The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-07-23

httD lHt pump NOihlES.
Both divers descended on the second
day. but after considerable time re-
appeared with no more encouraging
news than that one of them had got
down into the sand to the depth OF
his armpits without discov sring any
thing. During the following week
the search went on with no success.
The divers found that the stream fror,
the hose did rot thin the sand enough
to enable them to bend down in II
and grope about their feet. The stream
made hole for them 10 sink in, but II
was not wide enough 10 stoop in. and
1t was filed with mixture of sand
and water ready to set the moment
the stream should stop. So the men
employed 'heir feet as hands, cropping
about for the treasure-boxcs.
The time passed thus until Thanks
giving day. Then the hopes Of the
PARTY, who had ventured most of their
savings in the enterprise, were very
low, but the divers were encased as
usual for their regular descents. On
this morning one of them remarked:
Boys. am going to touch the coal
today if | have to go my full length
for it. We're needing something spe-
c!al to ne thankful for"
II was three hours before he signaled
to stop the pump. With their expec-
tations reused by his unusual stay. the
others waited eagerly for signal to
send down q bag of such implements
as the diver might need TO assist him
in raising q box of treasure. A small,
fat boat, containing two men and
grapnels. ice-torgs aud such imple-
ments, was always kept moored over
the spot where TIE diver was at work.
Soon the hopes of those above were
destroyed by the announcement that
the diver was coming to the surface.
The diver. however, had planned n
most agreeable disappointment. He
VINO tells me this story remembers
being struck by the fact that as the
diver assembled the ladder to the side
of the launch, he used but one hand
to assist himself When he emerged,
his friends saw package under one
of his arms. and this he handed up to
those on board.
The box, about foot long, eight
inches in width and four in depth,
was carried over to the Potter, opened,
and found to contain three thousand
five hundred dollars in gold coin.
To obtain this box the diver had
been Obliged 10 sink himself until the
top of his head was just level with the
surface of the sand. Feeling some
thing hard beneath him, he worked 1t
about for a long time with his feet,
until finally, with the assistance of
some hooks he had carried down with
him, he had raised it to a point where
he could get his hand on 1t. While
there he had sent up several signals of
assurance, which his tenders had
never received, no doubt because his
lifeline had been buried in the firm
sand which surrounded the roily hole.
Great progress was now made. the
next day, with the assistance of grap-
nels and bags, more treasure was
discovered, and then, day after day,
two, three, and even four boxes, con-
tanning various amounts, were ex-
tricated from the sand by the labor
OF both divers. With each box they
had to mount slowly out of the hole
they had bored, and allow the sand
to fill in and harden behind them.
Elated with success, the divers, as
was natural, relaxed their precautions
a little, until one of them had a peril
ius adventure. Standing over the
wreck, he was boring his excavation
with the hose and sinking rapidly
into the sand as usual.
Just as he got down to his shoulders,
the butt of the hose was suddenly torn
from his grasp by the surf. AS he
groped about on the sand expecting to
fel it, he remembered with shock that
before beginning operations he had
neglected the customary precaution OF
attaching the hose to his belt by a
lanyard. The whole thing had been
washed far beyond his reach.
Almost instantly the sand, no longer
loosened by the stream of water, began
tc harden round him, and he realized
the full horror of his situation.
So quickly was he embedded that the
use of his arms was soon lost; moth.
ing protruded from the solid sand ex-
cept his helmeted head, hands and
wrists. With his lifeline buried and
his arms powerless, he was unable te
make any signal for relief to those
above, who were quite unaware of his
dreadful situation. Besides all this
ewing TO the disturbance created
around him by the surf and the un.
dertow. he might as we'll have beer
bind for all that he could see.
The pressure of sand on his ches
was SO severe that he began to loss
breath, and resigned himself to tn;
speedy. agonizing death which ap
peared inevitable. Nearly exhausted
he felt something touch one of hi
hands. 1t was the blight of the hose
which, in washing about over the bot
tom, had struck against him--a thin,
not likely to happen once In a thous
and times.