The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-07-01

II suppose you sometimes see some
fearful sights in wrecks" said re-
porter to q veteran deep sea diver.
''Yes. but you get used to 'em when
you have been in the business long.
When l first started diving. 1 was sent
down to report q wreck. Nobody was
supposed to have been drowned when
the vessel went down, but when went
into the cabin the first thing l saw was
the body of a man seated at the table.
The water was very clear and magnified
him until he looked about four times
his natural size. His hand was upon the
shoulder of little bCy, who was sitting
OH his knee 1t was my first experience
with dead bodies, and it gave me a
shock Now ! don't mind 'em at all
Most of the tales you hear about groups
of dead people sittin round quite natural
in cabin are lies. A body will rise aft
er being in the water couple of weeks
ard be found floating up against the
ceiling. When they have their legs un-
der table. they sometimes sit right
where they are until their bodies decay
away. because they are held down by the
table. which is usually screwed to the
floor
IAN English diver 1 knew once had a
pretty nasty experience with sharks. He
was diving in IL wreck which had been
loaded with live cattle. When she had
been down at the bottom for a month
or so, the bodies of the cattle became
light and flOatcd up against the hatch
ways. As soon as he started the after
hatch, the cattle began To float out and
mp to the surface of the water. The To-
cality was infested with sharks, and
they soon he-an r. gather round the
hatchway. grabbing the cai1le 1s theV
came out aud following them uD 10 the
surface. tie!.;in@ 5InouZ themselves
Sulme ut the cattitoliad been tied. snd
tney iiUated cut a. iar as then ropes
would allow. The sharks gathered round
them and began to tear them to pieces
Pretty soon they began to fight. and poor
Aiarsh-that was his name-was afraid
TO go up for fear he might he attacked
and afraid to stay down because one
snap of shark s mouth would have
severed his air hose in twinkling. He
gave the signal to be hauled up i'll a
hurry and went bitf among the school
of sharks and through them. In going
through . shark snapped at him and
took off his right hand, so that he had
to give up the business. "
What the narrowest escape you
ever had:''
well, about the closest shave that l
remember was when l was putting some
copper on a steamers bottom while she
was i'll dock. took some plates down
with me and did some work on one side
of the hull, after which | wanted to put
some plates on tie other side. The YES
sci was about three feet off the bottom
l crawled underneath, dragging some
plates after me When Ihad been work
ing for some time noticed my air was
getting short, so | went TO try 70 get
under the keel again to be hauled up L
found the steamer nearly on the bottom
and squeezing my air hose between her
keel and the ground. The tide was Civ
ing ont, and she had gradually sunk un-
til she was almost aground. l had for
gotten all about the tide, and when l
pulled the hose found it would not
bulge an inch. can tell you scared is
no word for how felt
''If the bottom had been soft, it would
not have mattered so much, but it was
rock. and the hose was griPped like a
vice. There was nothing to do but wait
If she fell any lower, the air would be
entirely shut off, and l would simply
have to die. You can bet l shall never
forget those few minutes when l was
waiting to see whether she rose or fell
Ny head felt as though it was bursting
and ply nose and ears began to bleed
Presently felt the air getting little
fresher | took heart, and soon she be-
gan to rise with the turn Of the tide.
There was plenty of time for me to get
my nerve back before she was high
enough off the bottom for me to crawl
under. l didn't get it back. however,
but just stood there trembling until
could squeeze under her bottom and give
the signal to be hauled up. For weeks
after that l was sick man, and my
hearing has never been right since
Sometimes, especially in tropical wa
ters, the bottom of the sea is lovely
sight have seen forest of kelp and
seaweed gently waving with the tide
which looked like fairyland. The dim
light and the bright colored fish darting
about make it look all the more beauti-
full A bit of seaweed on land does not
amount to much, but if you see regu-
lar forest of it growing it looks very diff
ferent
If you stand still for minute, the
fish will swim all around you and ex
anime you Just as a lot Of human beings
would look at some strange animal At
the slightest movement they whisk their
tails and not living thing is to be seen.
1T takes the life out of a man some
how. diving does, aud l never knew q
diver who did much smiling. They are
al! rather grave, sober faced men. -
New York Tribune