The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-21
A DIVER.
The Experience Of a Man in
that Business.
Searching for the Dead under
49, Water.
From the New York Tribune.

am. the seareher for drowned persons in
the black waters of the Thames, in pursuit
of his CHASTITY business That a man who
has followed a similar business that of a
grapler, diver and searcher sitter dead
bodies for the last fifty odd years, lives
within a short distance from the Fulton
Ferry, Brooklyn. is probably known to few.
At No. SO Cranberry street. in small. old
fashioned cottage painted white. With
green shutters and small portico Ia front,
with green painted lattice work, over
which an ivy trails its regular course, lives
John Ii. Brewer, who has been engaged
in the business referred to for almost a
lifetime. A Tribune reporter found the
old man in the small courtyard adjoining
bis humble home. one day last week All
the objects in the yard were suggestive of
nautical pursuits. An old weather beaten,
four Dared yawl occupied the greater part
of the little Enclosure, while one corner W as
taken up by couple of oars. another by a
small rusty anchor. some chains and
scraps. The only living occupant of the
yard at the time of the reporters visit was
engaged in tinkering at the old boat He
said he was John Ii. Brewer. the person
the reporter was in search of.
Being requested to give some reminis-
cences of his career 10 bis peculiar trade.
the old man seated himself upon the gum
vale of the boat. and gazing with far off
look in his mild blue eyes at the worn
sides of what had been for many years a
tried and trusted companion. saic:
I've been 10 the business of graplin'
and divin' for over fifty years. for | began
when l was about 20, and Tn nigh on to
Il now. | was born and brought up 10
shis State aud SO were my father and
grandfather before me. I'm an American
to the backbone. I've done Qrapplin' and
Wreokin' in the East and North rivers, in
the Long Island Sound, at Sandy Hook
and at He'll Gate, and have always sue
ceeded in maxim pretty good Twin out
of it. | can tell you. I've raised thousands
O. tons @ railroad iron, anchors, big and
little. chains, cables, beside canal boats,
bodies, and rings, watches. lockets aud
other jeWelry One Of the best jobs I've
ever had was durin' the war when the
Government was buildiu an iron-olai at
the navy yard. Eighty four steel plates,
each fourteen feet wide and three inches
thick, was lynn near the dock. The weight
was too much for the old pier. and she
broke down. sendin' the plates to the bot.
tom of the East river. They sent for me.
and asked noe to get the plates for EN-. [
said | would, but | wanted $40 fer each
pate ! got cut.
They were satisfied. and | went to
work Well. Brewer said the Captin.
L s'pose it'll take you a couple o days
TO get one a them plates up. Days.
said |, Jest yeu came back an hour an a
bali, an IN show you somethirg'r He
laughs kinder, and walks off, thinkin' III
a BLOWN. Well. I jest got my erapplin'
hooks round them plates, and when the
Cartain came back | he'd three on the
pier. / Jest tell you he opened his eyes.
"A cansi-boat full OF coal laying in her
dock GOT hole stove in her by steam
boat runnin' into her. and was sunk. |
got the Job of liftin her and gettin' out
her cargo IT possible. 1t was mighty hard
work, but get her up l did. and. By
buckstsfu.l, every pound Of coal IN her
I've done SOME treasure liftln' too A
Spanish brig Popped Gag Of dollars that
she was takin' aut 20 South America over.
board in the harbor here, good many
years ago. There was q very strong tide
rupnia' at the time. and the divers that
were sent after the Gag 5000 gave it up as
bad job. Somebody told the Spanish
Captin' about my luck ID fndin' things,
and be seat for me. He offered me 5000
TO get up that Gag. went down. and,
KNOWN the barber so intimately. soon
found II. But here was fix: the bottom
Of the Gag had fallen out and the dollars
we're strewn around it. Well, | jest went
aboard ship again, got my scoop net an
went down again. Then put the dollars
all back in the Gag, fastened my scoop net
over it and had 1t drawed up. So | made
my $500.
Have you brought up many bodies Of
drowned personsp
well, | should Just say | had; over
3fty. | guess. a great many women too.
They seem < nd O. fond o. droWnin' them
selves. Oae o. the queerest cases | can
rememb Der was that OF u Waterman at a
North river dock He had gone at night
to his dock, and tie next morning bis b Il
was found lyin' on the dock, hut be was
gone. Well. they scraped the river for
lis bodr high and low. but couldn't fcd
lin. They sent for me when they
were at their wits ends. ana | went to
hunt him up. | WIS good deal puzzled
at frat that he shouldn't be at the bottom
of the river, but al last | thought OF lookin'
at the piles, aThers sure enough I found
him, with arms and legs so tightly clasped
around the pile that had q good deal oil
trouble in getting him IF He had evi
IDENTIFY fallen in the water aud tried tc
shin up the pile. but His strength gave oui
before he was halt wey up. and he gae
drowned
| Another case, [ rene N Der, was that Of
| q son of a rich man, who was drowned
while bathin' eff south Ferry. Well the
| father tried everything to get the body
| engaged divers. had cannon balls FREQ
into the river, 50 that they would stir az
the bottom and the waterd force the BODY
m. But il was no use, the body couidn'
| be found; the divers gave it up. saying i
had probably been swept out to sea By
the strong tide Fuunip at the time. a
last they sent for me. and offered me /
big reverb TO fiod the boy Now tn,
secret of my success in fndin' bodies wa
that [ always found out how the tide hat
stood when anyone had got lost. and wen
down at the exact turn. grouped along th'
bottom and always found it. done tn
sans In this case but the tide'd been 81
strong the day the boy was lost hat b.
bad sirifted a good ways along the bottom
At last / found him. But howf L tel
you it was awful Wedged under 81
anchor chain, decomposed and half eater
10 BY fishes. found the lad had Il
/ 20 up three times before | got him up b.
pieces. 1t was a terrible job Yes. "
made great deal money by hodin' bodie