The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-03
TWENTY FATnOMs DERP.
Wonders and Horrors that the Diver Secs
In the Great Lakes,


OF lake diving. that we find them resting on
! tho bottom as trim and neat as il their keels
were still ploughing tho surface. This is par
ticularly the cnse in Lake Huron, whose waters
are unlike those OF any OF tho other lakes In
the great chain. although all It's water comes
from Lake Superior What tho scientific OK
PLANTATION of the fact Is l don't know but II
diver can work on the bottom OF Lake
Huron at q depth OF at least twenty
feet greater than he can in Lake superior. and
much deeper than he can in any OF tho other
lakes. In Superior diver can't sec further
than ten foet into tho water surrounding him,
but In Huron he can distinctly distinguish OBJ
jects fifty feet away. At depth OF 100 feet in
Lake Superior q diver can only work an hour
at a tlme, tho feeling OF oppression becoming
unbearably painful. but l have worked five
hours at n stretch in Lake Huron is feet be-
low the surface without suffering to any Grent
extent from the pressure Of the water. man
drowned In Lake Superior never appears on
the surface while the dead float on the waters
OF Lake Huron.
1T Is q weird and startling sight to come
suddenly upon n full-riggod vessel far down In
the solemn depths OF tho lake. standing erect
on her keel as II she wore dashinG away be-
fore the breeze on tho cleaning surface. 1t
is uncanny and ghostike There are no waves
down there, but a mysterious swelling and
swaying OF the waters that give see-sawing,
tossing motion to tho spectre craft. which is
all the more spectral because there is no creak
Of timber, no sound OF strainlng ropes or grind
ing keel You may climb the rigging, walk the
dock, go down into tho sunken cabin as readily
and easily rs II you were sailor and tho ves-
Sci wore sailing along with only the sky above
her but you cant helm thinking constantly OF
death and the tomb There Is no sound down
hare htIt fla In tar nNift nj mad
all around and above you. and yet seeming lar
WICK wreck nd ee oe Mutually eNpeet
to find broken ruin on tho bottom OF the lake,
n4 With q eSr
beams and shattered spars and broken keel,
where have to pry and chop and batter down
is merchandise, treasure or human corpses.
than can on sunken craft that gives me
free and easy access to her sunken stores and
watery sepulchres.
Il have gone down to the lake bottoms
many and many time to rel ease the bodies OF
mon, women. and children who were known to
have perIshed in sinking vessels. and | long
ago grew insensible to any feeling of horror or
wrecks for corpsos. But If have gone to the
bottom t. recover goods or valuabes simply,
no one having been carried down with the YES
sci and lost. | am continually haunteI by a
dread that some dead man will rise suddenly
from some part OF tho wreck and confront mo,
or that corpses are ioatinE in tho water above
way or into the cabin, OF a sunken vessel at
over the thought that perhaps some poor VIC
tim OF the wreck IS imprisoned there. and that
ne VII suddenly be released by the lurchings
len, wid-eyed frghtfulness. know OF course
that dead person Is as harmless tossed fam
ings Of many fathoms deep, as he would be
lying calmly in his, coffin at home, but ! can't
signal to DO pulled to the surface il l come un-
expectedly IN contact with one at the bottom Of
the hs ha E. sS sns Is Py p So
result Of an indeible first impression. an incl
dent OF my first experience on a srnken wreck;
gone down to recover valuable cargo from
vessel that had foundered SO suddenly that the
water. 1t was badly broken up. and rocked
Snd sweyHd II the water so TIT kept
timbers. was prynG ana chopptnG my way
TO the matches when from some place about
dead man rose Suddenly in front Of SINE me- III! The
corpse was not more than ten feet away, erect,
had u IN alarm at y e The
had died with both hands cutching the breast
OF bis coat His open mouth. widely staring
corpse stood for second facing me- and it
seesmea. to me as if Its horror wns q me
w 4d Ge dSs vas Rose a ast
Ra as
him In his subterranean sepulchro. for it was
for all the world MS II he were fleeing from me:
beyond my line OF vision It turned in the water
and seemed TO gaze back ct me With that
ing the breast After he body had gone out OF
sight tried TO proceed with my work. but l
was so much unstr9nG that a fish swimming
me such painful starts that had to sigma to
DO hauled g the surface; 1t was a long time
and have never been able 10 overcome the
feeling of dread for unexpected corpses that
The dead man OF that wreck must have been
q stowaway. No ono knew him; but In the
breast p0G6Gt Of oh tie coat he GUtehed 50 tight
mt ever appeared for the money. and 1t
was divided between myself and the crew OF
Tho only time that I ever undertook to do
piece Of work on the lake bottom relucI antly.
although l had nticipatcd and thought was
prepared for startling sight was the time
went down twenty fathoms in Lake, Erie to
children who had gone down with propeller
Tho propeller sank In heavy storm ut night
Lake Erie, and the woman and her children
were in their stateroom. The husband and
OF Sho a 0st o Dig
touching appeals OF the heart broken man
alone induced mo to undertake tho work. l
room Without dilIlcqlty; The door was
before tho imprisoned dead could be released
IN "reasad tho dread that possessed me- and
stood irresoluto at the awful threshold. II tho |
money was to receive for the work had boon
my only mpelling motive. ] would have hur-
Rod from the wreck that moment; but was
haunted by tho memory of that stricken soul |
above; awaiting In aGopized suspense tho poor
consolation OF seeing his cold and lfocss loved |
ones. and nut aside my foolish fear and with |
a few blows, Of my crowbar battered down tho |
stateroom door. l had pictured in my mind |
how the three corpses would in all probability |
LOOK, floating with staring eyes about the |
that way woul have accepted the |
contact with c0mplacency. But the rcali'y |
Of their appearance, was. far different
from tho one | had imagined. Tho |
vessel gave q hard lurch Hs broke tho door
loose and tho water rushed out Of the state
room. With the ru;;h cnme the dead Inmates
OF the room. The three were in II group, aud |
such n groupl ono child u golden haired lit |
Ito thing OF 3 years old, tho mother claspod to |
hor breast with one arm. The little ones check |
was, pressed against Its, mothers and its |
chubby arms wore around her neck. Tho sec- |
ond child, older than the frs, he'd Il mothers
clothes and the mother iioated from tho room |
standing upright. clnsping her one child to hGr
brcast and leading ihe other by tina hand Her !
long yellow hair was loose. and trailed far be-
ll1s4