Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-11-13
\ DIVERS YARN.
How Divers See aud Hear Beneath the
sea,
Can you see under water?

LsaiaR TtrJr5ph.
Can you see under water?
VERY seldom. | remember years ago
gong down TO have a look at the wreck OF
the FOTfnrShire-the vessel Grace Darling
and her father pulled 70, not far from the
wiudward Of the island. aS the story says,
hut trom the lee side, where the cObb!e lay
ready. and where the water was smooth. |
iiyrd lust ont OF curiosity and saw the old
hooker plain enough. OF that same coast
I've Teen down in water so bright that I've
stood among weeds as tall rs this room, a
beautiful garden Of them, and watched EN-
with delight. almost to forgetting the JOB l
was down there for and | saw all kinds Of
fsh swimming about and appearing quite
close t~hroughthe glass in my helmet, though
Z I Put out my hand 70 them | found them
10 Ie iaihomS away.
But as a rule you cant see?'
NO more than if | was looking through
n London fog. And then take a ship. Sup
nose sou were TO come into this room at
night without a ight-you couldr : see. 80
it is with a ships hold aud cabin under
water. It's pitch dark. \ man can only
grope.'
Ii must be dangerous work moving
about among cargo under such circum-
stances.
WHY, not when you are used to it. A
bit Of a sea above is often i%nconyenient oy
making the vessel on the surface roll aud
tauten the tackle for heaving up the cargo
and so running up a mass OF dead weight
on a sudden before you're ready and then
letting them down with a crash again. a
ground SWELL mean The swell at the bot
tom-is also troublesoRsfor it'll SWING a
a to and fro a distance Of seven feet and
more. But this is ouly on deck. It's quite
enough in the hold
Suppose such swell should dash a diver
against anything
1T wouldn't hurt him, sir. The dress
makes him so light, | have fallen through
many a yawn in a ships decks fit to breaka
mans neck and back, you might think for
the depth Of it. and have gone very softly
and have come up again Just as quietly.
Can you converse under waterY
Yes, but q very few know how it's done.
RI YOU were to stand up face to face with
spe,ber mar each might burst himself with
Yelling without producing the slightest
sound. Now, how do YOU think you can
hear
IL cannot imagine
BY living down. You and your mate
must lie down on your breasts-it must be
on your breasts-head to head or side BY
side, close, and in that position you will hear
enc another as easily as you and can hear
each other in this ROOM
81 suppose the sound is conveyed by the
deck or sand or whatever you lie upOuf
Possibly, i only know it's true. When
| found this out I spoke to another diver
about it and he would not believe me.
Well. one day we happened 70 90 down to a
wreck together. l told him before hand
what position to put himself in and, after
we had been TO work some time, we came
together and laid down as agreed; and
said. "Jlm, are there many more casks left
in the forehold?' Heaps" he answered
right of. And so you can hear meY' said
l.. Ave he answered, wonderfully plain;
and with that he laughed, and S, did l, aud
we both heard each others laugh just as we
| heard each others words
How deep down were you at the timer
In about eleven fathoms.