The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1898-01-14
A DIVERS YARNS.
The ADVENTURES THAT BEFELL A
SUBMARINE WORKER.

While Exploring the Oceans Bed He Wa,
Crippled by Oyster Shells Seven Feet
| with Shark.
To fight to finish with a man-eat-
Ing shark, eighty feet below the sur.
face, was the lot that fell to Andrew
Cameron, a Scotch diver, in the har-
Dor OF Vera Cruz, Mexico Not only
did he survive the encounter, but he
landed in New York recently from the
Ward liner Yucatan and told the tale.
Cameron is stockily built chap of
Herculean strength. Barring an in
jured left knee, he came out of the
desperate struggle unscathed. He
holds certificate from the British
Navy, and is considered an expert In
deep sea diving. That is why he vas
engaged three months ago to go to
Vera Cruz and inspect the base of a
bulkhead 1000 feet long, built by a
Glasgow firm, for the Mexican Govern
ment.
The bulkhead forms a square basin
that varies in depth from twenty to
eighty feet. Its walls are made of
blocks of stone, set in concrete. At
intervals, inside the basin, are pilings
driven close to the walls.
Cameron had two men to man the
pumps that supplied him with air, and
a Mexican diver named King, who
looked after the signals and saw to it
that the proper volume of air was sup
piled. Cameron had been at work
ten weeks and had inspected one-half
of the wall by October 16, the day of
his nearly fatal encounter.
His experience from this point is
best told by himself, as follows:
81 descended at point where the
water was eighty feet deep, and the
deepest spot in the basin-and the
pressure was about forty pounds to
the square inch.
Il had been working about two
hours and half when I noticed a
shadow over me. The water was very
clear and | could see the wall and the |
bottom distinctly. On looking up, to
my utter establishment, l saw a shark
fully ten feet long, close to my helmet.
The sight almost bereft me of the
power OF motion for moment. | had
seen dog-fsh some two feet long i'm
The basin, but they had not bothered
me and | had been assured that no
ever came into the harbor.
Yet here was a shark weighing at least
100 pounds and evidently he was ma
louevrlng to get at me. 1t was
lis life or mine. Instantly |
lropped the hammer and wrench I
leld and reached for my dirk. 1t was
good one with a two-edged blade,
wo and one-half inches wide and
eighteen inches long.
Reaching up quickly, l drove the
'lade into the sharks throat and
tipped as big hole as | could. Then
pulled the signal to be drawn up,
'ut 1t was not understood, apparently, ,,
nd | am glad of it now, for had |
een drawn up then the shark would
urely have bitten off my legs.
He didn't expect any sudden attack, {
ut | knew the monster would quickly E
etaliate; so l tried to slip behind one
the piles that stood out from the 9
all. But was too slow. .
he diving clogs weighted my feet, !,
nd the shark, turning quickly. |
nd sinking almost to the bottom,
arted at me. l tried to get behind the t
lie, but, like fash the shark turn t
on his side-as the creatures al /
avs do-exposing the big white belly. h
nd opened his jaws. :
My left leg was exposed, and l ex- b
ected 1t would be snapped off But 9
lie shark closed his jaws too quickly.
e bit solid piece from the rubber q
6 OF my diving suit, and damned nv S
g with such force against the pile n
at the tendons were strained and the
zee dislocated. II
he leg was partially paralyzed but r.
saw my chance and drove my dirk =,
to the sharks belly with my left -
md, and gave one desperate rip with a.
the strength l could command. u
That finished Mr.. Shark, but | did OF
IT know it then for the blood and the OF
I'D from the bottom hid him from b.
ew. new danger threatened me ri
the water rushed through the rent W
the rubber Logging and arose to nj
Y chest. p
There the pressure of air stopped It
time, but l knew that | would 10
on be strangled if l was not drawn III
, 80 | tugged at the signal rope. w
ley hauled me up, but the shark be
ached the surface ahead of me. Aft di
thrashing about while he stretch if,
out dead. The sight of the dying or
ark had told the men of my danger ~
d caused them to haul away with pi
their might. an
Il was SO nearly unconscious that WI
couldn't climb the short ladder to
raft, and when at length they re- be
,Ved my suit I fell in heap, totally flo
e.,