Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-05-18
A pIvER,s EXPERIENCE.
An Hour of Agony at the Bottom
of the Mississippi.

with deYll-nSh OF enormous pfOporlionS
are OF everyday occurrence, while the
finding of human bodies and other |
CHASTITY evidences Of shipwreck is
small matter TO the professional diver.
Probably one Of the most noted divers |
in this country, says the San Francisco
Examiner, is John Moore, who is now
in this city on business Mr.. Moore
claims New Orleans as his home, al
though he is recently from Seattle, w.
T. 1t was at the Chicago Hotel on
jackson street that an Examiner re-
porter met him few days ago, and
heard one of the most thrilling advent
ures that ever befell man under water,
he having been impaled through the
foot in some twenty feet of water at
Memphis, Tenn. Mr.. Moore walks
with an almost imperceptible lameness
as a result of his adventures in the
Mississippi river.
THAT foot bothers me at times"
| said the diver. ''and the horror of the
situation Twas in shall never forget"
Mr.. Moore removed his shoe and
stocking from his right foot, which is
slit from near the instep to between
the great and second toes, he having
released himself by tearing his foot
through tho bolt at the time Of the i'm
placement.
The story, however, is best told in
the divers own words:
at was in October, 1884, said Mr..
Moore, ''that | was engaged to do the
underwater work-that is, to build the
inclines for the Kansas City, Spring
field & Memphis railroad at Memphis.
My work was all under water, having
to sink caps on top of the piles, and
then drive drift bolts in each pile. The
latter were six in row, forming what
is termed a bent. The incline was
about four hundred feet in length, the
bents being sixteen feet apart. 1t was
on the morning of October IL that |
was sent over to the West Memphis
side and made survey. found that
the incline lacked foot OF being down
on the caps, and so reported to the
chief engineer. / was directed to bolt
the incline timbers to the caps, and il
was in doing this that the accident that
nearly cost me my life occurred.
used the regulation diying-dress, with
helmet and air-pump, but relied primer
pally on my lifeline and signal rope. !"
Mr.. Moore then explained the method
OF drawing bolt twenty feet under
water I'm this instance" he CON
: tinued, '.a piece of two-inch gas-pipe o.
the required length was used. After
holes had been bored in the timbers {
bolt was sent down the pipe, and, being
put into position by the diver, wa!
? rammed home something after tbs
l manner of loading a gun. Every thing
progressed nicely until about the mid
: die of the day. / had just pointed tn
! pipe over bolthole, and gave the sig
2 nal to send the bolt down and ran
e away. when / felt sharp, stinginl
3 pain in my right foot and found mysel
e impaled. / reached for my lifeline
but owing to the muddy nature of III
( water in the Mississippi l was unabl
: to find it for several moments. BY tina
time | realized my position. The Dol
Il had been driven through the string
u piece of the incline, then through m
J, foot, and then into the top of the pile
y / confess that / was frightened at first
G but we'll knowing that if / lost m
presence of mind would be a goner,
d braced up and looked around for som
d way TO release myself. If had slat
!, with me | could have sent it up an
notified those above of the fix | was il
q but had gone down that day withor
7. one. My situation was a very seriou
u one.
e 1.-The current was running at the rat
IS of about six miles an hour, and there
g was a prisoner uner twenty feet
water, suffering intense pain and losin
a quantity of blood. There was \
n other diver within three or four mile
I'd OF the place, and things looked ver
N blue for me. / had been impaled fl
le probably half an hour when the me
above concluded that something WI
wrong, and tried to signal me with N
life line. This was finally aban@bnec
n and young fellow named John Co
g. ners. who acted as my tender, can
10 down. He brought with him the du
n lest knife think lever saw. He can
u down to meet me in novel way. /
II had no diving suit, but got one OF Il
IS men of the lighter to hold my life-lil
is and hose, ana came down by them.
m had to act quickly, and as soon as
1T reached me he placed the knife in II
'e- hand, and releasing his hold on u
line. rose to the surface.
20 IL can assure you / felt better VIII
h. | got hold of that knife. My first wo
en- was to sharpen it on a piece of railro
iron, piles of which were around me.
Id then cut the upper strap of my sh
Ter and then cut the right leg q my dre
%. off lust above the knee. This 0esnlt
in the water filling my dress up TO
nut I asl ,,nt mind bOwnyl