The age-herald., 1898-03-20


 diver miserable. But this time they did not annoy me, for they were after greater game beyond
 Some were beautiful, others ugly Hide ous scuipins flashed around me, grlnning and blinking. Huge cells that looked like big snakes, twined themselves around my legs. Crabs and Holsters were there also, clawing about my divers suit, and little fish came toward me with open mouths vociferously In the lot were tiny sword fishes with undeveloped swords, and there were queer looking creatures with horns and wingshaped fins. Others had beauti- ful fling tails and there was one big kind that had only one eye in the centre of the head. None of these were over three feet long, but many, having bright green and bright blue scales looked larger
 As l sank little deeper I saw what att tracted these little fish. Floating about whole as though waiting to become water fit, and bobbing around the water like corks upon sinker, were loaves of sea- bread, chunks of meat and cans of sailors food. Many of tSe cans had burst and were half filled with water and half with food. They formed veritable cages into which the fish swan, never to come out until suffocated by fresh supply of fish, greedy to share the feast.
 l saw green vegetables, probably carried aboard the Maine the day before for next days dinner, still fresh and hard-a tooth some morsel for the fish, I saw banquet in mid-ocean, with water on all sides of 1t and the fish as guests. I could have sig nailed then for my helpers to hold the ropes and suspend me in order to watch them, for their capers were marvellous and beautiful. Two shining fish with double tails were pulling on opposite ends of what might have been a sweet potato, for it was yellow and they were greedy. One of the biggest fish had stuck his cartil- agnous sword through a square of salt pork and was hurrying it away to some sea-caverned cellar.
 But l knew I must not pause there. There was greater work beyond. As I sank to the depth of the Maine I found myself suddenly facing a great hole, while underneath my feet were boards and sheets of iron, as though laid out for a platform. l quickly signalled for the boat above to stop, and stood there for minute and surveyed the scene before me It was pitch dark within, and my most powerful hand electric light could not penetrate the aw- full recess.
 I knew that I must walk inside and throw the light here and there before I could know the secrets of the depths
 It was my belief as soon as I saw 1t that the Maine was blown up from some eXter- nal cause, but of this determined to re- port nothing as my work with the brave souls that perished within. But the Maine was bent in and you could plainly see it was, as though she had been shot in the side with flying she'll,
 Did I say 1t was dark? Not quite. The sea flashed with light on every side, for the phosphorescent crabs were there and the seafans made goden green and pink hues. These gave out blue scintillations Other queer fish which I had not noticed before sent out a light green glow. Every animal seemed to be light giver, and the twinkle they shed as they aoated in and out of the wreck was as Weirdly suggest ed that l could only think of miners grop- Ing in dark mine with the lights upon their helmets.
 But there was work to be done Cutting into the wreck I threw my light ahead and examined each point. It was an awful sight I saw detached arms and legs and skulls ripped bare of hair I saw bodies that were drowned by the water and bodies that were not drowned at all, but held down by great pieces of piling wood. Mechanically, with the instinct of diver, l reached for the first man at hand. He was Japanese. His features were muti- lated, but I could catch the race cast. I took him in my arms and started out with him, but he doubled up strangely, and I found that he had been gutted from the rear. A great hole was in his back, and it was empty ribs that I was carrying I laid the poor fellows head tenderly on my shoulder and took him up to the surface; then I went down again.
 As I approached the wreck this time l saw something moving inside A strong fear took possession of me. Could any liv- ing being have survived the blast and the water2 Could any one have been im- prisoned by freak of dynamite in an air tight compartment, now to work his way out after many days?
 As I came nearer, for the object was in the inner room, I was startled to see it was that most greedy of ocean mon- sters-a shark! He had in his teeth body and was swimming rapidly toward the door. I took up an axe, resolved to re- cover that sailor or die in the attempt. The shark saw me and turned toward me. I waited for him with uplfted axe When he was within ten feet of me I aimed a blow which struck him in the side, and a great yellowish streak of shark blood fol- lowed the axe handle.
 He gave queer gulp, which could hear and, dropping his victim, fled with swift strokes of the tail. I carired this man above. He was in worse shape than the other poor fellow, but I got him up to a soldiers burial.
 The rest of the horrible story you know. Of the bodies recovered, the currency saved and the machinery rescued. I was , there when they found the cipher book of the signals of the United States navy, and saw the valuable articles placed in the possession of the captain.
 worked on the Maine sixteen days steadily, and only gave up because I was too tired to work any longer.
 JOHN WALL,