The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-01-24
DIVING FOR sPoN0Es.
An Occupation That Is Beset with
Many and Grave Perils
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun.
Dreadful stories are told of divers en-
counters with sharks. OF Bengasi
diver named Skoumbourdi signa;nd
danger after having been down only a
moment. He was instantly pulled in
and the men at the rOpes found him
grown strangely heavy. AS he neared
the surface the watchers saw him in
the grasp of a big shark, which had
hold of his waist. AS he reached the
surface and men on the boat attempted
to rescue him the shark turned on It's
side, gave tremendous pull, cutting
him in half, and disappeared.
Certain parts of Rhodes are fascinat-
ing because known to hold fortunes in
sponges. One coral tree IN Rhodes
alone has cost ten lives. Ordinarily
sponge divers do not trouble about
coral, but this tree was known to he
especially valuable. and the sponge div
ers have tried in vain to secure it. or
nine no trace was ever found But Of
the tenth the shark who guards it al
lowed the head and chest to get away
from him and it was pulled to the sur
face.
off Bengasi John Catars a plain fish
al
slab in his hands. When about fifteen
fathoms down, as the rop2 tloated loose
" the men at the rope began to haul
back. 1t stuck and hauled tight for Il
second, then became loose again. and
Cataris was pulled to the surface with
his flesh hanging in shreds. as if lacer-
ated by rows of sharp knives. Cataris
declared that as he dived head first he
suddenly passed into a dark hot place,
then was hurled backward, followed by
the marble. He had dived head first
into the open mouth of shark. and
the fishers maintain that the marble
struck the sharks stomach with such
force tat it caused him pain and he ex-
pelleG the whole load Cataris is still
diver and has been fishing again this
season off the same Bengasi: but he
wears now on his breas. tiny crucifix
and IA likeness of St. Nicholas, to whose
protection he commits himself before
each dive. Indeed in all the kaiques
there is an image or picture of the
patron saint of Greek fishers, st.
Nicholas.
Next to the sharks the divers dread
the octopus and his deadly grasp. In
Vulnerable stories are told Of encount.
ers with them. Themeli has brother
in-law, Michael Tsangalis Of Kalymos.
who once was the foremost diver Of
them ali. Only two seasons ago OF
Crete he had been diving, and when
he came up the anchor was tangled.
one man was sent to disentangle it. He
couldn't find it. and a second was sent.
Wher this man did not come up, a thiri I
was started down He also did not come
up. and realizing then from the signals
what the trouble probably was six
divers with knives went down to their
aid. The two We're held fast by one oc-
topus. Warned by the expectation of
the fate of their comrades and guided
by the position of the ropes, the six
discovered their plight and managed
to cut off the tentacles by which they
were held and bring the two men to
the surface. One had been held by the
tentacles in such a fashion that he died
from strangulation, but the other re-
covered.
Besides sharks and devil fish, there
are still other enemies among the things
that swim the sea and call it home
There arc swordfish that have been
known to do royal battle with a diver
tail, quite as formidable and only a
trlle less in size than the weapon Of
swordtish. In fact. every fish that
has been provided with weapons for
it's defense turns them in attack upon
the plain diver.
Even the sponge itself Is the home of
a deadly enemy. Often in the sponges
there is a curious worm. The instant
the sponge is placed. in the net bag
which rests on the divers chest this
worm fastens itself upon the divers
body. 1t bOres and swells, and it's at
tack is described by Themelis, who
carries scar from it like a sword
thrust. After receiving this thrust the
plain diver waits for nothing, but
rapidly reaches the kaique, and his first
kept always for that purpose, as much
of the wound as possible. Then another
man with mouth full of oil applies
his lips to the wound and extracts as
much as possible of the poison This
poison is so deadly that the longest a
man has been known to linger before
dying was ten hours. For years thl,
worm carried off startling number
Of divers. Then victim was taken to
the doctor of French man-of-war
which was in the neighborhood The
doctor had been interested in the
worms poison, and, after obtaining
some of the virus from the wound and
analyZing it. he was able to supply
Ia the sponge fishers an ointment or
salve which has since saved as many
lives from the worms hite as had heen