The evening world., 1894-06-27

low by the bubbles or air that escaped
from his helmet and rose to the surface.
He walked off towards the twin lights
and his movements were followed for
about one hundred feet by this means,
but the sea was so rough that the bub-
bles could not be seen beyond that dis
lance.
At the request Of "The Evening World"
reporters Tender Nelson signallcd re-
surface, they fearing that in his anxiety
to locate the wreck he might take risks
that would result fatally. Rice answered
these signals by calls for more rope.
TO the nigh sea running, and after sig
Mailing to the diver several times and
r Snr,,,1g no response The Evening
nave the diver hauled to the surface.
Feared for Rice's safety.
Capt. De Noyelies jumped down to the
line. THE E,ening World" reporters
had relieved the crew at the alr-pump
and were turning the cranks, distressed
f ey the thought that the air they were
forcing down to the bottom of the ocean
was going to an Unconscious or possibly
disabled man. Five minutes OF hard
pulling on the life line brought the air
would have come to the surface even
had the diver been dead.
rev minutes more and the copper
helmet of the driver bobbed to the sur
faces and from the movements OF his
arms IT. could be seen that the driver
was at least alive. He was hauled over
to the iron ladder dashed to the tugs
rail. and as he leaned over the top rung
the helmet was unscrewed.
AS II was lifted off his head 1t was
seen that he was laughing. and his first
remark was:
What's the matter with you fellows?
/ had just got alongside the wreck when
you yanked me clean off my feet"
1t was explained that no answer had
been returned to the signals sent to him
that something was wrong.
Tender Nelson's skill in handling the
lires rendered the task of raising Rice
from the bottom less dangerous than 1t
would otherwise have been. In un:
skilled hands he might have been dashed
against the side of the tug. or the iron
ladder and been seriously injured, If not
fraught with peril; Diver Rice brought
up handful Of white sand and said the
bottom was all like that, and as smooth
as a board.
utes, Diver Rice said the wreck was
right side up and listed over. Said he:
II was preparing to Chamber aboard
when the life line threw me off my, feet.
/ could see but very little, though the
outline Of the dark hull was quite plain.
The outline of the upper part of the
wreck appeared jagged. This l could see
by looking upward"
He Makes Another Descent.
Diver Rice then desired to have his
helmet put on so that he could go down
again while the direction of the wreck
complied with, and he disappeared with
a splash. Again the trail of air bubbles
showed that Rice had fixed the location
he started off boldly in the same direc-
ton whence he was pulled but a few
minutes before.
This time the answers to tender Mel
was evident from this alone that Rice
did not again care to have his move
ments tnterfered with.
One hour and twenty minutes after
Rice's second dive he signalled to be
pulled up He had a narrow escape this
time from being dashed against the iron
ladder. his helmet just grazing II. His
Rice came on board.
Could See No Bodies.
He said that he had gone carefully
over the ground on both sides of the
wreck. thinking perhaps that bodies
might have been backed up either by
the tide or the eddies against the hull.
He had seen no bodies nor any traces
of any.
After examining the wreck" said
Rice, II half circled the tug on one side.
and then did the same thing on the other
side and felt ,o my way about about aos about
tor any hing that might have belonged
to the Nicol."
At Diver Rice's request. Capt. De Noy-
Giles moved the Assistance TO the west
ward of the sunken wreck. a quarter of
a mile further in shore. Here the anchor
was again heaved and Rice prepared for
his third descent
This time he worked again towards
the wreck. and, the sea having quoted
down somewhat, his movements were
more easily traced. He moved out to
Cal li,,it T,f hap
began TO circle about the Assistance.
For a brief spell air bubbles came to
the surface in one spot, and it was thus
demonstrated to the watchers that the
son suggested that perhaps Rice had
found a BODY and was trying to make
fast to it. He had carried down fas-
purpose. Rice remained stationary only
a few minutes. however and then the
moving trn'l of air bubbles told the
The diver completed a circuit at the
end OF the life line and then cut across
the circle as If to IA 1t,
Thirty-fve minutes from the time he
went down Rice signalled to be hauled
to the surface.
No Bodies Near the Wreck.
IT don't believe there are any bodies
anywhere near the wreck" said ne,
"as the bottom down there Is 50 smooth
and even that the currents and under
tow would easily roll them away. 1t
will be next to impossible to find them
below the surface now. since We know
they are not in the vicinity of the
wreck.
My own impression is that the bodies.
have been carried either out to sea or
up in towards the Narrcws, and they
have almost surely been scattered over
u wide stretch OF water. Until gases
form, and they are in that way buoyed
to the surface 1t will be next to i'm
possible to find them: There is no
likelihood of any OF them coming up
near the wreck"
Tender Nelson, as he helped Rice out
of his suit. told of an experience he and
party had in searching for the bodies
OF siXty-four persons drowned by the
sinking of Spanish steamer OFF Barne
gat Light nearly four years ago.
The steamer had come into collision
with a four-masted schooner. and both
had gone down in ten fathoms of water.
Among those lost on the steamer was a
rich Cuban, whose relatives employed
divers from the Merritt Wreckng Com
pany to search for the victims OF the
disaster.
The divers went down to Barnegat on
the tug Dalziel, and after searching
for four days found only three bodies,
all Of which had been held fast to the
wreck by the rigging. The other bodies
had been drawn away from the wreck
nv the currents. and so far as known
no one was discovered or, at least, identi-
ned.
The tug Assistance has since Monday
dragged over nearly every spot along