Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-08-27

employed their feet as hands, cropping
about for the treasure-boxes.
The time passed thus until Thanks
giving day. Then the hopes of the
rarty, 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, l am going to touch the coal
today il I have to 20 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 signal to
send down a bag Of such implements
as the diver might need to assist him
in raising . box of treasure. A small,
fiat boat, containing two men and
srapnels, ice-tongs aud such imple-
ments, was always kept moored over
the spot where TIE diver was at work,
destroyed by the announcement that
the diver was coming to the surface.
The diver, however, had planned a
most agreeable disappointment. He
VINO tells me this story remembers
hc;ng struck by the fact that as the
diver ascended 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 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 point where
he could get his hand on it. While
there b II a sa1ai
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
oil both divers. With each box they
had to mount slowly out of the hole
they had bored, and allow the sand
to fill Il and harden behind them.
Elated with success, the divers, as
was natural, relaxed their precautions
a little, until one Of them had 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 hockthat
before beginning operations he had
neglected the customary precaution OF
attaching the hose to his belt by q
lanyard. The whole thing had been
washed far beyond his reach.
Almost instantly the sand, no longer
loosened by the stream of water, began
to- 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 tC
make any signal for relief to those
above who were quite unaware of his
dreadful situation. Besides all this
owing TO the disturbance created
around him Ey the surf and the un-
dertow, he might as we'll have been
blind for all that he could see.
The pressure of sand on his chest
was so severe that he began to lose
breath, and resigned himself to the
speedy, agonizing death which ap.
peared inevitable. Nearly exhausted
he felt something touch one of his
hands. 1t was the blight of the hose
which, in washing about over the bot.
tom, had struck against hinl-a thing
not likely to happen once in thous.
and times.
Gripping this with his hand, he
slowly edged it along, bit by bit, un.
til finally he got hold Of the butt and
the nozzle itself. Wit, great Difficult,
ty he turned the stream of water into
the sand, anil freed first one arm, then
|, the other, aad gradually the. whole
upper part OF his body.
Through the remainder of the day
ne was Frustrated, but he : pluckll!
went back to the work the next day
and from that time on there was nc
lack Of precaution on his part.
A later incident. In which the Other
diver figured. indicates well to what g
degree the success of the expedition
was due to the pluck. persistence and
hard work of the divers. In raising
one large box of treasure from the hole
in the sand, the tongs by which he
held it slipped, and ripped the COVER
entirely off the box while it was yet &
{, from the top of the hole.
But by the greatest care and pains
he finally succeeded in resting it or
tie level sand outside the hole with.
cut spilling q single coin. 1t was
hauled up TO the boat in bag, anc
found to contain nearly thirty thous
and dollars. Of course the weight o.
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