The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-28
ARE SAD FACED MEN.
THIS IS WHAT ONE or THE CRAFT
SAYS OF DEEP SEA DIVERS.

land ON tho Oceans Iiottom-
II suppose you sometimes sec some
fearful sights in wrecks" said a r.
porter 10 n veteran deep sra diver
"Yes. hut You gut used 20 en- when
you have been in the business long
When I first started diving. I was sent
down Co report n wreck Nobody was
supposed 60 have been drowned when
the vessel went down. but when went
into the cabin the first thing I saw was
the body Of a man seated at the table.
The water was very clear and magnified
him until he looked about four times
his natural size His hand was upnu the
shonlder Of little boy. who was sitting
on his knee. IL was my first experiences
with dead bodies. and il gave me .
shock. Now I don't mind en- nc all
Most of the tales you hear about gTouVs
o. dead people sittin round quite natural
I in cabin are lies A body will rise aft
or being In tho water a couple of weeks
and be found Eoating up against the
ceiling When they have their logs un-
/ der n table. they sometimes sit right
whore they are until their bodics decay
away. because they are held down by the
table. which Is usually screwed to the
floor
IAN English diver I knew once had n
pretty nasty experience with sharks To
was diving in a wreck which had been
loaded with live cattle. When she had
been down at the bottom for month
7 or 50, the bodies Of tho cattle became
light and floatcd up against the batch.
We As soon A. he started the after
ha, n. the cattle began to float out aud
M 20 tho surface q tho water The To-
cality was infested with sharks. ard
they soon began 20 gather round the
hatchway. grabbing the cattle rs they
came out and following them up 20 the
surface. fighting among themselves.
some n the cattle had been tied. and
they tiuated out Is far rs their ropes
would allow The sharks gathered round
them and began 90 tear them 20 pieces
Pretty soon they began 20 fight. and poor
Marsh-that was his namc-was afraid
TO 20 mp for fear he might be attacked
and afraid TO stay down bsrause one
snap of sharks mouth would have
severed his air hose in a twiuklug He
gave the signal To b. hauled up in a
hurry and went biG among the school
Of sharks and through them In going
through u shark snapped at him and
took Oh his right hand. 20 that hc had
To- give up the business "
What's the uarruwest escape you
ever hads''
well. about the closest shave that
remember was when I vgus putting some
copper on steamers bottom while she
was i'm dock. iook some plates down
with me and did some work uu one side
Of the hull. after which ! wanted iu put
some plates IN tie other side. The vss-
sci was about thrcc feet uff the bottom.
/ Crnwlcd underneath. dragging some
plates after Eic When I Ind hcsu work
ing for some time. ! noticed nv air was
getting short. 80 / went "a try 90 get
under the keel again o. be hauled TIP ]
found tho steamer nearly ON the bottom
and squeezing my air hoe between her
keel and the ground. Tho tide was Civ
ing Jut, and she had gradually sunk un
I'll sho was almost aground had for
gotten all about the tide. and when I
pulled the hose I found it would not
bulge an inch can tell yuu scared Is
no word for how felt
If the bottom had been soft. IL would
not have mattcrcd 50 much. but il was
rock. and the hose was grippcd like a
vice. There was nothing 20 do but wait
II she fell any lower. the mir would be
entirely shut OF. and I would simply
have TO die You can bet l shall never
forget those few minutes when I was
waiting TO sec whether she rose or fell
NV head felt ns though IL was bursting
and piy nose aud ears began 90 bleed
Presently l felt rhe air getting n little
fresher / took heart. and soon she be-
gan TO rise with the turn % the tide.
There was plenty o. time for mo to get
my nerve back before she was high
enough OF the bottom for me TO crawl
under | didn't get u back. however.
but Just stood there trembling until
could squeeze under her bottom and give
the signal TO be hauled mp. For weeks
after that | was a sick man. and my
hearing has never been right since
Sometime. especially in tropical wa
tiers. the bottom of the sen is n lovely
sight have seen n forest Of kelp and
seaweed gently waving with tho tide
which looked like fasryland The dim
light and the bright colored fish dariing
about make Il look all the more bcauti-
full A bit Of seaweed on land does not
amount TO much. but IL you see n regu-
lar forest of IL growing IL looks very diff
ferenL
II you stand still for n minute. the
fish will swim all around yon and ex-
anime you Just rs n lot 81 human beings
would look II some strange animal AT
the slightest movement they whisk their
tails and not living thing is to be seen
1t takes the life out o. n man some.
how. diving does. and / never knew a
diver who did much smiling They are
all rather grave sober faced men -