The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-15
ARE SAD FACED MEN.
THIS is WHAT ONE OF THE CRAFT
SAYS OF DEEP SEA DIVERS.

a Life That Isn't Exactly JoiIy-A Vet
eran Tells OF Experiences He and Other
Divers Have Had-A Close Shave-Fairy-
land on tho Oceans Bottom.
II suppose you sometimes see some
fearful sights in wrecks" said Il re-
porter to veteran deep sea diver
Yes, but you get used to EN- when
you have been in the business long.
When first started diving, was sent
down to report q wreck. Nobody was
supposed to have been drowned when
the vessel went down, but when I went
into the cabin the first thing I saw was
the body OF man seated ut 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 boy, who was sitting
Oh his knee. 1t was my first experience
with dead bodies, and it gave me
shock. Now don't mind 'em at all.
Most of the tales you hear about groups
of dead people sittin round quite natural
in a cabin arc lies. A body will rise aft
er being i'll the water u couple of weeks
and be found floating up against the
ceiling. When they have their legs I'M
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
An English diver knew once had n
pretty nasty experience with sharks He
was diving i'll wreck which had been
loaded with live cattle. When she had
been down at the bottom for month
or so, the bodies of the cattle became
light and fioatcd mp against the hatch
ways. As soon as he started the after
hatch, the cattle began to float out and
up to the surface of the water The To-
cality was infested with sharks, and
they soon began to gather round the
hatchway, grabbing the cattle as they
came out and following them up to the
surface, fighting among themselves
Some of the cattle had been tied, and
they f1oated out as far as their ropes
would allow The sharks gathered round
them and began to tear them 10 pieces.
Pretty soon they began to fight, and poor
Marsh-that was his name-was afraid
to go up for fear he might he attacked
and afraid TO stay down because one
snap of sharks mouth would have
severed his air hose in twinkling. He
gave the signal to be hauled MP in a
hurry and went biff among tho school
of sharks and through them In going
through IA shark snapped at him and
took off his right hand, so that he had
to give up the business. "
WHATS the narrowest escape Won
ever had?"
We'll, about the closest shave that I
remember was when l was putting some
copper on steamers bottom while she
was i'll dock. 1 took some plates down
with me and did some work on one side
of the hull, after which wanted to put
some plates on the other side The yes
sci was about three feet off the bottom.
crawled underneath. dragging some
plates after me- When I had been work
ing for some time, l noticed my air was
getting short, so went to try to get
under the keel again to be hauled ND. 1
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 nm
til she was almost aground. had for
gotten all about the tide and when I
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 I would simply
have to die You can bet I shall never
forget those few minutes when I was
waiting to see whether she rose or fell.
My head felt as though it was bursting
and my nose and ears began to bleed.
Presently felt the air getting a little
fresher. l 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. I didn't get it back, however,
but just stood there trembling until l
could squeeze under her bottom and give
the signal to be hauled up. For weeks
after that I was sick man, and my
hearing has never been right since.
Sometimes, especially in tropical wa
tiers, the bottom of the sea is n 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 darling
about make it look all the more beauti-
full bit Of seaweed on land does not
amount to much, but if you see n regu-
lar forest of it growing it looks very diff
ferent.
IF you stand still for minute, the