Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-05-26
A DIVERS WEIRD TALE OF EN-.
PERIENC.
ON A SUNkEN WAR SHIP IN THE
DEEP.
The Electric Pole For Shocking
Sharks - A Spirited Deep
Sea Contest-In A Field of
Sea-GraSS.

years service, now in Los Angels, Cal,
tells an interesting story of his eX-
perience as a diver while investigat ting
the wreck of the Blanco Encalada
Hartman is Pennsylvanan, % years
old. He has been on various United
States ships and has seen exciting
scenes OF action. He was on the China
station during the Franco Chinese war,
and was in Samoa OH the Trenton when
that unfortunate vessel and several
others We're wrecked by Il hurricane.
! During the troubles in Chill he enlist
Ell with the insurgents and was sue
cessively an officer on a torpedo boat,
lieutenant at the battle of Acacalogo
river, q spy against Balmaceda and
commanded two pieces of artillery at
the battle of Placilla, which opened
the way to Valparaiso. He was wound
ed, and after recovery was taken back
in the American service
Hartman was engaged in diving on
the lnsurgent vessel BlancO Encala(la
sunk by the Admiral Lynch in the
harbOr of Caldera. The Lynch and the
Balmaceda gunboat Condel came to-
gether in the harbOr. 1t was at night
and during an armistice between the
contending parties. The Blanco was
lying in the harbor with her guns I'M
shipped, cleaning up.
AS soon as the Lynch rounded the
point OF land at the mouth of the har-
Dor she sent torpedo at the Blanco.
The torpedo struck the Blanco amid
ships, three feet under the water line
and directly on the line with her engine
house. The torpedo was seven feet
long, charged with forty pounds of
gun cotton, equal to about 100 pounds
of giant powder The Blanco was
an iron vessel, covered with Il inch
steel armor, yet the torpedo tore
hole 20 X II feet in the vessels side.
The ship sank in four minutes, and
PIP men went down. Most of them
were in berths asleep. Some sprang
into the water, but the Lynch inhuman-
ly turned her search lights on tho
struggling men and raked them to
death with her Calling guns.
One month after the insurgents, then
in possession of the port, employed
Hartman and an Englishman, also 4
diver, to go down and measure the
hole and determine the chances of
raising the vessel. Divers equipped
with incadescent lights were lowered
into the ship, which was lying in nine
fathoms of water. The ship was lying
upon her port side. She had sunk in
a field of sea grass ten feet high. The
waves had washed great ayenuesof
yIrhj no tN
various parts of the vessel.
Almost everywhere were arms, legs,
heads, and trunks of human bodies.
Many of these the fish had eaten clean
of the flesh, only the skulls and bones
remaining. The flesh that still remain
ed intact was soft and .muShy, and
when touched would fall away from
the bones. Many bodies were found
whole, the men having met death by
drowning
In the starboard rigging stood the
skeletons of two men with the bones
of their hands still clinching the rat
lines The whole scene was horrible
and revolving beyond description. The
greatest obstacle in the work was the
fish. There were millions of fish and
els everywhere. They would shoot
through the water, and, magnified by
the water and the glass of the divers
helmet, and rejecting the rays of the
electric light, they looked like thou
sands of blades of polished silver.
Wherever Hartman would lay his
hands upon the deck they would come
in contact with d Shiny eel. The ellis
would wrap themselves about the div
ers' legs ase they went along the deck
this, and coming into frequent contact
with dissolving human flesh, afforded q
variety of sensations not frequently
met by even a diver.
Among these fish were numerous
sharks. These were with difficulty
kept away from the divers. With one
Hartman had a battle. The suit of d
diver is so shotted as to keep him al
about an equilibrium in the water
With a slight motion he can easily rise
J AS he goes over the bottom he rare
ly touches ground. A diver is also
provided with a weapon OF defense
against ravenous fish, in the shape Of
an electric pole six feet long and GOV
cred with rubber, except at the end
which is a steel point.
Bending in a large curve over this
point is a hook with a ball on the end
:, The point and pan are positive ant
l negative poles of an electric current
Which is furnished by wire from {
!. dynamo on the vessel.
1 When a shark approaches too close
J, to the diver the end ofthe pole il
| thrown against him and the curren
2 passes from the point throug the fisl
: to the ball The fish receives a violen
shock, which may eIu4er stun or kill
! Hartman saw an erroneous man-eat
ing shark slowly approaching him ant
$ slowly opening and shutting his enor
S nous jaws. When within striking dis
|, lance the pole was thrown agains
e him. The shock stopped him ant
S he remained under the influence TO
S several minutes, then recovered ant
$ calm slowly on again. 1t was repeated
e with the same result. The third tim
n Hartman dropped underneath thu
s shark and while he was motiOnlcs
Il ripped with knife along the bell
e from the gills to the tail.