Omaha daily bee., 1888-10-14

at st. Louis, where they were
laying tive-foot water pipes, and
the diver employed a worthless brother
in-law of his to attend him. | warned
him, but he had the privilege OF en-
gaging his own helper and he went
down. Two hours afterwards | was
passing and saw that something was
wrong, and another diver went down.
He found him wedged in between the
the ends of two of the pipes, and ground
put of shape as if a railroad train had
oassed over him.
Ike Vinal, a Boston man, was killed
by the engineer in charge, who was
thumbing the valve of the air pump in
an absentminded way, and turned it off.
Ike was on board at the time, but didn't
notice it, and went overheard in forty
feet of water. He was brought up dead. e.
Pat Anthony was working along side OF
me at Havre de Grace and was hit with
rock that fell from above and jim
Jordan was killed in the same way by a
heavy chain they were lowering from
the surface which slipped from the
hooks.
There was another man, an amateur,
killed near Baltimore. Then divers
were scarce and they We're worth 800 "a
day and they counted it Il day if they only
work for gas company ,and they kicked
at the price, and finally bought suit OF
their own. 1t just fitted a big Scotch
| man and one Sunday morning he was
| sent down. He didn't get down, how
ever, for they forgot to weight down his
| feet with lead, and he couldn't sink. He
| came ashore once or twice, and although
| badly scared was persuaded to try it
again, and he told them that if he did
not sink they were to push him down
| with boards and when he got to the
bottom he could stay there. They filed
| him up again, and as he did not sink
| they were following his instructions
and trying to push him down. They
| had been at it half an hour and | rowed
across and told them to stop or they'd
| kill him 40 they pulled him out but he
was dead. The air had kept his feet
and body afioat while the heavy helmet
| kept his head down, and either the
fright or rush of blood to the head
| killed him.
| Then there's another thing that
kills the diver, but that's when he's
above water, and its paralysis. You see
| the men who can work under water
with the least air make the best divers,
because they can keep their feet and
| not go wabbling around when at work
| oi Iho Doleoiii' 4'iOh INV ei''N y't' iiN'
air enough in their suit to let them
breath and there is little ornone in the
| leggings of their suits. The pressure
| of the water is so great that it forces
these leggings close to the flesh, and
| I've seen them stick so closely that
couldn't pull them away. In cold
weather the legs become chilled and
| numb and its only question of time
till paralysis follows. Joe Atwood, that
told you about, has been paralyzed all
over the body for fifteen years and can't
even move his head. He got it while
along with me in Green Bay where we
were raising vessel loaded with rail
road iron. 1t was very cold, and was
sick. Joe had been down his watch
and came up at 8 o'clock, but when he
saw was sick and knew there was only
one chain to pass beneath her, he went
back and finished the job. He looked
chilled when he went down the second
time, and | told him not to go, but he
did, and when he came up his legs were
quite benumbed. From that day out he
gradually grew worse until now he IL
lying in his home at Columbia, Pa, un
able to move"
"Was / ever near killed? Well,
read my own obituary once, after hac
been under water from 1880 Monday
morning until III o'clock Wedn nesday
night. 1t was at Havrs de Grace and !
was Gaping. a pyramid of loose rOcl