The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-30
ARE SAD FACED MEN.
THIS IS WHAT ONE OF THE CRAFT
SAYS OF DEEP SEA DIVERS.

land on the Oceans Bottom.
Il suppose you sometimes see some
fearful sights in wrecks" said a re-
porter TO veteran deep sea diver.
Yes, but you get used to 'em when
YOU have been in the business long |
When | first started diving, was sent l
down to report a wreck Nobody was /
supposed to have been drowned when /
the vessel went down, but when went |
into the cabin the first thing ! saw was |
the body of man seated at the table |
The water was very clear and magnifed |
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 o
shock Now l don't mind EN- at all
Most Of the tales you hear about groups
of dead people sittin round quite natural
in cabin are lies. A body will rise aft
er being in the water a couple of weeks
ard 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
IAN English diver knew once had a
pretty nasty experience with sharks. He
was diving in 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 fioated up 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 mp 10 the
surface, fighting among themselves
Some of the cattle had been tied, and
they floated out as far as their ropes
would 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-was afraid
to go up for fear he might be attacked
and afraid to stay down because one
snap of a shark mouth would have
severed his air hose in a twinkling. He
gave the signal to be hauled mp in a
hurry and went biff among the school
Of sharks and through them In going
through shark snapped at him and
took off his right hand, so that he had
to give up the business. +"
What's the narrowest escape you
ever had?"
We'll, about the closest shave that /
: remember was when | was putting some
copper ON IA steamers bottom while she
was in dock l 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 had been work
lng for some time, noticed my air was
getting short, so | went TO try TO get
{ under the keel again to be hauled up.
found the steamer nearly ON the bottom
and squeezing my air hose bctv ~ her
kce and the ground The tide Civ
r ing out and she had gradually SUM- un-
til She was almost aground. had for
gotten all about the tide, and when
pulled the hose / found it would not
bud.c an inch. | can tell you scared is
10 Y ord for how felt
| IF the bottom had been soft, il would
/ not have mattered so much, but il WA.
f rock, and the hose was gripped like O
V vice, There was nothing 20 do but wait
: If she fell any lower, the air would bt
, entirely shut off, and l would simply
have TO die You can bet / shall never
: forget those few minutes when / wa:
waiting to see whether she rose OF fell.
NV head felt rs though it was bursting
e and p1y nose and ears began to bleed.
Presently felt the air getting a little
: freSEcr / took heart, and soon she be
gan 10 rise with the turn Of the tide
There was plenty of time for me TO gel
e my nerve back before she was high
e enough of the bottom for me to craw
! under | didn't get it back, however
+, but Just stood there trembling until
! could squeeze under her bottom and give
the signal TO be hauled up For week,
after that | was sick man, and NY
hearing has never been right since.
Sometimes, especially in tropical wa
tiers. the bottom of the sea is a lovely
/ sight have seen a forest Of kelp anC
seaweed gently waving with the It'd,
which looked like fa;ryland The din
: light and the bright colored fish dartinI
a about make 1t look all the more beauti
2 full A bit of seaweed on land does no
: amount to much, but if you see a regu
lar forest Of it growing it looks very diff
I ferent
: If you stand still for minute. tn
fish will swim all around you and ex
!, anime you Just as lot Of human being
: would look at some strange animal A
J.. the slightest movement they whisk thei
tails aud not living thing is to be seen
e 1T takes the life out of man some
e how. diving does, and l never knew
II diver who did much smiling They an
all rather grave. sober faced men -
'' New York Tribune