Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-07-18
Deep Sea Divers.

COLlc A4tiI, SuSA O. +-44'4~-Si =
by more dangerous work, but they are
at least in their own element. Twen-
ty or thirty feet below the surface Of
the water, in semi-darkness, depend
ent upon rickety pump for the breath
of life, divers life is a precarious
one.
a reporter made some remarks Of
this nature to a well-khown deep-sea
diver who was watching one Of his fel-
lows at work in the East River.
q suppose you sometimes see some
fearful sights in wrecks, said the re-
porter.
"Yes; but you get use to en- when
you have been in the business long.
When first started diving, was sent
down toreport a wreck. Nobody was
supposed to have been drowned when
the vessel went down, but when went
into the cabin the first thing l saw the
body of man seated at the table.
The water was very clear and magnl-
fed him until he looked about four
times his natural size. His hand was
upon the shoulder of a little boy, who
was sitting on his knee 1t was my
first experience with dead bodies and
it gave me a shock. Now l don t mind
EN- at all. Most ofthe tales you hear
about groups Of dead people sittin
around quite natural in a cabin are
lies. A body will rise after being IN
the water couple Of weeks and be
found floating up against the ceiling.
When they have their legs under
table they sometimes sit right where
they are until their bodies decay away,
because they are held down by the ta-
bic, which Is usually screwed to the
floor.
"An English diver knew once had
a pretty nasty experience with sharks.
He was diving in 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 hoated up against
the hatchways. As soon as he started
after the hatch, the cattle began to float
out and up to the surface Ofthe water.
The locality was soon infested with
sharks, and they soon began to gather
round the hatchway, grabbing the cat
tie as they came out and following
them up to the surface, fighting among
themselves. Some of the cattle had
been tied and they Aoated out as far
as their ropes would allow. The sharks
gathered round them and began to tear
them to pieces. Pretty soon they be-
gan to fight, and poor Marsh, that was
his name, was afraid to go up for fear
he might be attacked, and afraid to
stay down because one snap OF a shark
mouth would have severed his air-hose
in twinkling. He gave the signal
to be hauled up in a hurry and went
bifT among the school of sharks and
through them. In going through, a
shark snapped at him and took off hls
right hand so that he had to give uT
the business.
whats the narrOwest escape you
ever had?'
Well, about the closest shave that
I remember was when was putting
some copper on a steamers bottom
while she was in dock. ! took some
plates down with me and did some
work on one side Of the hull, attei
which I wanted to put some plates OF
the other side. The vessel was about
three feet off the bottom. | crawleC
underneath, dragging some plates aite
me When I had been working to
sometime | noticed my air was getting
short, so | went to try to get under th'
keel again to be hauled up. l founc
the steamer nearly on the bottom an'
squeezing my air-hose between her kee
and the ground. The tide was giylni
out and she had gradually sunk unit
5 she was almost aground. | had for
t gotten all about the tide, and when
pulled the hose l found it would no
/ bulge an inch. ! can tel you scare
is no word for how l ielt. II the Oo'
tom had been soft it would not hav
: mattered so much, but it was rock, an
e the hose was grippsd like vice
+ There was nothing to do but wait
o she fell any lower the air would be er
4 tirely shut of and would simple hav
h to die. You can bet l shall never fol
: get those few minutes when | wa
: waiting TO see whether she rose or fel
: Nv head felt az though it was burstin
e aud my nose and ears began to blee'
: Presently felt the air getting littI
u fresher; I took heart, and soon st
began to rise with the turn Of the I'd
: There was plenty Of time for me to g