Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-09-08
INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH
VETERAN DIVER.
Ahram ouderdonk Tells Of Submarine
Fxpsrlences- Sea Monsters 90
contsnd wth-Raising Dead Bodies
Requires Courage.

with prudence. are reasonable guar
antees OF safety Ia some localities
the greatest terror to diver Is the
swordLsh, whose short, bOny sword
protruding from its head Is almost
as strong as steel Well. this hsh
speeds along through the water,
charging dead ahead. never yeering
from straight course for anything
except a rocky ledge or the iron hull
OF some large vessel He seems 10
lnstinctively distinguish an iron hull
from wooden ons II he strikes a
wooden craft his sword almost in
varlably plerees through it.
II thank my lucky stars that |
never directly confronted bat ono %
these frighttul creatures, and that
was a young one with q eartilagen.
Gus sword. saw him coming ZOE
quite q distance aud working
straight toward me. guess my
hair stood up ss straight and stir As
porcupins quilts anyhow. | vas
working with an axe On the deck oi 9
sunken ship. and quickly raised the
axe and made ready % biz him. but
he glided past mo out % his guards
range. and you may Imagine how
much easier hreAghsd a. ~Atehsd
him forging biz course lar away
from ms.
.ln tropical seas a. Ia the West
Indies. tho water Il so beautifully
clear and Transparent that tho
bottom i visible AZ the depth "
from sixty 10 . hundred foot bolow
tho surtEce.
Along tho coast 81 the islaad %
MaTguoretla. and Ia many parts 81
the Caribbean sea. there arc scenes oi
surprisingly lovely submarine uOn.
derA Ia many places the b-d Of tho
ocean j. as smooth and hrm a. .
house hoor. and tho water i a.
Transparent a. crystAL
The white SANDY bottom acts a. a
reflector 10 The bright sunahtur
above tbs surszgu II you have ever
looked through a claAu glass jar %
bottle tillod with clear water and o..
amlnsd some object placed on tho
opposite aide, you realize tho magal.
tying effect. which u about tho Same
under the sea Ia clear WAtrr. Walk
ing 10 y diving suit i au sAsy. Gid
Ing motion. Il IL slov without being
at all labortous. and tho scope ol vLs-
ION ls about an eighth Of ulln.
There nra mAny qurnr.iuoklae
creatures some have horns Aad
wing.sbapcd hns, othsrs have double
1apping tails and thrru Is peculiar
kind having bus ono ryg. Ia Tho con.
ter Of the head The largest, queer.
est and quaintest ~ all Il Tho ,Jpw
fish. Averaging from three 10 Hvs
ieot each ia length Bright grson
stresks extend over their backs blua
scales cover ,hoIr sides and their
b'lllos are glissoniug white
There are. however. somE terri.
bio sca monsters though thS worst
and most formidable ot all a shs,oc.
topus. or devil ash thrv ~,
trightiul, almost beyond dascrip,ioo
when ! was IN Vow zealand. ono Of
my meu, Archie McGavan. while lav.
ing some wharf blocks was suAdspiv
surprised by an immense creAturs az
that kind Easplto Arches strpg.
CLOS land no was powerful man,
tho monster completely ovsrpow.r,5
him. Ha WIS locked in tho tremon.
dous CLAWS Of tho devil fish. aud fas.
tened helpless against submerged
spilo Tho man realized his psril.
and Kept quiet until his assAilant
whose arms measured fuIIy ninc 4, q,
looseued his hold Then Archie
sigualod TO be- drawn un. and rnrc
TO the surface with the bid,,,.
creature clinging 10 his back
divers sometimes look upon NV.
full scenes and situations. some ~
them being frightiut 10 ,nnd evnrcs.
sion Human nerve capnot rf,l,.
stand some Of these spoetasle. .,
horror-thcy are enough a. driya
the strongest ncrgud man stark ,,at
About three years an old msta :,
mine, Victor lIInston was amployod
by the Pacific Coast steamship com.
pany. Of san Francisco at tho nae
Of 500 per day TO dive ana oxamInc
the steamship City OF Chester. ibat
mad been sunk IN a collision wIth
the steamer Oceanic lilo Ioca,eJ
the vessel in fifty iathoms Of watcr
Sho had boon cut Ia two IA ifsnIit ~
single blow Of an immense az
!, w ME walking into the stoerago
the hrst object that met hla ga,c
was tho form of a man standing ~.
right ontangled in a pile on rona
Inc CHASTITY face Of tho corpae ~
terribly distorted. aud the tonena.
protruding, hung from the month
while tho body was swollen 20 twioe
It's natural size Going n uttIo TO-
ther at no saw another. viotim. y,
the wreck, who had fallen on NJ
Knees and Rraspod n. third man
around tho waist This awful snoo.
saole almost paralyzod. his neryea. AZ,
ne returned to, the surface and -
ported what be had seen. Nasbima,
could induce him 10 20 down agai,,
on That wreck until accotnpnniod ~. y.
another diver. ''''0A w
81 had most forgotten 40 mas
t.on an Incident OF tho wrock Of Nv
otonington had 10 fool ~, 80. 49,
Tor u was dark. and ono stator 80,
uOOr had 10 bA nat -. ~ NN'"