Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-12-26
DEEP WATER DIVING.
Its Fascination and It's poriis-A Divers
"Reminiscences.

"Reminiscences.
Rosel Downer, diver and submarine
beholder of the manner of strange
things, has d family name that fits him
SO neatly that it was not iInprobably
made for him. When out of water and
out Of work he is to be found most of
The time at his modest home near the
foot Of East Huron street, Chicago,
looking fondly at his diving rig and
acting generally like a fish out of his
element, For Rosel Downer is man
of two ideas TO wit To support him
self and wife and little dog, and to
make his name familiar to fresh water
tars rs that Of Il man who in skill and
daring iii plying his trade took no odds
from any man. His life Of late years
has not been all romantic. 1t has beeii
merely the industrious following out
Of his early formed wishes. lie has
not seen
"a thousand men that fishes gnawed upon;
Wedges Of gold, great anchors, heaps Of pearl,
lnGstiniahe stones, unvalued jewels,
All scattered In the bottom of the sea;
But with his cuniling hand he has re-
deemed to industry many tolis Of tb
baser metals, and he has passed through
many chair breadth 'scapes." For the
last eight yearS he has wood the Shiny
bottom of the deep with Il true lovers
fidelity. Of the perils he has passed
he will talk willingly, greatly because
the feCountal brings back to him the
life to which he is attached and from
which he is forced to abstain when there
is poor crop of wrecks.
"l have been in some pretty tight
boxes, and | can tell some things about
my trade that are not generally known" "
said Mr.. DOwner to a reporter. 81
suppose mine is risky business" he
continued, "but it isn't half so bad as
people generally think | know of
nothing could work so cheerfully at,
and its dangers never enter my head.
| always hankered after it, though |
never came to it till eight years ago.
Whenever | broached the subject, wife
and mother leagued against me and
silenced me with a rattling fire of pro-
tests. So never got further than men
tioning my dearest ambition until |
finally made bolt and bought myself
"rig" Well, | would have sold that
"rig" dirt cheap not many hours after
got it. Why? Because | made my
first trip withoIt knowing any more
about the business than you do Every
hedgling shrinks from going after his
first dive, for lie has suffered a pain
that you land-lubbers know nothing Of
Take two sharp pencils and force them
steadily in your ears, and you will have
apretty fair idea OF the pain that
shoots through the head Of diver the
first time he's lowered. He gets used
to it in time, and doesn't feel it much
unless let down over fifty feet, and
then it comes a-Shoutin'. Once at the
bottom you can stopit I'M jiffy by bend
ing over, setting your teeth and swal-
lowing air like hog, through your
nose.
"There's one thing we can't get used
to, though, and that's the perspiration.
You can't wipe it off, and it feels as
if thousand flies were crawling over
and feeding on mans face. But itch
ing aside, | would as soon have air
pumped to me as blown to Inc. 1t
doesn't use man up, either for the
time or for good. To-day | am in bet
ter health than | ever was before.
"Ive rubbed pretty close against
eternity, though, several times. was
working on the Yazoo river last year,
in connection with the New Orleans,
Texas & Louisville railroad bridge.
was lowered through four-foot hole
in the center of casing to knock the
boards off from the bottom that had
been put on for the convenience of
launching. The top of the casing is
solid, you know, except the man-hole,
and the bottom hollow, SO that it can
settle down on and close q section of
piling. When signaled to be pulled
up, found the hole covered by a loos-
ened board. | signaled them to stop
hauling, but lubbers kept on. There l
was bObbing from top to bottom, and
at every bob expecting the water to
rush in through busted head piece.
Finally they quit and got out. Anoth-
er time. when cutting the +. F. Parks
in the Detroit river, the schooner The
odore Voges ran imo the scow Hero
from which ! was working and carried
away her fore and main rigging. The
men rushed from the pumps to cuss the |
captain of the Voges,, and | was left
for four minutes to try air in every
stage of contamination. Finally they
returned to the pumps and Twas pulled
up as limp as dish-rag. The stiffness
of those four minutes was simply deaf
ening. | have been in the water four
teen hours and came up almost as
fresh as | went IN. think can stand
water as deep and as long as any man
on the lakes.
Snake Mimics.
81 have in my private collection"
said a Cincinnati naturalist, some
curious snakes. Here is one," taking
down a small glass bottle filled with
,loolol NJ o..o,tI,, ,,,,,,o;o, H. ~