The morning call., 1894-07-30
BIG WAGES.
Getting Ahead of Professional Divers
in a Flood.

in a Flood.
"I must tell you how we got ahead of the
professional divers who were here during the
1889 flood. The Pennsylvania Railroad ran a
lot of loaded freight cars up their Linden
branch the day Of the flood and put them on
Linden bridge to anchor it. Some Of the cars
were loaded with steel made The very day be-
fore at JOhnstOWn. The whole lot went
through the bridge TO the bottom of the river,
and the railroad company asked US if we could
get it up. We agreed to do the job for SIS a
ton, but they thought the price was too high
and hired two divers at $50 day, TO say
nothing OF the extra crew they had 10 assist in
the operation of rowing them about, letting
them down and up and pumping air TO them.
Alter working TWO weeks the divers recovered
two tons of steel and some Darbed wire.
1t was beautiful steel, IN long, thin bars
for making knives, forks, cutlery, ETC., but
when they got II up il was found TO be dirty
with sand, which they failed to remove before
raising il, and they had bent and twisted it all
out of shape. The railroad company was dis
gusted. They came to US again and told us TO
go ahead, saying they would lend US their
divers into the bargain. We told 'em we didn't
want their divers, but they sent 'em anyhow,
and we didn't object, of course, but sawed
wood. AT O'Clock 10 the morning six OF US
took the steam pile-driVer-as the boom com
pany had no use for it that day-and went TO
work. The cars were down IN sixteen feet of
water.
"As we were preparing to drop heavy
chain 10 get hold OF the Sunken cars Tie QlVefS
arrived. One of them began to put on b % suit,
and said: quick as | get this on Pll go down
with your tackle. Get your chain ready |
stepped of and went 10 the bottom. When l
came up that chain was securely fastened TO
one end of the car. The diver by this time had
his rubber suit and brass shoes on and he
yelled for the chain. l says, The chains on
the car now.' You never see fellow so done
out as he was The divers fooled around there
a few hours and then went back TO town.
"Well. we had all that steel-forty-three tons
of it-Straght and clean on the bank where the
railroad people could load it on their cars by Z
O'Clock that night. How did we do it? IhlS
way: After l got the chain under one end OF
the car, as l told you, we raised her with our
steam plledriVer till that end stood at about 40
degrees and held her Inere. Then we did the
same thing 10 the other end and had the car
on the level, but still under water, so that we
could stand on her with part of our bodies out
of water. Tne steel was covered by about two
feet of sand. This we shOveleO out, then raised
the car stl more ana lifted the steel bars out
into our flats"
That's a pretty good days work." said the
reporter, making a mental calculation. Forty
three tons at S15 ton would be $645 for you
six men. or over 500 for each man for days
work. That's probably the best wages ever
paid on the boom, IS Ii not?"
Yes" said Gundrum, but at the rate the
divers were working, ton week, they would
have been at II f0rty-three weeks. How much
would that be at $50 a day for the two divers.
not counting their assistants?'
Just Sl2, 300. Williamsport Sun.