The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-31


agraphs, a d
most OF such accounts are vouched for
by this or that scientific man. When
Victor Hugo wrote in THE Toilers of
the Sea" about the frightful monster
which clasped It's clammy arms around
the diver every one thought that the
thing was q mere fabrication. But it
was not The monster described was
almost identical with the octopus or
giant squid
So, too, men relate how, living In
the deep and silent caves of the sea, is
Il huge lobster, resembling the smaller
fish IN structure, but being very vora-
cious. II is said that he seldom comes
near the shore, if ever, but that enor-
nous lobster shells are sometimes
thrown up on.land after violent storm.
Northern fishermen have heard of the
monster, and have seen them SILVER
in the cuddies of their fishing smacks
as some one described the size and APP
pearance of the fish. How far the gem
eral impression is correct / do not
know. but let me relate story told to
me by diver.
when the Anglo Saxon, ship laden
with costly merchandise, ran into
Chance cove, on the Newfoundland
coast, and sunk by striking hidden
reef, the government at once took
steps to have all that the unlucky ship
contained removed. There were over
n hundred persons on board, but not so
much as one, if my memory serves me,
escaped. When the ship was lifted by
a heavy swell upon the sharp ledge she
hung there, as sailors say, but with
the rise of the tide she was lifted off
the ledge and went down, head first,
into the deep water lying inside. There
was passage from outside leading to
this deep water, so that fishes or sea
beasts might go in or out in quest of
prey. There was no beach or strand,
but upright, naked cliffs in the form of
"A semicircle rose around to a height of
about three hundred feet. Giving
back a little on the top was light
house.
''As soon as possible divers were
brought to the spot, but it was difficult
TO find it smooth enough to go down.
The first day we got below we could
do little but lay out our plan of opera
tions. The ship was on her side, the
stumps of the masts turned toward
land ! had never gone down before
in water so far north, and the place
was so wild that | was timid. Lines
We're attached to our bodies and the
ends fastened to the slsiff above, SO
that if any diver pulled his line he
was at once drawn to the surface. We
walked about the bottom and around
the ship with our feet weighted to keep
us from rising. .
.'The water was u pale green, and /
could notice objects quite plainly for
many yards distant. There was huge
break in the bottom of the ship, her
stem was stove in. so was her stern.
Already the fiehcs had discovered that
there was feasting inside, for as was
about to- enter by the hole in the bow
number of Spanish mackerel, cod,
seulpins md dosfish Began to fotinder
about inside | moved back, for ] did
not know La, there night be shark
there.
There ware, rs you know. over a
hundred bodies in the ship, SO was
anxious that they should be saved
from the Dissertation OF these fishes.
Worst of all to get among the bodies
of the iro vned are Spanish mackerel
and cod. had charge, 80 we all went
to the top ana made arrange .nents for
getting the dead. ! shall not give You
the details bnt after extremely hard
work two days saw our CHASTITY task
completed.
Then came the raising Of the costly
merchandise. 1t was mostly silks and
cashmere shawls. One afternoon while
my two men remained above repair
ing their diving apparatus went down
alone. We were now removing the
bales from the after compartment oof
lie ship and had only one way to
enter or leave this compartment
namely, by the break in the stern.
The method of raising the goods was
to lower down heavy hooks which
could be fastened into the bales after
they were pushed outside. Some OF
these bales or cases would float and
some would rest lightly on the bottom.
had selected large case, which l
was about to move, when, happening
TO turn my eyes, saw outside huge
creaturc moving toward the vessel. !.
bad never seen anything like II be-
fore. Its body was four 10 i've feet