New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-19
DIVERS ARE SAD-FACED MEN.
AT LEAST ONE OF THE CRAFT FINDS
THEM So


THE LIFE ISN'T EXACTLY JoLLY-THERE ARE
CLASS DISTINCTIONS IN THE CALLING AND
THE DEEp-sEA MEN ARE THE ARIsTocRATs
| There Is something about the occupation OF diver
| that strongly appeals to the imagination OF most
| people Some men. such as miners get living by
more dangerous work. but they are at least In their
| own element. Twenty or thirty feet below the sur
face OF the water. In semdarkness. dependent upon
a rickety pump for the breath OF me- aver lie
| Is a precarous one
A reporter made some remarks OF this nature to a
welknown deep-sea diver who watching one OF
| his fellows at work In the East River.
| "Do YOU suppose that stops to think that
a slight hitch In the pumping arrangements on deck
will mean death to him. asked the reporter
Think, He don't have to think. That Amt work
| that requires thinking" The reporter ventured to
suggest that II the general opinion that diver
was always a COOL quck-wtted man. or else he
would be useless.
We'll that's right when you speak OF diving.
There's n good deal Of difference between deep-sea
diving and grabbing about in the East River for a
| lost anchor"
Further conversation developed the fact that deep
sea divers consider themselves greatly above coast
Ing or shallow water divers. They get paid at
much higher rate. and OF course have to do much
more difficult and dangerous work.
| 81 suppose you sometimes some fearful sights
| In wrecks
"yes; but YOU get used to 'em when you have been
| In the business long. When first started diving,
was sent down TO report wreck. Nobody was sup
| nosei To have been drowned when the vessel went
down but when went into the cabin tho ntst thlhs
| / saw vac the body NJ man seated A. tho table
| ths water was very clear aud magnlnei hin uhill
hr Looked about four times his natural sfu Ills
hand was upon The shoulder ~ 4 little boy VINO was
| ui,ins on his knee, u was my nfsl experience WIN
dead bodies and n gave mo shock, Nav don't
mind EN- al all Most OF tho tales You hear about
srouns Of dead people siltn' around quite natural
| In a cabin are lies body will rise after being IN
the water a couple of weeks and he found Heating
IN against the ceiling. When they nave ther ess
under a 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 10
the floor.
IAN English diver knew once had a pretty nasty
| experience with sharks. He was diving In a 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 noated up
against tho hatchways. As soon az he started the
after hatch the cattle began to float out and up to
the surface OF the water. The locality was infested
with sharks. and they soon began to gather rouhd
the hatchway grabbing the cattle az they came out
and following them up the surface fighting
among themselves Some OF the cattle had been ted
and they flosted out as FAR az their ropes "ou'd
allow The sharks gathered round them and began
to tear them to pieces Pretty soon they began TO
fight and poor Marsh that was his name. "a6
afraid TO go I'D for fear he might be Attacked anu
afraid TO stay down because one snap OF sharks
mouth would have severed his air-hose In Twink
ling He gave the signal to be hauled UP In hurry
| and went bin among the school OF sharks ana
through them. In going through. shark snapped
AT him and took of his right hand so that ne hah
| TO give up the business $500
| whats tho narrowest escape you ever had!
| AZ, | remember
was when was putting some copper on steamers
bottom while she In dock. took some plates
down with and did some work on one size vi
the hull after which wanted TO put some Plates
on the other sde The vessel was about three ieet
off the bottom I crawed underneath, dragging
| some plates after me. When had been working Tor
| some time noticed my air getting short, 80 /
went to try to get under the keel again 10 Dc ha"eu
| up ] found the steamer nearly on the bottom anu
| squeezing my air-hose between her Keel ana tne
ground. The tide was giving out and she had graz.
| uaIly sunk until she was almost aground had
forgotten all about the tide. and when pulled the
hose found It would not bulge an inch can tell
| Won scared is no word for how fell.
..If the bottom had been soft It would not have
| mattered SO much, but II was rock. ana the nose
| was gripped like vice. There was nothing 10 "o
I'M, wait: II she fell any lower the air would be en-
| t,rclv shut of and would simply have to die You
can bet I shall never forget those few minutes when
| was waiting to see whether she rose or fell. My
| hood tor as though IL was bursting and my nose
ord cars began to bleed Presently felt the air
getting a little fresher; took heart. and soon she
began to rise with the turn OF the tide Tnere was
plenty Of time for me to get my nerve pach oe'oio
che was high enough off the bottom for me to crawl
under I didn't get It back. however. but just s.ooo
there trembling until could squeeze under ner DOT
ton, and give the signal to be hauled up foi weeks
after that sick man, and my nearing mas
never been right since -, 80 ,,,ou as :,
~ suppose there Is comic size as wen do I"
tragic to diving ,ou,,.r a case whore a diver
VAS sent down 10 recover body from wreck. very
much against his will. Some divers are very nuci
afraid ~ dead bodies and never handle tnen whe i
they can possibly avoid It, ne was one o, t'S n
anJ the water being very thick: ne Went eropnE
pinaerly around in the cabin After teenng aroul,,
Re found a body and fastening a smai' ihc irou"o
it he gave the signal to haul It up, ,oo, ,orsa
""When no followed and took OF his helmet lai ~
hoo law on the deck. He had tied the line roula y
thinkng il was the body he was looking I1r Ate.
that he was always known as the pork u.seI
81 the sea is lovely sight. have seen fore pres
Of kelp and seaweed gently waving WIN me 'Ie
hich looked like faIry.and. The dim light ana the
FISH dartng SDou' on land does
the liro ~ much but II you see regular forest
no - growing II looks very different 40
iii You stand still for minute the rsn VIII s"'l
all round you and examine you Just as lot o.
a., beings would look at some strange animal
human ,b Slightest movement they whisk their tails
|, and not a living thing Is 10 De seen .t,n,..
, OLA 70 divers superstitious as RUE -,
~ ebomld saw they were. suppose they are the
,os, aunerstItious lot OF men in the world some
viii not descend If they hear dog now curing tne
Tav others won't go near a drowned pouy' Ill lac'
al. 90 an impression myself that shall go dowr
one of these days without coming x. up again. pu.
somehdUTw' much Smiling. They all rather grave