The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-11-07
SOME QUEER THINGS.
CHAPTERS IN THE LIFE OF A FAMOUS
DIVER.


Old Helmet as u Reminder of Past Ser
vices.
South street has lost one of its most
picturesque characters and the diving
| profession one Of the most famous
members with the retirement OF John
Conklin, says the New York Sun. Fol
more than thirty years "Old Conk" as
he is familiarly known to his neigh
| bore, occupied loft in one of the old
buildings on South street facing the
river and in the shadow Of the bridge
| pier. He took up his quarters there
shortly after the war and few days
ago gathered together his belongings
and left the old place, as he said, be
cause / am too old to work under the
water any longer and / want to spend
the rest of my days with my family up
| the state"
| Nearly fifty years ago he entered the
service of the government of the United
States, when his father, also a diver,
was employed in the navy yard. His
first employment was in holding The
signal rope and air tube for the meD
who worked under the water. There
is no part of the rivers and harbors
around New York that he does not
know, and his reputation is known in
every shipping district in the country.
He was one of the first men selected
to work for Gen. Newton in preparing
to blow up Niger Head rock at He'll
Gate. He was also employed in plac-
ing the torpedos and mines in the
rivers leading to Washington during
the war, and he served with distinction
in many of the naval battles from 1861
to 1865. Whenever a diver was needed
to examine the hull of warship ar
irving at the navy yard he was sent
for, and there are few Of the vessels,
especially the older ones, that he does
: not know thoroughly.
AS a rule, the old man is reticent and
he seldom cares to speak of his exper-
fences. A few days ago a reporter
climbed the rickety stairs to the old
low ceiled and dingy loft occupied by
Mr.. Conklin. He was at work getting
ready to send home the apparatus and
curios he had not sold. The floor was
strewn with pumps, helmets, figure
heads taken from lost vessels and coils
Of rope. 1t was like a junk shop. 1t
may have been because he was leaving
the place that he was willing to talk.
"I am going to stop diving and go
home" he said: "My first experience
below the water was so long ago can
scarcely remember how felt or what
did. 1t has since become an old story
with me, and my memory is none toe
good. I am getting to be an old man,
as will be seventy-six next month"
A smile crept across his wrinkled face
as he looked up to see the effect Of his
words. "I first went under the water
at the navy yard across the river. I
had been down in the diving bells
many times before that. My father
and I were the only divers employed
in the yard at the time. 1t wasn't
much of a place then, mostly swampy
land, and the water was very dirty and
black. One Of the old wooden ships
had arrived from a foreign station
much the worse for wear. Nobody on
board could tell what the trouble was
and the ship needed docking. Father
was too sick to 60 down, and the job
fell to me. At first was nervous, for
I had never put on rubber suit
When the helmet was made fast ]
thought would suffocate. There
was ringing in my ears and was diz-
w. Father held the ropes and nodded
to me as looked out from the glass
in front of the helmet" Here the old
man stopped and looked along the
floor. Picking up an old copper he'll
met, he continued: "This is the same
old helmet. I don't Use it any more
but have just kept as a reminder of
the old days. Well, let go of the
ladder and was soon on my way to the
bottom. I examined the hull and It
was good thing 1t was done before
that vessel was docked. Over 100 feet
Of the keel had been torn away and was
dragging. The vessel had struck some-
thing that caused the trouble. If the
same thing had happened one OF the
modern vessels she would never have
reached port. After that diving was
easy for me and I have been down
many times since then and have seen
some strange things.
"once was called on to go to a
wreck off the Lone island coast. A
vessel with a valuable cargo had come
to grief. had been working two days
before the accident happened which
nearly ended my career. Just how 1t
occurred no one will ever know. ]
had been looking over the hull and
started to move away when was
brought to by sudden jerk. Then
the air seemed to give out and
thought the tube lad been severed by
large fish. pulled the signal rope
for more air, but there was no re-
sponse. I grew faint, and all the blood
seemed to start toward my head and
there was queer buzzing sound in my
ears. must have become unconscious