Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-22
UNDER WATER.
Some Of the Terrible Expert
ences of a Diver.
Meeting the Swollen Forms of
Drowned Men.

"liavc you ever reflected on the queer
nature OF divers bu,incss2" saws a
writer in Oacc 20 Week. "IIcre, where
live, there is famous man in this
line, whom wo will call the captain. He
is helpful and big hearted in his life
above water; and his body is big, too;
so large, that You would suppose he
would find ii hard enough to walk and
work on land, without going to the
bottom of the sea !,r exercise. But IL
chici part OF his occupation is to sink
himself out Of sight un Ter The waves,
and go pcrcgrinating about in that M vs.
tcrlous region which the rest of us
never visit if we can help it. He puts
on huge, thick divins-suit, which is
waicr-t'gh. and ar-tiyht, with n big
helmc'-containiny glass eyes or little
crewcd on over his head;
the whole giving him the mir of some
fabulous monster, and swelling him up
to considerably more than hi, naturally
big bulk. Then he is lowered into the
depths, with tube attached to his
helmet, through which he gets mir
enough to breathe, and long
cord for signalling to those above
when he wants to be hoistcd up again.
Thus prepared, he ha, explored largo
pnrt OF the bottom of Long Island
Sound, where he once laid, far down in
the tide, the concrete foundation Of
Race Rock lighthouse. lie is also sent
for, far and near, to inspect and raise
sunken ships. Imagine what strange
alarming or CHASTITY sights he must ell
counter in that dismal green world I'm :
der water, infested by c&mmy era wing
or swmmin 6 creatures; where perhaps
he suddenly comes face to face with the
stirring eyes and swollen forms of
drowned men caught in cabin door
ways or jammcd amid tho wrcckago OF
lost vessels.
Most OF us would hardly feel tempted
to remain in surroundings. But some
times there are easier Jobs for tho div
srs; such rs working around the piers of
bridges; and then the river bed may he
transformc | into an Amusement ground.
| know of two divers who were en-
ploycd on the unlcr water construction
OF some bridge piers in summer.
and they spent so much time
thcrc-paid for by the CON
lractors-that the matter had to be
looked into. 1t was found they had
Invented new sport. They caught
two crabs; m,rkcd Off race C curse on
the mud and then, putting the crabs
on the siarting-lino. they laid bets, and
sent the clawed things crn wiling off side
wise in competition. But the captain
is much more seriously occupied. Aud
he once went through particularly
serious experience worth describing
lie had gone down In his diving suit
to attend to somo job on the bottom of
harbor. 1t was n fine, sunshiny dav;
md the captain could sec the brightness
at the surface, above him, rs wo SEQ the
light glowing through cloudy sky.
Suddenly he became aware of heavy,
threatening shadow, which advanced
rapidly along the top of the water. lie
realized instantly that n large canal
boat, i'll tow, was about to pass directly
over tho mir tube which connected him
with his assistants boat above. The
tube was rather taut, and came
80 near the surface just there,
that tho chances were tho keel
Of the canal boat would cut
1t in two. If that should happen the
captain would be dead man. and his
diving suit no better than shroud
lie not darc to stir, nor even to signal
his assistant by means of the cord at his
waist; for the slightest moveme It in
wrong direction would only hasten the
disaster he dreaded. On and on came
the shadow, swift and huge; aud while
the captain waited to SEQ whether 1t
would destroy him or not, it esmed TO
Inn that years, instead of minutes were
clapsing. The big shadow came right
over him ut last, and he felt his air.
tube grating against the uneven edge of
tie keel. scrapc-scrapc it went, here
and there, and once the captain thought
it had surely caught on a projecting bit
Of metal, or Il bolt. If it had, it would
have been dragged asunlcr in n iilrv.
BAT, luckily, the tube did not catch.
The awful shadow passed. The Captain
pulled his cord, was raised to the sur.
focc-slad enough to bo in the air
n.ain-in the world above the water.
l: was narrow escape.
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