Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-11
tons, we rowed away to the south, and
when we got about half mile from
the yacht went down.

when we got about half a mile from
the yacht l went down.
On reaching the bottom stood for q
minute or two looking around me.
| Which direction should take? | struc|,
out to the right and made wide cir
Gle, but there was nothing unusual to
be seen. The bed was hard. rising and
| dipping here and there. with loose rocl,
lying about, and hardly any weeds. /
paused again. l tried to remember in
what direction the yacht Law. and
moved, as thought, away from her. l
walked on and on, until it was time to
ascend, and on getting to the surface l
found l had wandered east of the
vessel.
"Try further south this afternoon. !"
said Capt. George. when 1 made my re-
port. by the way. what did those
loose rocks look lilse?"
Most of them were rough and
ragged" I replied in some places
they were thrown together in heaps,
and in others only two or three were to
be SEEN"
"Ah, I thought so! Don't despair,
Lawrenceson, you're not far from the
mark"
AT three o'clock l made second de-
scent, good deal further to the south.
Soon after touched the bottom. found
something that aroused my interest.
1t was an iron stanchion, evidently
torn from vessel which must have
Il al
and then stood still.
What was it made me pause? l scarce
ly knew at first, but had sort of in
stinctive feeling that l was near some
unseen danger. / moved on very eau
tiously, and halted second time. With
a strange sense of awe stealing over
me, l became aware of singular cir
cumstance for which | could not ac-
count. There was n slight but peculiar
tremor in the water around me, much
like the vibration in the air after dis
tant peal of thunder. Once or twice,
too, l fancied felt faint heaving in
the ground under my feet.
1t was some little time before could
bring myself to proceed. walked first
ahead, then to the left, then to the
right, and back again towards the point
from which l had started. l made no
further discovery. Sometimes the
tremulous motion in the water seemed
to grow more distinct: frequently it
died away until it was hardly pcrcepti-
bic. was puzzled. thought it better
to go up, and see whether Capt. George
could give any explanation of this sin.
gular occurrence.
"You were within reach of the rock"
he said, when he had heard what had
to tell. 1.-The next time you go down
try and ascertain from what point that
tremor proceeds. Follow in this direc-
ton; it will lead to your goal"
The next morning l set out again. l
was now thoroughly bent upon pushing
on with the search. no matter what
risks might lie in the way. i had
placed buoy over the spot where had
descended the previous day, and told
the men to keep rowing slowly to the
south while | was under water. for
that was the direction was determined
to take.
l still noticed that strange trcmor I
have described, but | soon grew accue~
toned to it. and walked boldly ahead.
AS | proceeded the disturbance in
creased: the ground seemed to sway
under me; it was as il waves of motion
were passing beneath my feet. Once or
twice | felt half inclined to turn back;
l was just little bit-well. l relnc.n-
bered had q wife and family depend
ing upon me, and it looked like tempt
ing Providence to proceed further. But
l set my teeth hard and pressed on.
Presently, the ground began to shelve
ne was now so great that at times
had some difficulty in keeping my feet.
| was nearing the awful spot, then. /
grew reckless. l cast aside every fear.
If | succeeded in locating this rock,
what an incstimable service l would
render to mankind.
As descended into q kind of hollow,
became aware Of something like a
dark wall rising before re. At first /
thought il was the rock; but no; it was
long, low, and regular in outline. /
approached It; then I gave sort of
gasp inside my helmet. Good heavens!
1t was ship.
A big steamer, too! What sight she
presented as she lay there on her side,
rising and falling with the undulating