The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-07-28
PERILS OF 4 DIVERS LIFE.

towards. A blow at one Of them with q
hook, or 4 hatcAet viii generally scare
hia away.
Now and then, however, a large dog
fish viii make q snap at a divers arm or
leg. In tropical waters there IS also a
large fish, called the jew fish, Of which
{ divers stand in some fear. It grows from
five to fourteen feet in length, and has :.
larger mouth than the shark.
One Of these Jew fish snapped off the
feet Of diver who was at work on the
wreck Of an old Spanish frigate, near
Marguerita. The poor fellow was in a
diving-bell, aud allowed his legs to hang
down into the water as the bell was haul
Cd up.
But usually these jew fish, as also the
/ big sharp-toothcd Jaricootas of the trop-
icaI waters, are very well disposed. If
they approach a diver, they seem to be
prompted only by curiosity. The gilt
teriug helmet is an object sufficiently
striking to excite the curiosity even Of :
/ fish. Often fishes take panic at sight
Of a divers huge, glaring head, and dash
eff from its vicinity like runaway horses.
An experienced diver pays no attention
% the fishes that at times come crowding
around him; though for my own part, 1
I have stood for hours watching them.
One can scarcely imagine how beauti-
ful they are in the clear, green-tinted
sea, as they slowly approach the diver,
tanning and winnowing the water with
their fms, rising and falling SO easily, or
moving in graceful curves about him, or
dartins away and flashing back all the
] bright prismatio coIors of the rainbow.
The ground shark, so-caIed, some
times attacks the pearl fisherman. My
feond, 1Iae Walters, once had an adven-
ta-e with one OF these yoIacious mons
GERS among the Bahamas.
We were then at Nassau (IS7D, and
had undertaken to examine the wreck Of
4 steamer which had been sunk off Abaco
during Il hurricane seven or eight years
before. Tho vessel was believed to have
been a blockade runner; she was suppos-
cd to have had on board a number Of
boxes contain. IS valuable iewelry, given
to lie Confejerata Government by pat
riotie Southern ladies during the last
desperate struggle Of the ''Lost Cause.
The iau.clry. it was said, had been
shipped 20 be sold abroad Tor the pur-
chase Of arms, food, and medicines.
Other divers had explored the wreck
before us; but nothing valuable had ever
been reported as found. The hull lay
partly filed with sand, in not more than
eight or nine fathoms Of water.
In company with four other divers and
wreckers, We hired a schooner and re-
manned in the vicinity of the submerged
wreck for between two and three weeks
We found that the deck had been broken
UP and washed away, as were also the
bulwIks. Only the ribs, partly clad
with shattered pIanks, still remained un-
covered by the sand. The hull itself was
filed with debris of the machinery, cargo,
and woodwork, mixed and sodden with
the sand.
I Our business was to overhaul this
heterogeneous mass; it was no light task.
The only circumstance in our favor was
the clearness of the water. One could
see almost as we'll down on the wreck as
on the schooner's deck.
We worked with axes, crowbars, saws,
aad scoops, and also put down number
Of blasts of powder, to break up the we'll
nigh solid mass. Two of us went down
/ together to the wreck. After being down
two hours, We were relieved by the two
other divers.
As we stirred mp the sand and broken
boards, large schools Of fish would, from
time to time, gather around us, appar-
emily attracted by curiosity to see what
we were doing.
Here also we're Jew fish and number
less 5arico,staa, with scores Of other fish
es belonging to species with which we
we're unacquainted. The smaller fish
would swim boldly in between the ships
ribs, and would even play around our
! legs rs we worked; bat the larger fish re-
mainei outside, and couteuted them
selves with accommodating us through the
open spaces.
One day, while saving off a timber,
stared at by the uauaIadniring piscatory
audiences, I was startled by q sudden
skurry among the fish, accompanied by
q tremendous rumbling in the water.
There is always a similar noise when
school OF fish move rapidly, but this was
unusually loud. stood up, but for a
n3m44, or two could not see anything
because Of the dancing shadows and wav-
! ing oi tie water. Then namidst the chaos
of smaller shadows, I made out one pro
digiously large one, gliati1g ana flash
ms, as It darted and coarsed around the
hulk.
That's shark" exclaimed the diver
wno was with me.
It's coming among The other fish pro
Iuced the same effect rs would be caused
by wolf dashing amonga bevy Of hares.
In q moment they had darted away and
scattered in all directions; yet such was
the rapidity Of the newcomers plunges,
that we saw it catch several Of the fugi-
/ tives.
| Then it came back, and we watched it
as It swan slowly round the wreck. /
should think the creature was at least
seventeen feet long. Il was Of a dark
state color, and had long, ragged dorsal
| nm which stood up Ike : co9rse-fonfhad