Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-04-22
New York Trihnro

The first chapter in Dickens novel
Our Mutual Friend" presents to the
reader the sombre picture of Gnffer Hey.
am, the searcher for drowned personn in
the black waters OF the Thames. in tho
pursuit OF his CHASTITY business. That n
man who has followed a similar businesa
that Of grappler, diver, and seurcber after
aead bodies for the last fifty odd years.
ilves within short distance from Fulton
Terry, Brooklyn, is probably known to
few. At No. 36 Cranberry street. in ~ -
small, old-fasllioned cottage. painted
white. with green shutters and q small
portico in front, with green.painted lat.
tice work, over which an ivy trains ;ts
regular course, lives John II. Brewer.
who has been engaged in the hus; nass W.
lerred to for almost lifetime. A Tribune
reporter found the old man in n small
courtyard adjoining his humble home
one, one any last week. All the objects in the
yard were strongly suggestive of nautical
Pursuits. An old weather-beatcn, four
9arei o yawl occupied the greater part Of
the little enclosure, while one corner was
takeh up by couple of oars, another by
small rusty anchor, some chains and
scrap. The only living occupant of the
yard ut the time OF the reporters visit
was decrepit looking, white-haired old
man, engaged in tlnkering ut the old boat.
he said he vas John H. Brewer, the per.
son the reporter was in serch of.
Being requested to give some reminis-
cences OF his career in his peculiar trade,
the old man seated himself upon the gun.
vale Of the boat, and gazing with far
on look in his mild blue eyes at the worn
sides OF what had been for many years a
tried and trusted companion, said:
I've been in the business of grapplin'
divin' for over fifty years. for / began
when l was about twenty, and I'm nigh
onto seventy-four now. / was born and
brought up i'll this state and so were nv
father aud grandfather before me. Pm
an American to the backbone. I've done
grapplin' and wreckin' in the East aud
North rivers, in the Long Island Sound.
at Sandy Hook and at Hell Gate. and
have always succeeded in maxim pretty
good livin' out OF it, ] can tell You. I've
raised thousands O tons o railroad iron,
anchors, big and little. chains, cables, be-
sides canal-boats, bodies, and rings.
watches. clocks and other jewelry. One
OF the best Jobs I've ever had, was durin'
the war when the government was build.
in an iron-clad at the navy yard. Eighty
four steel plates, each fourteen feet wide
aud three inches thick were lyin'near the
dock. The weight was too much for
the old pier. and she broke down, sendin'
the plates to the bottom of the East river.
They sent for me, and asked me to get
the plates for 'em. l said would. but [
wanted $40 for each plate ] got ont.
They were satisfied and went to work.
Well, Browcr,' said the captin' i s'pose
lt'll take You couple O days to get one
O them plates up Days, said /, 'jest
You come back in an hour or an hour al
half, an I'll show you somethin'! He
laughed kinder, and walked Off, thinkin'
I'm a blowin'. Well, 1 Jest got my crap.
plin' hooks round them piates and when
the captin' came back he'd three
on the pier. I Jest tell vou he opened
his eyes.
'"A canal boat full of coal laying in he,
dock got a hole stove in her by steam.
boat runnin' into her and was SINK. |
got the job of liftin' her aud gcttin' out
her cargo If possible. Itwas mighty hard
work, but get her up | did. and, by
buckets full, every pound of coal in heii
I've done some treasure liftin', too. 4
Spanish brig dropped II Gag OF dollars
that she was takin' out to South Americ.
overheard III the hnrbor here, II goo,
many years ago. There was very strong
tide runnin' at the time and the diver.
that were sent after the Gag soon gave il
up as bad job. Somebody told thu
Spanish capt'in about my luck in fintlin
things, and he sent for me- He offered
me 5000 to get up that Gag. l went dowl
or, l. l,n ,,,S, S,1,
soon found it. But here Was Il fix; the
bottom of the Gag had fallen out and the
dollars strewed around it. Well, just
went aboard ship again, got my SC; OF
net an went down again. Then L pu
the dollars all back in the Gag. fastene,
my scoop net over it and had it drawet
up. So made my 5000"
"Have yon brought up many bodies o
drowned persons?"
"Well 1 should Just say had, owe
fifty guess. A great many women. toe
They seem to be kind o fond O. drowpin
themselves. One O the queerest cases
can remember was that Of watchmal
ut a North river dock. He had gone %
night to his dock, and the next mornin
his hat was found lyin' in the dock, bu
he was gone. Well, they scraped tn
river for his body high and low, bu
couldn't find him. They sent for M
when they were at thei wits ends, and
| went to hunt him up. was good dea
puzzled at first that he shouldn't be at th
bottom OF the river, but at last though
of lookin' Mt the piles. There sure enough
found him, with arms and legs so tight
ly clasped around the pile, that l had ,
good deal Of trouble i'll getting him off
He had evidently fallen in the water anG
tried to shin up the pile, but his strength
gave out before he was half way up. ant
lie was drowned. Another case remem
ber, was that of the son of n rich man wht
was drowned while bathin' off South fer
ry. Well, the father tried everything t.
get the body: engaged divers, had can
non balls fred into the river, so that the,
would stir up the bottom and the wate
would force the body up. But it was o
no use; the body couldn't be found; tn,
divers gave it up, saying it had probabl,
been swept out to sea by the strong It'd,
runnin' at the time. At last they sen
for me and offered me big reward t,
find the boy. Now the secret of my find
ing bodies was that ! always found no,
the tide had stood when one got lost,a
went down at the exact turn, grope,
along the bottom, and always found 1t.
done the same in this case, but the tide
been SO strong the day the boy was los
that lie had drifted algood ways alonl
the bottom. At last found him. Blu
how? Itell you it was awful. Wedge
under IN anchor chain, decomposed an
half eaten up by fishes. l found the lac
had to go up three times before l go
him by pieces. 1t was n terrible jol
Yes, I have made great deal of none
by tindin' bodies there was n reward OF
INTERNAL REVENUE LICENSE.
D,:,,,,., ,,,,,, will do woll fo ramap