in contact with q rigid,
bloated corpse. q. s-s slI a. lI9.is-
When first we were able to enter the
saloon of the ill-starred Minnie Borden,
| IN 1869, five of the eight unfortunates
| pent in there and drowned, were found
clutching the carved rafters of the sa-
loon-holding fast in death. Another,
woman, was kneeling as if in PRAYER.
Still another, gentleman in the prime
| of life, lay with a pistol grasped in his
hand. He had shot himself. -
Yet it is the opinion of many that
| drowning is not a painful death, and l
have seen the drowned persons lie won
/ drously peaceful, with their dead face
as calm and as pleasant as if the soul
was there and dreaming of loved ones
!. During our tour to Panama Bay and
st. Marguerite Walters and visited the
wreck of Brazilian ship, the Ibicuhy
of Rio, where number of Aspinwall
divers were at work-on their own &C
count, we supposed. Our visit was one
/ of curiosity, merely at the invitation oi
one of the divers, with whom we had 8
passing acquaintance. and we descended
from their schooner with the use of theil
pumps. The vessel, once a fine barque
lay half-embedded in broken coral and
bright yellow sand, andso clear was the
water and so brilliant the tropic sun
shine overhead that could easily have
seen to read the finest print at a deptf
of eighty feet. Never before or since
have l descended into so beautiful {
sea, where the water had such daz
zlingly clear and bright tints. As VIZ
stood on the ruined deck one of oul
diver acquaintances approached anC
beckoning me to follow, led the way
aft to the cabins, which were built upo1
the after deck. The door of the in
nermost stood ajar. The diver signed
for me to. enter. I. looked il
and shall never forget the spectacl,
The heavy mahogany chairs and sof,
still kept their places; and in the up
permost of the two berths, wrapped il
gaily-colored blanket, lay fair younl
lady as if asleep. Her long black hal
hoated like seaweed, streaming out Oh
the water. One little jeweled hant
hung over the side of the berth; and OIL
her beautiful oval face, with its darl
brows, there was no sign that life wa
gone Her eyes were closed, and tn
long lashes rested dreamily upon tn
lids. 1t seemed as if she must be onl,
asleep; and the crimson curtain hang
ing half drawn away by rings on it
silver rod, still cast its roseate gloS
into the berth. / could hardly believ
that her soul had long left its fair earth
: ly abode, and that she had been lyin
there drowned two months, or more
That clear sea-water had embamed he
: and death was half robbed of his prey
Without exception. it was the most in
: pressive image of death / have eve
witnessed. A vision of it haunted N
) mind for many month, yet not ur
pleasantly. Those divers were rud
fellows. Yet not one of them had th
hardihood to approach and take th
, sparkling rings from the fingers of th
poor girl. In conversation, after "
: had assembled, they said they took cal
mot to disturb the lady," though the
. seemed to have no scruples about plul
: dering the ship. By hearsay, we subs
quently learned that sometime after h
brother-some said her loyer-can
. there and himself descended to Il
; wreck. 1 can imagine, though perhal
: but family, the emotions which mu
: have filed his heart when first he stoc
: within that sea-lit cabin Youths Con
! 7d,lio71. l.l-- Tsi as ssg --yl
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