The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-19
So $50 E8S8l6dS s. Il
CHAPTER TX.
THE HAUL OF TIE GRAB.


ing, for, with the exception Of slight
mound, covered by the omnipresent
ooze, there was little to distinguish the
Spanish treasure ship from the ocean
floor on which it rested.
Every drop of blood in the girls body
was tingling with excitement at the
discovery which her bright eyes had
little flush of pleasure she made way
for the undergraduate to take her place
at the window of the coming tower.
DR.. Tring, meanwhile, kept up a run
ming fire of congratulations
AS he looked through the glazed port
Guthrie could hardly persuade himself
that before him lay the foundered gal
leon that they had come so far and
labored SO heavily to discover.
He had pictured to himself shattered
and rotten wreck, which, though eaten
by the sea water and broken by the ex-
plosion, would still retain good deal
of its old form and appearance. In DR..
Tring's room at 103 Shaftoe street had
been, among other things, volume of
old prints which We're copies from the
sea pictures in the great council cham
Der of the doges' palace at Venice.
Dolly and he had studied these careful
ly and from them had obtained very
tolerable notion of the naval architec-
ture of the earlier centuries. He ex-
pected, therefore, that the galleon would
have some traces remaining of lofty
forecasule and aftercastle; that at least
one of her great poop lanterns would be
left; that she would have, at any rate,
one mast standing. He had pictured to
himself the size and shape Of its heavy
''roundtop, and, in fact, though the
whole would doubtless be shrouded by
heavy growth of sea shrub and creep
er, he had hoped that his imagination,
by filing in few gaps here and there,
would still have given him very fair
picture of what the galleon was when
she rode in all her bravery Of canvas
and bunting over the waves of the
surface
But he had forgotten to allow for the
corroding power of the brine. Iron nails
had dissolved to mere threads, copper
had turned to a thin green sirup the
hard lex oak timbers and sheathing
had rotted to pulpy slime. The whole
fabric of the great vessel had disin-
tegrated Of lite own weight reclining
where it fell, and the ever precipitating
diatom ooze had shrouded its identity
almost completely. Save here and there,
where some charred beam or plank Of
the hard Spanish timber projected
croolsedly like rotten tree snag, the
symmetry of the mound was unbroken.
Bravo, Dollyl" said the doctor.
.'Whatever we do get now we've to
thank you for. D'you know, Guthrie,
that this is the third time we have been
over this particular piece of ground and
that was on the watch on the ether
occasions, and must have passed this
precious hillock as I did any other in
equality of the sea floor? ~
.sMiss Colepepper, said the under
graduate, "the very next time we pipe
down to dinner shall crave the honor
of proposing your health. -
"And Ill join you in drinking the
toastl'' cried the doctor heartily. 'tBut
now we won waste any more time il
congratulations. The length of our stay
down in this gloomy treasure house il
limited. We can't prolong it without
danger. So, Guthrie, away with yor
below again, lift her a bit with tn,
pumps, give a few turns to the cranl
shaft till I get her under command
again and laid fairly up alongside, ane
then stand by to work the grabl"
AT the word down the young mar
tumbled, full Of eagerness as he hat
half an hour before been full of lassitud,
and loathing. He told the tale to tn,
Others and never had work in thos,
gloomy tween decks been more cheer
fully done The pumps clanked merrill,
till the ketch was off the ground again
and then the screw shaft hummet
round at such pace that DR.. Trims
was forced to shout down to ease her o
he should run the hillock out of sight
And afterward, when the doctor hat
her down on to the sea floor again, tn
others tumbled briskly forward to tn
set Of cranks which worked the grab
every man of them tingling with excite
ment For the result of all their wear,
labors was now to be put to the proof.
This "grab, as its inventor ha
christened it, deserves word of de
tscription. 1t was in structure very lik
those uncouth contrivances yclep
9ssteam navvies 7" which are usually as
ISOLATED with the making of railwa.
cuttings. Attached TO the mainmast
as to an upright, was heavy movin
arm, which was capable of complet
control from below. At the end Of thi
was long strut, armed with a larg
iron scoop, which would dig up loa'
of anything within it's reach. swing j
round and deposit it upon the deck. Al
the movements Of the machine wer
arranged 80 that they could be controlle
from the tween decks.
In practice the grab had many draw
backs; but. considering the enormou
difficulties under which it was worked
it did its duties very we'll 1t certainl.
reflected great credit upon its inventor
Or. TT L. The machines movement
Z ip e'',-N'sse as sea water il
Dnosnt to set, III