The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-29

my legs. ard sank three feet easily.
hut / tell you, there's danger for
diver in this thing. II the steam
pump ever stops working while man
is deep in the roiled-up sand he will
be caught there sure, for the sand will
grow soliu about him before he can
get out"
The men had not thought Of this
before. but they at once saw the truth
Of it, and arranged that every imagin-
able precaution should be taken to
keep the pump wcaking.
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 discovering any
thing. During the following week
the search went on with no success.
The divers found that the stream fror,
the hose did not thin the SAND enough
to enable them to bend down in it
and grope about their feet. The stream
made hole for them TO sink in, but it
was not wide enough TO stoop in, and
it was filed with a mixture of sand
and water ready to "set" the moment
the stream should stop. So the men
employed their feet as hands, cropping
about for the treasure-boXes.
The time passed thus until Thanks
giving day. Then the hopes of the
rarity, 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. I am going to touch the coal
today if I have to go my full length
for it. We're needing something spe-
cial to De thankful for"
1t was three hours before he signaled
to stop the pump. With their expec-
tations reused by his unusual stay, the
others waited eagerly for a signal to
send down a bag of such Implements
as the diver might need to assist him
in raising box Of treasure. A small,
fat boat, containing two men and
grapnels, ice-tongs aud such imple-
ments, was always kept moored over
the spot where the 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
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 a package under one
Of his arms, and this he handed up to
those on board.
The box, about a 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 it
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 it. While
there he had sent up several signals OF
assurance, which his tenders had
never received, no doubt because his
lifeline had been hurled in the firm
sand which surrounded the roily hole
Great progress was now made the
next day, with the assistance of crap
nels and bags more treasure was
discovered, and then, day after day
Two three, and even four boxes, con.
tRining various amounts, were ex
rrlcated from the sand by the labor
oil both divers. With each box they
had to mount slowly out Of the hole
they had bored, and allow the sane
to fill in and harden behind them.
Elated with success. the divers, a
: was natural, relaxed their precaution
a little, until one of them had a peril
ius adventure. Standing over tn,
wreck, he was boring his excavation
with the hose and sinking rapid
into the sand as usual.
Just as he got down to his shoulders
the butt Of the hose was suddenly tor
from his grasp by the surf AS h
, CROPPED about on the sand expecting
fel it, he remembered with shock tina
= before beginning operations he ha
neglected tho customary precaution {
:, attaching the hose to his belt by
q lanyard. The whole thing had bee
j washed far beyond his reach.
4 Almost instantly the sand, no longt
= loosened by the stream Of water, bega