The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-02

these repeated long drawn and heavy
inspirations, he deems the fitting mo-
ment to have arrived, he seizes the slab
of marble, and, after crossing himself
and uttering prayer plunges With it
like a returning dolphin into the sea and
rapidly descends. The stone is always
held during the descent directly in front
of the head, at arms length, and SO as to
offer as little resistance as possible, and
by varying its inclination, it acts like
wise as rudder, causing the descent to
be more or less vertical, as desired by the
diver. As soon as he reaches the bottom
he places the stone under his arm to keep
himself down, and then walks about
upon the rock, or crawls under its
leGges, stuffing the sponges into Melted
bag with hooped mouth, which is
strung round his neck to receive them;
but he holds firmly to the stone or rope
all the while, as his safe guard for re-
turning and for making the known sig
nal at the time he desires it. Now let
us notice the proceedings Of his COM
panions in the boat floating some twenty
or thirty fathoms above him. The two
men who were nearest to him previously
to his making the dive, but who system
atically seem to place themselves so as
to prevent him from conceiving the idea
of being impatiently watched by them
while undergoing the preparation,
spring to their feet as soon as he disap-
pears, and rush to the rope, which one
of them holds in his hand veering it out
or shortening it in as the diver moves
about upon the bottom; and as soon as
the signal indicative of his wish to re-
turn is felt, they commence hauling up
the rope with great energy and earnest
ness, and in way calculated to insure
the greatest expedition of ascent, since
the overstay of few seconds may be a
point of life or death to the diver. Two
or three fatal accidents Annually occur.
mainly among the skillful and daring.
The diver will quit his hold of the rope
and wander some distance to secure a
prize, and on returning to regain the
rope will miss the spot and be unable to
find it. He then attempts to rise unas-
sisted, and, being ignorant of the exact
direction, often strikes out diagonallY,
and is drowned before b. can reach the
surface. Other accidents again happen
from Jagged or pointed rocks, which,
beside sometimes Wounding the
diver, often entangle his rope, and thus
in great depths expose him to the risk
of drowning.
The hauling up is thus effected: The
| assistant who has hold of the rope
awaiting the signal first reaches down
| Al, l.Nt No. 4, ln 4
there grasping the rope, with great
bodily effort raises it up to nearly arm s
| length over his head; the second assist
| ant is then prepared to make his grasp
as low down as he can reach, and does
the same, and so on the two alternately
| and, by fathom or more at a time anC
with great rapidity, bring the anxious
diver to the surface. A heavy blow
from his nostrils, to expel the water ant
exhausted air, indicates to his comrades
| that he is conscious and breathes.
word or two is then spoken by one O
| his companions to encourage him, if hC
seems much distressed, as is often the
case; and the hearing Of the voice-is sale
| by them to be a great support at the mo
ment of their greatest state of exhaus
| ton. A few seconds rest at the sur
face. and then the diver returns into th(
boat to recover, generally putting on al
undergarment or jacket to assist the
restoration of the animal heat he ha;
lost, and to prevent the loss of more by
the too rapid evaporation of the watel
from his body. Such is the trying Life
of a Cretan sponge diver; and, doubt
less, there are very few of US who have
any idea of what fellow creature ha
suffered in procuring that little articl'
which has become necessity to ou
toilet and the luxury of our morning
| ablutions. Cor. BrooMgn Eaole