Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-07
DOWN IN THE OCEANS pErrus.
Divers Shocking Experience. On ths
Wreck OF the Bianco Encaiasa.

A Divers Shocking Experience. on ths
Wreck Of the Bianco Encai.da.
Frcm the san Francisco Call.
H. NJ Hartman. recently discharged from
the cruiser San Francisco al San Diego uros
the expiration Of seven years service. is in the
city and tells an interesting story of his exper,-
enee rs diver while investigating the wreck
of the BlAnco EncalAda. Hartman 10 a Pennry,-
vanian, twenty-three years old
During the troubles in Chile he enlisted with
the insurgents and was successfully An Officer
on 4 torpedo boat. lieutenant OF artillery At the
battle Of Acacalgo river, q spy agains, Balma.
ceda and commanded two pieces Of artillery a
the battle Of PiAeila. which opened o. way 10
Valparaiso. He was wounded. and after re-
coyery was taken back in the American service.
Hartman was engaged in diving on the in.
surgent vessel, Blanco Encalada, sunk BY the
Admiral Lynch IN the harbor OF Caldera
One month after the insurgents then in noe.
session OF the port, employed Hartman and an
Engiishman, also diver, TO so down ana
measure the hole and determine the chances
incandescent lights were lowered INTO the shin.
which was lying in nine fathoms Of water. The
ship WAS lying upon her port side. She had sunk
IN held OF sea grass growing ten feet high.
The waves had washed great avenues of white
sand through the grass 10 various parts Of the
vessel
Almost everywhere we're arms, legs, hesds
ana trunks of human bodies Many Of these
the fish had eaten clean of the flesh, only the
skulls and bones remaining. The flesh that
stih remained intact was soft aud tnushy and
when touched would fall away from the bones
Many bodies we're found whole, the men hav.
ing met death by drowning
In the starboGrd riggieg stood the skeletons
OF Two men with the bones OF their hands still
clinching the ratlines. The whole scene vas
horrible and revolving beyond description
Ihe greatest obstacle IN the work the fish.
There we're millions of fish and cells every
where They would shoot through the water
and magniiied by the water and the glass of the
divers helmet and rejecting the rays OF the
electric light they looked like thousands Of
blades of polished silver.
=, whenever Hartman would lay bis hands upoa
the deck they would come IN contact with .
SHINY eel The eeis would wrAp themselves
about the divers legs they went along she
deck. This, and coming IN frequent contact
VITA dissolsing human flesh, afforded a variety
a diver.
Among these fish were numerous sharks
They were with difficulty kept away from the
divers. With one Hartman had battle The
SUIT OF a diver Is so shotted as to keep him at
about an equilibrium in the water With a
slight motion be can easily rise A he goes
over the bottom he rarely touches ground A
aver is also provided with weapon of defense
against ravenous fish in the shape of an
electric pole six feet long and covered with
rubber except at the end, which is a steel
point
bending in large curve over this point 10
hook with ball on the end. The point and
Dali are positive and negative poles of an
eiectrlc current which Is furnished by wire
from dynamo on the vessel When a shark
approaches too close TO the diver the end OF
the pole IS thrown against him and the current
passes from the point through the hsh TO the
paiL The hsh receives q violent shock. which
may either stun or kill.
Hartman saw an enormous man-eating shark
quietly approaching him and slowly opening
and shutting hs enormous jaws. When within
striking distance the pole was thrown against
him. The shock stopped him and he re-
NAMED under the influence for several
minutes, then recovered and came slowly
on again. IL was repeated with the same re-
suit the third time. Hartman dropped under-
meath the shark, and while he was yet notion
less ripped with knife along the belly from
the giiis to the tail, leaving his intestines ID
fall out