The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-27

Divers.
| copyright, 1896, by S. S. Mcclure Coz
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, July q
Captain E. w. Christensen of the brig
antine John D. Spreckels, which runs
between San Francisco and Hawaii,
brings a remarkable account of deep
sea diving performed by a native diver
without the help of any diving appar-
atus whatever other than that which
nature has given him.
1t seems that the ship, as it was
leaving Mahukona, Hawaii, on it's last
| trip, lost its anchor in a depth OF four
teen fathoms ga feet of water) The
only hope of recovering the anchor lay
in catching it by sweeping with the
blight of a lead-weighted line, the
weights distributed over several feet
of line, to keep it down. The ends OF
the line are then carried by boats,
which tow the blight over the supposed
| location of the anchor in the hope that
| it may foul the fluke of it. When fast
| ened. the boats then come together,
raising the anchor to the surface.
| This undertaking is a difficult one,
not always successful SnOuld the pot-
tom of the ocean at the point in ques-
ton be uneven and full of boulders,
the blight is more likely to foul the
rocks than the anchor.
After these preparations had been
made, a native swimmer and diver,
| Keenmuoku Kalanlau, Go years of age,
a direct descendant of King Kameham-
cha, offered his assistance. This re-
markable man, at his advanced age,
offered to make the attempt of diving
to the bottom in eightyfour feet of
water, and fastening the blight to the
anchor.
He first located the position of the
anchor on the bottom by means of a
sea telescope" consisting of an oil
drum, with a glass inserted in the bot
TOM The water here is very clear, no
streams entering from the open coast,
to discolor it, so that he could see to
the bottom with his sea telescope"
DO you want a drink of brandy
when you finish the job?" asked Cap
tain Christensen.
YES, l want little one now an
swered the old man, land when finish
ed, I'll take a big one"
Then, with his hands poised for a
moment over his head, he sprang from
the side of the ship, his body straight
as a rocket when he struck the water,
disappearing head first into the blue
sea, with scarcely a good sized splash
to disturb the surface.
All was still above the water, for the
space of one minute and fifty seconds,
and when he had reappeared, he had
secured a three-inch line to one of the
fiukes of the anchor.
The anchor, however, was afoul of a
big boulder on the bottom Upon heav-
ing on the line it broke, leaving this
great dive to be performed again
The gray haired old man, as active
as a boy, with muscles as hard as rock,
never hesitated to plunge in again, as
though it were quite an every day af-
fair. This time, however he was a lit
tie more careful in getting away. He
took several long breaths, inflated his
lungs to their fullest capacity, expan-
ded his chest and expelled the air sew
eral times. Then he filled his big chest
with two great lungsful of air, once
more took the plunge, and went like an
arrow straight to the anchor at the
bottom. For a long distance down he
could be seen moving through the wat
er, but soon disappeared entirely from
view of the watchers above.
One minute passes, 80 seconds, so sec
onds more, 2 minutes. He had not re-
appeared and the watchers above began
to hold their breathS. After the ex-
pira ton of 2 minutes and Is seconds,
mis- body shot up out of the water. He
was painting for breath, after his ire
mendous exertion. bur he had cleared
the heavy stock Of the anchor and fas-
tened the blight again, firmly on the
1ukes. The anchor was recovered,
without further mishap.
He came TO the surface smiling, al
though his eyes were noticeably blood
shot And no wonder; he was subjected
to an atmospheric pressure, at a depth
of 81 feet, of about so pounds to the
square inch.
1t is common thing for the natives
of Hawaii to dive down four or five ia
tboms GO fee0, but none can accom-
plish what this remnant of a sturdy,
but rapidly declining race does. He is,
probably, the greatest diver in Hawaii
today. When boy, he knew numbers
of natives, men and women, that were
his equals as divers, but they have be-
come very, very scarce.
He has frequently had to rescue other
native divers, who, diving for fish that
sometimes became unconscious, bleed
ing at the ears and nose after going
deeper than fathoms.
He said ne did not fear sharks. "They
my friend"
1t is only necessary to guard himself
from sharks, when fishing with giant
powder, as the stunned fish are fire.
quently snatched up by the sharks.
Many a Kanaka has lost a hand when
gathering blown fish, the shark rush
ing in and taking fish and all
I'VE tolled a lot of fish," said Captain
Christensen, 'fby throwing in finely
chopped salmon, and then threw in a
charge of giant powder. After the ex-
plosion, the old man dived down again,
BY this time several sharks, some of
them II feet long, were helping them
selves to stunned fish. The old man
seized two fish "ulna' as they are call
ed, weighing from 10 to Is pounds each,
tanning them tightly in his arms
against his chest, to prevent the sharks
taking them away from him. In this
fashion he came laughing to the sur
face.
That he won everybody's admirat ton
goes without saying.
These feats in the Hawaiian Islands,
will grow scarcer every year. 1t is a
sad reflection, that they are now, only
relics of the past hardihood of a de-
clining race.
CuADTEc IN TnT1Nrcozy