The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-26
ANCHOR.SWEEPING.
How Lost Ans hDrS are recovered
From the Bottom of the ocean,

Thomas K Knight, a good man weigh
ing $50 pounds, who officfates as turn
kew at the southern police station, was
doing comfortably in his chair, while
several men of the night reserve were
seated near him. talking about adven-
lures on the water, when one OF them
struck into shark story. "Tom, as ne
is called by all who know him, reused
I'D and listened to the recital of the tale
with much interest. At its conclusion he
said:
"When I was anchor sweeping, boys,
l had closer call from shark than that
fellow did whom Jack Humphrey has
just been talking about.
"What is anchor sweeping, IomF
sTll spin you that shark story first
and tell YOU about anchor sweeping al
terward."
:sNo, let's have anchor sweeping first,
and bring the shark story in as an incl
dent"
"All right, here gees. Every winter
MANY vessels lose their anchors anu
every spring and summer certain persons
90 do Hn the bay and sweep tor them.
The business is more profitable where
sea-going vessels find holding. ground /
The shore alons the Chesapeake capes,
in the region of the horseshoe ana otiler
exposed places where vessels a'e often
compelled to ride ut anchor during WIN
ter storms, can be probably WORKED
Freouently the sea is too heavy Tor YES
sells to STAY there. 1t is also too heavy to
oct the anchors, and cables are
cIinned Inv vessels which have to seek
other ouarters or they are parted and the
boats driven ashore by the gale. lhere
is always good crop OF anchors anu
chains on the bottom after stormy VIII
ter. and men make money by securing
them. The work is done IN TINS way !:
Two pungics, each carrying a crew OF
four men. work Together. They start out
the latter part of April or the 1st of May
and work for three or four months. In
the forward hold of one of the PUNCHES
large capstan is placed. The sweeping
is done with two-inch rope. The pun
yies are brought side by side together.
i he long two-inch rope is placed hall
and-half on each pungy. They each
host sail and edge apart, one
going little to port and the other to
starboar,l,5 paying out the rope all
the time. When the rope is run
out its entire length the vessels drop
sail and drift with the the OF wind. The
rope sinks, and, as the vessels drift,
forms a loop in the center, which scrapes
along the bottom. When it picks up
something heavy on the bottom the
vessels stop. The ends of the rope are
then quickly passed around the headgeas
OF each vessel, run through clcats and
made fast on sides opposite to what they
were at first. This has the effect 'oi
drawing the bows of both vessels to-
gether. When the vesse.s meet, both
ends of the rope are run through chock
on the bow of the one which has the cap
stan 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 passe
to the second vessel, which falls isterr
as it is paid out to her from the capstar
ard thus assists in the work. When the
first boat is brought directly over the
obntt. caught by the loop OF the bottom
an iron messengers put around thefines
securely closed ahtt shut. down bYmean
Of a stout line, BY humping it sagains
the object it cth 4casitys,be told IL it b'
metal below: f It is am anchofs tl1el
both Iines ARE Put ;arounf the ystndlas
on the forward deck and the men set1t
and hea3e away until the anchc$ eome
to the surface. Sometimes an ancho
may be so firmly imbcdded that Eheboy
of the vessel has to, be- hove down. as ia
as possible by the. aid of the wiAal4s
land the ANCHOR. gsat ua1Iy broken 6Httsfb
the action IF TIC swell 81 the sea, Wh BE
1 hthe ! apcbaS sbJgqsgit up che fe1eBal
ffrt 4 6fstifes seeehtlN esscl are hooked OF
to it and the prizg dfAt I'd ;&a1k sllafahs ID
~ssbWs11it aiiEl le fssMeeping in 1865. w
were osar. there three months and Sc
cured $4,000 weight of anchors ant
chains l got $217 for my share afte
paying the mess bills. We got on
anchor and chain that weighed 800
pounds. 1t had the United States nav
stamped upon it. A government vesse
came alongside us one day and, withou
saying, BY your leave, gentlemen
hoisted the prize out of the hold am
went off. We were lying at Fortres
Monroe at the time.
lone hot day we were becalmed O
the horseshoe. Three of us went swim
ming in the bay There was an awfl
lot of hugry sharks about that summer
but we didn't think about them as w
swan away from the vessel several hui
dred yards. Presently some one yelled
Sharks! swim for your lives, menn
looked around and there, sure enough
was the fin of man eater skimmin
along the top OF tho water. Jerusalem
but didn't l swim? 1t was no time ft
fancy strokes and l just dug at the watt
with my hands and arms. scooping it Il
like propeller and throwing myse
half out Of the water as I plunged TO
ward. But we couldn't begin to svi
with that shark. He was a half MI
away when we first saw him and one
our boats was coming toward us name
by four men, who were rowing lil
giants. But the distance between l
and the shark disappeared with great'
rapidity than the space between on
serves and the boats. Well, we ju
reached the boat and were hauled
just as the shark had turned on his bac
to make a meal of my port leg. He didn
get me, although l felt the snap of h
jaws as he brought them together. L
turned over in his disappointment glare
at us half minute and then famed c
to look for his dinner. Since that e.
perience l have not been fond of sharks
Baltimore San.