The Mineral argus., 1884-12-04
Seeing and Hearing Under the Sea

Seeing and Hearing Under the Sea.
"Can you see under water?"
every seldom. 1 remember years
ago going down to have a look at the
wreck of the Forfarshire--the vessel
Grace Darling and her father pulled to,
not far from the windward of the island,
as the story says, but from the lee side,
where the cobble lay ready, and where
the water was smooth. l dived just out
Of curiosity and saw the old hooker
plain enough. OFF that same coast I've
been down in water so bright that I've
stood among weeds as tall as this room,
4 beautiful garden of them, and watched
EN- with delight, almost forgetting the
Job l wal down there for, and l saw all
kinds of fish swimming about, and ap-
pearlng quite close through the glass In
my helmet, though if 1 put my hand
put to them I found them to be fathoms
away"
"But, as a rule, you cantsee?"
"No more than if l was looking
through a London fog. And then take
q ship. Suppose you were to come in
TO this room at night without a light
you couldn't see. So it is with a ships
hold and cabin under water. It's pitch
dark. A man can only grope."
"It must be dangerous work, moving
about among cargo under such circum-
stances"
"Why, not when you're used to il. A
bit of sea above is often i~nconvenient,
by making the vessel on the surface roll
- - IL It'll e. 1a. -
the cargo, and so running up a mass of
dead weight on a sudden before you're
ready, and then letting it come down
srash again. A ground-swell-I mean
she swell at bottom-is also trouble
some, for it'll swing a man to and fro a
distance of seven feet and more. But
this is only on deck. It's quiet enough
in the hold"
Suppose such a swell should dash a
diver against anything?"
at wouldn't hurt HIM, sir. The dress
makes him so light. 1 have fallen
through many a yawn in a ships decks,
1T to break a mans neck and back, you
might think, for the depth of it, and
have gone very softly, and have come
up again just as quickly"
"Can you converse under water ?"
Eyes; but very few know how it is
done. If you were to stand up face to
face with another man each might
burst himself with yelling without
producing the f~aintest sound. Now,
how do you think you can hear?"
~ cannot imagine"
"By lying down. You and your
mate must lie down on your breasts-it
must be on your breasts-head to head
or side so side, close, and in that posi-
ton you'll hear one another as easily as
you and l can hear each other in this
room.
az suppose the sound is conveyed by
The deck or sand, or whatever you lie
lpon?"
POSSIBLY; 1 only know its true.
When found this out IsPokoto onoth-
er diver about it, and he would not be-
ieve me. Well, one day we happened
TO go down to a wreck together. l told
him beforehand what position TO put
himself in, and, after we had been to
work for some time, we came together
and laid down as agreed, and 1 said:
Jim, are there any more casks left IN
the forehold?' Heaps he answered,
right off. And so you can hear me 2
saidL. Aye he answered. wonderful
~ plain and with that he laughed, and
so did I, and we both heard each 9TH
er's words"
Glow deep down were you at the
time?"
SIN about eleven fathoms. "-London
Telegraph.