The Republican journal., 1885-03-12
How Turnkey Knight Barely Saved His
Port Leg from the Jaws of Shark.

Thomas X. Knight, good man, weigh
ing $50 pounds, who otficiates as turnkey
at the Southern Police Station was doz-
ing comfortably in his chair while several
men Of the night reserve were seated
near him talking about adventures on the
water, when one of them struck into a
shark story. Tom as he is called by
all who know him, reused up and listened
to the recital Of the tale with much inter
est. At its conclusion he said:
"When | was anchor sweeping, boys,
had a closer call from shark than that
fellow did whom Jack Humphrey has just
been talking about"
''Wlat is anchor sweeping, Tome'
''lll spin you that shark-story first and
tell You about anchor sweeping after
wards"
mo, lets have anchor-sweepiug first
and bring the shark story in as an Incl
dent
"All right, here goes. Every winter
many vessels lose their anchors and every
| spring and summer certain persons go
down the bay and sweep for them The
business is more profitable where sea go
ing vessels find holding ground. The
shore along the Chesapeake capes, in the
region of the Horseshoe and other expos
cd places where vessels are often com
/ PEELED to ride at anchor during winter
storms, can be profitablv worked. Ere
quently the sea is too heavy for vessels
| to stay there. 1t is also too heavy to get
the anchors, and cables are slipped by
vessels which have to seek other quarters
on they are parted and the boats driven
90 I,, al a
| good crop of anchors and chains on the
| bottom after a stormy winter, and men
make money by securing them. The
work is done in this way; Two pungies,
each carrying d crew Of four men, work
together. They start out the latter part
of April or the lst Of May and work for
three or four months. In the forward
hold Of one Of the pungies large capstan
is placed. The sweeping is done with a
tWo-inch rope. The pungies are brought
side by side together. The long two
inch rope is placed half and balt on each
pungy. They each hoist sail and edge
apart, one going little to port and the
other to starboaFd, paying ont the rope
all the time. When the rope is run out
its entire length the vessels drop sail and
drift with the tide or wind The rope
sinks, and, as the vessels drift forms a
loop in the center, which scrapes along
the bottom. When it picks up some
thing heavy on the bottom the vessels
stop. The ends of the rope are then
quickly passed around the headgear Of
each vessel run through cleats and made
fast on sides opposite to what they We're
at first. This line has the effect of draw
When the vessels meet both ends Of the
rope are run through a chock on the
bow OF the one which has a capstan in
her hold. The ends of the rope are
placed on the capstan and wound up.
AS the rope is thus drawn in it is passed
to the second vessel, which falls aStern
as it is paid out to her from the capstan
and thus assists in the work. When the
first boat is brought directly over the
object caught by the loop on the bottom
an mon messenger is put around the
lines, securely closed and set down by
means OF a stout line. BY humping it
against the object it can easily be told if
it be metal below. If it is an anchor
Chen both llnes are put around the wind
lass on the forward deck and the men
set to and heave away until the anchor
comes to the surface. Sometimes an
anchor may he so firmly undecided that
the bow OF the vessel has t. be hove
down as far as possible by the aid of the
Windlass and the anchor gradually brol-
Ell out by the action of the swell of the
sea. When the anchor is brought up
the forebalards Of the second vessel are
hooked on to it and the prize hoisted in
to her hold.
81 went anchor sweeping in 1863. We
We're out over three months and secured
1000 weight Of anchors and chains.
got S2l7 for my share after paying the
mess bills. We got one anchor and chain
that weighed 5000 pounds. 1t had the
United states navy stamp upon it. A
Government vessel came alongside US
one day and without saying, By your
leave, gentleman hoisted the prize out
of the mold and went Off We were lying
at Fortress Monroe at the time.
"One hot day we were becalmPd off
the Horseshoe. Three of us went swim
ming in the bay. There was an awful
lot Of hungry sharks about that summer,
but we didn't think about them as we
swan away from the vessel several hun
dred yards. Presently some one yelled,
Shark swim for your lives men! looked
around, and there, sure enough, was the
fin of a man eater skimming along the top
OF the water Jerusalem, but didn't we
swim. 1t was no time for fancy strokes
and just dug at the water with my
hands and arms, scOoping it up like a
propeller and throwing myself out Of the
water as | plunged forward, But we
could't begin to swim with that shark.
He was half a mile away when we first
saw him and one of our boats was com
ing toward US manned by four men, who
were rowing like giants. But the dis
tance between US and the shark disap
peared with greater rapidity than the
space between ourselves and the boats,
Well, we reached the boat and were
hauled in just as the shark had turned
on his back to make a meal Of my port
leg. He didn't get me, although felt
the snap of bis jaws as he brought them
together. He turned over in his aston
ishment, glared at US half minute, and
then tinned off to look for his dinner in
another quarter. Since that experience
| have not been fond Of sharks" Balti-