Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-05
CURIOUS FEATURES OF LIFE.
Seeing and Hearing Under the sea-Ex-
perience of a Diver,
London Telegraph.
''Can you see under Waterg,,

London TezegraDh.
"Can you see under water?,
very seldom. | remember years AGO
going down to have look at the wreck of
the torfarshire-the vessel Grace Darling
and her father pulled to, not far from the
WlndWard of the island, as the story says,
put 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.
On that same coast I've been down in
water so bright that I've stood among
weeds as tall as this room, beautiful
garden of them, and watched 'em with
delight, almost to forgetting the job was
down there for, and saw all kinds offish
swimming about and appearing quite
close through the glass in my helmet,
though if put out my hand to them
found them to be fathOms away"
but as rule you can't seer"
mo more than if was looking through
a London log. And then take a ship.
suppose you were to come into this room
at night without a light-you couldn't
see. So it is with ships hold and cabin
under water. It's pitch dark. A man
can only grOpe."
lit must be dangerous work moving
about among cargo under such circum-
stances"
why, not when you're used to it. A
Dit OF a sea above is often inconvenient,
by making the vessel on the surface roll
and tauten the tackle for heaving up the
cargo, and so running up a mass of dead
weight on sudden before you're ready.
and then letting it come down crash
again. A ground SWELL mean the
swell at bottOm-is also troublesome, for
It'll swing man to and fro distance of
seven feet and mere. But this is only on
deck. It's quiet enough in the hold"
suppose such a swell should dash a
diver against anything?v
at wouldn't hurt him, sir. The dress
makes him so light. l have fallen through
many yawn IN a ships decks, fit to
break 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 water?"
Yes; but very few know how it's
done. If you were to stand up face to
face with another man each might burst
himself with yelling without producing
the faintest sound. Now, how do you
think you can hearp
Il 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
by side, close, and in that position you'll
hear one 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
upOnT'
POSSIBLY, l only know it's true. When
found this out l spoke to another diver
about it, and he would not believe 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 some time we came
together and lay down as agreed, and l
said, Jim, are there many more casks
left in the forehOld| Heaps he ans
wered right off. And so you can hear
meY said l. Aye he answered, 'wOn-
derfully plain and with that he laughed,
and so did l, and we both heard each
others laugh just as we heard each
others words"
Chow deep down were you at the
timeY'
SIN ahoIlt alnvan fathOpnc ,,