The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-06-27
IN SEVEN FATH0Ms OF WATER.
Right Side Up, but Listed Over on
q Smooth Bottom, with No
Bodies Near.
PART OF DECK-H0UsE SECURED.
Diver Rice Believes the Bodies Have
Been Swept Out to Sea or
Up the Narrows.

SANDY HOOK. N. j., June z.-After
q search lasting from o'clock Monday
morning. until o'clock this morning,
" The Evening Worlds" tug Assistance
succeeded in making fast to the tug
James D. Nicol, which foundered with .
fishing party on board, last Sunday af.
ternoon.
A heavy sea had beeo kicked I'D by q
smoky Southwestern and, big al the As
sistance Is. she bodied about on the
water like cork. making footing very
uncertain and even unsafe for all 7bn
board. Big waves broke over her tbw
and dashed viciously against the p
dows of the pilot-house. and the scu
pers were continually full Of water. \,
The wreck was located by means
grapnels at a point west-sou'-west I'm e
Scotland Lightship, the twin light q
south. THE Evening Worlds" ~ 80,
with two grapnels out astern, .wa1Hs!
lowed to drift slowly towards the w. .
mel fastened into the wreck. and the
tug was brought to an anchor.
Chief Diver John Rice. assisted by
Tender N. A. Nelson, hurriedly got into
broke away.
NIcors Dcck-House Caught.
Almost Immediately thereafter q SEQ
ton OF tugs deck-house. about SIX
by seven feet In dimensions. shot to
OF the Assistance. The glass had been
broken from the window in It, and the
window-rrame partly torn AWAY. evil
IDENTIFY by the grapnel.
This section OF the deck-house was
hoisted aboard the Assistance. which
then went about and cruised back and
forth over the spot where the grapnel
Capt. Larry .DeNoyelles stood at the
wheel with his eye on the compass,
ready to fix the location of the wreck.
It. The Scotland Lightship was dead
astern, and the twin lights Of the
Highlands off the starboard bow. Diver
stern ready to drop oyer, should the
grapnel again pick up the wreck.
1t was Just thirty minutes from the
grapnel again became fast. this time
upon the port quarter. The tugs an
Choir was dropped Immediately. but be-
fore her headway could be checked the
great that the drag again broke loose.
AS before. a quantity Of wreckage and
another section Of the deck-house hoated
this p ortion OF the deck-house was .
large zinc cooking fork, which indicated
to the workers on the Assistance that
portion OF the wall of the stewards
pantry. A small door was hanging by
one hinge to this section Of the deck
aboard. together with the first section Of
the deck house. to be used for purposes
OF Identification.
Diver Rice Goes Overheard.
As the Assistance swung around to her
anchor, Diver Rice donned his helmet
and belt and dropped boldly over the
side, II was big risk to take In such
ing II. Capt. De Noyelles pointed out to
him the danger he would be in by being
carried under the ster'! OF the tug. which
was rolling heavily IN the trough OF the
sea and sending masses Of spray as high
as her hurricane deck and pounding the
water like a wounded hale.
With eighty-five pounds OF lead In the
belt around his waist with iron shoes,
weighing fifteen pounds each, strapped
upon his feet. and his head encased In .
Diver Rice sank slowly out OF sight. q
column OF air bubbles coming rapidly
to the surface to tell where he had gone
down. Tender Nelson carefully paid out
OF two men worked the air pump which
supplied the submerged man with air.
The crew OF the Assistance and The
watched the decent. while
they hung on by the nearest hand hold
to keep from following him overboard.
ined, inch by inch. and a weak spot was
discovered near one end. This weak
end Diver Rice insisted having attached
to the helmet. explaining that 1t was
safer to have II where the great pres
sure OF the water would resist the pres
sure Of the air. and prevent the pipe
from bursting.
1t was 735 o'clock when Diver Rice
made his first descent. 1t was 7.t2, or
seven minutes later, when Diver Rice
signalled to Tender Nelson that he had
reached bottom. The lead was cast
from the bow Of the tug and the depth
to which Diver Rice had descended
was ascertained to be q little over seven
fathoms.
bottom mt Seven Fathoms.
The tide. however, had Just turned b
flood with the promise OF adding 10 ~
depth ut least another fathom ipslds n
three hours. The watchers on thu ~ !.
Of the Assistance could follow the ~
ments OF Diver Rice nearly fifty feSA
low by the bubbles OF air thai e. y.
tcssas.ssa - IND ssss
sS.