The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-06-04
ARE SAD FACED MEN.
THIS IS WHAT OLE OF THE CRAFT
SAYS OF DEEP SEA DIVERS.

ersn Tells 81 Experiences tie and Other
Divers Have FiAd- "a Close Shave Fairy
land on the ocean's Bottom.
II suppose You sometimes see some
fearful sights in wrecks. said a re-
porter to a veteran deep FRA diver
Yes. but Won yet used 10 'eIl when
you have Oeen IN the business long.
When | first started diving. / was sent
down to report wroCk- Nobody WAS
supposed 10 have been drowned when
the vessel went down, but when went
| into the cabin the first thing saw was
/ the body Of a man seated 1t 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
/ on his knee IL was my FIRST experience
/ with dead bodies. and il gave me 4
| shock Now don't mind EN- NJ all
/ Most Of the tales you hear about gruu!'s
/ OF dead people sittin round quite natural
I ii cabin are lies. A body will rise aft
| a. being IN tine water a couple Of weeks
/ AID 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
I table. which is usually screwed to the
! floor
"An English diver l knew once hsd a
/ pretty nasty experience with sharks He
was diving IN wreck which h~il heen
I loaded with live cattle When She had
been down at the bottom for month
or so. the bodies Of the cattle became
light and foatcd up against the hatch.
ways as soon as he started the after
batch. the cattle began To- fioat ont aud
up Ia the surface OF the water Tho 10
cality was infested with sharks. and
they soon began to gather round the
hatchway. grabbing che cattle as they
came ont and following them mp 20 tho
surface. fighting among themselves
Some of :he cattle had been tied. and
they foated out rs far - their ropes
would allow The sharks gathered rnEnd
them and began to tear them Co p.ccCA
Pretty soou iac- ir.ylu ta fight. and pnGr
Marsh-that was his name-was afraid
20 60 mp for fear he might be attacked
and afraid to stay down because one
snap Of shark : mouth would have
severed his air hose IN tNvinkiiu- lie
gave the signal tu bs hauled up III q
hurry and went hiff among TIE school
Of sharks and through them IN going
thruuRh shark snapiud at him and
took Oft his right hand. o tina, lac l,pd
10 give M tic husiHcss. -
What's the narrowcst escape vuu
over Ead:'
"Well. about tho close; shave that I
remember was when was put;iu. some
copper on u steamers bottom Wh.lo she
was i'm dock taok some plates down
with me and did some work CA one side
OF the hull. after which wanted 90 put
some plates CA tie other side. The vcs-
sci was about three feet or the buttam.
l crnw'cd underneath, dragging some
plGtc- after me. When Ihad been work
in- Co.. .oIIe time. noticed my air WAS
geulng sh0Gt. SO I went TO tly 20 get
Under the Lo-al a-.tin to be hauled MP
found the steamer nearly on the bottom
and squeezing my air hose between he.
kct a:id ii.c ground The tide was Civ
ing lE;, and She had gradually suuL un
Ill snc was almost aground lai for
, gotten all about the tide. and when
pulled the hose ! found il would noc
NutA@st tAA AAltU 4 NaAAA AtAA NNW NlAAAaA Is
: no wc:d for how I felL
, "lf the bottom had been soft, IL would
not have ula;tered so much. but it was
rock. aEd the hose was grippcd like a
vice There was nothing 10 do Int wait
/ Ii she fell any lower. the mir would he
, entirely shut of. and l would simply
have TO die You can bet | shall never
I forget those few minutes when | was
waiting 10 see whether she rose or fell
: My head felt as though il was bursting
/ and my nose and ears began To bleed
, Presently | felt the air getting a 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 sho was high
enough of the bottom for me to crawl
under. | didn't get It back. however.
but Just stood there trembling until /
could squeeze under her bottom and give
the signal 10 be hanled up For week!
! after that | was IA sick man, and my
! hearing has never been right since
Sometimes. especially in tropical VA
! tiers. the bottom Of the sea is a lovely
sight ] have seen \ forest of kcip and
seawced gently waving with the tide
which looked like fa,rvland The dim
, light and the bright colored fish d...tiug
, about make it look all the more Icauti-
, full 4 bit Of seaweed on laud does not
amount to much. but IL you see n regn-
! lar forest OF il growing it looks very dif
= ferent
"l If yOu stand still for n minute. the
ish will swim all around you and cx-
anime you Just as a lot uf human beings
! would look at some strange animal Al
: the slightest movement they whisk their
tails and not a living thing is to be seen
" IL takes the life ont Of n man some
| how. diving does. and | never knew q
a 4 i frsr