Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-05-01
A DIVERS EXPERIENCE.
An Hour OF Agony at the Bottom
Of the Mississippi
Surgery Under Water -ImpaIed Through
tho Foot by Strong Bolt-A Cut from
the Instep TO the Toe-The Story as
Told by Diver Moore.


When submarine divers go down under
water they look for and expect all sorts of
adventures. Engagements with devil-fish
of enormous proportions are of everyday
occurrence, while the finding of human
bodies and other CHASTITY evidences of ship
wreck Is small matter to the professional
diver. Probably one of the most noted
divers in this country, says the San Fran
cisco Examiner, is John Moore, who is now
in this city on business. Mr.. Moore claims
New Orleans as his home, although he is re-
Gently from Seattle, w. T. It was at the
Chicago Hotel on Jackson street that an
Examiner reporter 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 i'm
perceptible lameness as result of his ad-
ventures in the Mississippi river.
"That foot bothers me at times" said the
diver, sand the horror of the situation was
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 the bolt at the time of the
Impalement.
divers own words
at was in October, 1888" said Mr.. Moore,
"that was engaged to do the underwater
work-that is, to build the inclines for the
Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis rail-
road at Memphis. My work was all under
water, having to sink caps on top of the
piles, and then drive drift boltsin each pile.
The latter were six in a 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 q survey.
found that the incline lacked a foot of being
down on the caps, and so reported to the
chief engineer. 1 was directed to bolt the
incline timbers to the caps, and it was in do
ing this that the accident that nearly cost
me my life occurred. l used the regulation
diving-dress, with helmet and air-pump, but
relied principally on my lifeline and signal
rope"
Mr.. Moore then explained the method of
drawing a bolt twenty feet under water.
"In this instance" he continued, "a piece
of two-inch gas-pipe of the required length
was used. After holes had been bored in
the timbers a bolt was sent down the pipe,
and, being put INTO position by the diver,
was rammed home something after the
manner OF loading gun. Every thing pro-
crossed nicely until about the middle of the
day. had just pointed the pipe over bolt
hole, and gave the signal to send the bolt
down and ram away, when felt sharp,
singing pain in my right foot and found
myself impaled. / reached for my lifeline,
but owing 10 the muddy nature of the water
in the Mississippi | was unable to find it for
several moments. BY that time / realized
my position. The bolt had been driven
through the string piece of the incline. then
through my foot, and then into the top Of
the pile. / confess that l was frightened
at first, but well knowing that if l lost my
presence of mind l would be goner, /
braced up and looked around for some way
to release myself. If had a slate with me
/ could have sent it up and notified those
above Of the fix l was in, but had gone
down that day without one. My situation
was very serious one.
1.-THE current was running at the rate of
about six miles an hour, and there was, a
prisoner under twenty feeto water, suffer
ing intense pain and losing large quantity
Of blood. There was no other diver within
three or four miles Of the place, and things
looked very blue for me. l had been impaled
for probably half an hour when the men
above concluded that something was
wrong, and tried to signal me with my life
line. This was finally abandoned, and q
young fellow named John Corners, who
acted as my tender, came down. Ho brought
with him the dullest knife 1 think ever
saw. He came down to meet me in a novel
way. He had no diving suit, but got one of
the men on the lighter to hold my lifeline
and hose, and came down by them. He
had to act quickly, and as soon as he
reached me he placed the knife in my hand,
and releasing his hold on the line, rose to
the surface.
Il can assure you felt better when got
hold of that knife. My first work was to
sharpen it on a piece of railroad iron, piles
of which were around me. then cut the
upper strap of my shoe and then cut the
right leg of my dress off just above the
knee. This resulted in the water filling my
dress up to my chin. This did not mind,
however, for as long as the air-pump was
kept goingI was safe. The main trouble
was to get my foot clear could not, from
the position 1 was in, reach down further
than the upper strap of my knee. Had
been able to do so would have slit my foot
between the toes.
Itried in every possible way to clear my
| self, but it was impossible, and, as a last re-
sort / had to suffer the torture of having
the bolt torn through the flesh. l signaled
with my lifeline, which was attached to the
| winch, and the engine started. The agony
| was simply terrible, and after being i'm
! paled under water for fifty minutes was
81. IL