Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-18
OCEAN MYSTERIES.
Interesting "reminiscences
of a Diver.
SIGHTS UNDER THE SEA.
Experiences of Mr.. George w. Rem
ingtOn in Working Under Many
Feet of Salt Water.

and who enjoys the honestly-earned rep
utation of being the best fisherman or
the beach, was in early life profes
sional diver. His experiences in search
ing wrecks and working at the bottom o.
the ocean, as told by himself, are inter
esting in the extreme.
After the terrible gale that visited As
pinwall some years ago, he was engaged
to go down on a vessel that had sunk in
the roadstead. She lay in some twenty
fa:hcms of water, and was loaded with
rich bullion that had reached there from
Peru. The bars were worth about $50
each, and as his contract gave him very
large margin of salvage, he stuck by the
wreck until he had got every silver out OF
it. One day, while working in the hatch
way, he saw large fish coming towards
him, and was ready with sharp iron
bar to impale him. But the fish stopped
short, gave an earnest and long look at
the curious looking man in armor, and
then sneaked away. Next day the fish
came again. He recognized it from a
long scar on its back. 1t again looked
intently at him, and gradually roceded.
This operation continued for several days,
when the fish threw off its timidity and
came close up to the vessel. Mr.. Rem
ington, seing the same fish return every
day, became interested in it's
movements, and finally was rewarded
by discovering the reason for its per-
sistencys Alongside of the hull very
singularly shaped coral protruded up
about even with the deck OF the vessel.
The coral forked at the top, and each
prong was very thick and strong. The
fish would push his head between these
forks, and then rub and pull with all his
might. 1t was evident that it was suffer-
ing, and as near as the diver could make
out, great broken hook was fastened in
its mouth. Day after day it would return
to the coral, paying no attention whatever
to the man in armor, and tug away at
the prongs. At last he noticed, after an
unusually long spell of tugging at the
coral, that the object he considered a
hook had disappeared. The fish played
around for while and departed. AS he
did not return again, Mr.. Remington
concluded tLat the surgical operation
had been successful. "Why," said Mr..
Remington, "you have no idea how lone
some l felt after that fish ceased his daily
visits. had got 80 used to his company
away down there in the bottom of the
ocean that I actually pined for his return.
We had become, too, first rate COM
panions. He would sail around me, rub
against my armor, and sometime run his
nose right into my gauntlets. l tell you
one can become attached to a fish in the
depths just as much as one would to a
fine dog Oh dry land"
| ga singular thing occurred to me once
in the deep bay of Porto Bello. A Span
ish man of-war had sunk there during
hurricane at the close of the last Cen,
tury. She had great deal Of
treasure on board, for at that
time all the gold and silver taken from
the mines of Peru we're brought to Pana-
ma, carried to Carthagena on mules and
placed on board of men-of-war for trans
portation to old Spain. Well, traced
up the whole history of the wreck, got
charts, as we'll as could, of her between
decks, and found out as near as possible
the place where she had sunk The first
time went down 1 searched in every di-
rection for the wreck, but couldn't
find a trace of it. At last
met an old merchant in
Carthagena, who had diary that had
been kept by his grandfather. Here was
the clue wanted. found that it had
been we'll kept, and that daily events had
been elaborately noted by its author.
Turning to the date of the disaster found
full description of the vessel, and the
very spot described where she had gone
down. Armed with this knowledge re-
turned to my vessel, and my apparatus
was set at the point described.
When reached the bottom,
in about twenty fathoms Of
water, l made a great Cir
cult, and at last run upon a projection
covered with barnacles and coral, but
which in its general outlines, presented
the form of q cannon. After prying off
the incrustations saw what was really a
ships large gun. now knew that the
wreck was not far off. Near where the
gun lay was great hummock of coral,
then was satisfied that the hull Ct the
ship was under this hummock.
worked away with my crowbar at
the incrustation until l made a
hole about three feet deep, when the
iron struck wood, and knew that had
the wreck under me. l lay by it for a
number of days, working like beaver
to get large enough opening through
the thick crust of coral to enable me to
get into the hull. At last l effected an
entrance, and with the dim light the hole
afforded me. could See into the officers
ward-room. Here ghastly sight almost
made me swoon. Grinning skeletons
faced me in every direction. and they
we're in every conceivable posture.
soon, however, recovered my sangfroid
and started farther aft to find the cap.
tain's cabin. But 1 had gone but few
steps when found myself cropping in the
dark. Wherever Iplaced my hand it ran
against human remains. The cabin door
was immovable. 1t was so jammed that
l gave up the job, and returned to the
surface. Next day went down with q
stout rope, and fastening it to the wood
work of the cabin in such a way that the
men on the schooner, by hoisting from
the other end with the capstan, tore
enough of the partition away to permit
me to enter. But it was too dark tc
work there, and determined to return
to the coral roofing and break away s
large enough space to permit me to gel
all the light wanted. But as l startet
to return found that one of my legs wal
fast. When the front of the cabi1
had been torn out of place b.
the men on the surface a pile o
stuff was let loose, and fell over agains
me 30 as to pin me fast. I didn't fee
: any pain, but to extricate my leg iron
the place was an utter impossibility.
didn't dare signal to the men above t
hoist me because that would have tori