New-York tribune., 1904-10-17
DIVES FOR ISLE OF SPICE
Chorus Girl at Bottom of East RiUer
Papers Lost from SLOcum a Detail.
TRAGIC NOTE IN THE FARCE.

lhAUIN MULE IN InE AItNA@'
Miss Frances Bakers descent in diving bell yes
terday recover valuable legal documents at the
scene of the beaching Of the General Slocum de-
generated into a farce when It became known that
the entire fabric of the story was no more than
the airy invention Of an ingenious press agent for
The Isle Of Spice" In contrast was the pitiful
presence of the survivor of a family Of four
the Slocum. who believed that Miss Baker might
encounter at the river bottom the body OF his
missing boy.
on Friday newspapers received the naively
furnished information THAT before his death. 4.
Z. Baker. Of Port Hurbn. Mich. who was ono
Of the slocum survivors, had told Miss Baker his
niece. that when the flames fiercest he threw
n small tin box. containing valuable papers. into
the river. believing they stood better chance Of
escaping destruction from water than from fire
II added that before he died. Mr. Baker fur
nshed his niece with such data as would assist
her to recover them. or such value were the
papers, it said. THAI Miss Baker had come to
New-York, and regardless Of expense. had char
tered tug ard crew from the Merritt & Chap
man Derrick and Wreclsing Company. and would
herself dive for the papers
As for Miss Baker. she ingenousy holstered up
the story by shyly 'confessinR without tho futter
Of an eyelash. that the papers her uncles last
VIII and testament and certain deeds heaueathinp
ana granting 20 her property in Port Huron
and Detroit. Mich. and AshtabuIa. Ohio valued
AZ between $4,000 and s40On0. Distant relatives
said she. We're contestinB the will. and it was I'm
perative that they should recover the papers
Now. Miss Baker IS chorus girl in the production
AZ the Majestic Theatre Moreover. as the daugh
ter Of a well known Lake Huron wrecklng com
pany she is an old hand at diving Scarcely had
Inc Merritt 4 Chapman tug Hustler hired for the
morning by the theatrical company. left her moor
lnss at 10 o'clock. carrying aboard her half doz-
en- politely incredulous newspaper men when bit
by bt tho whole ingenious scheme leaked out
The familiar figures OF Doc HAYNES and Mr.
F4aherty the manager. were discerned ii. the
DOW. MI Avery. the press representative. intro
duced himself 10 All n whom he was unknown
As for Mss Baker she Aung conccalment 10 the
winds and. peeling her cloak displayed a light
Guernsey bearing the legend. isle ot spice, writ
large Presently she discarded the street clothes
OF western i"mininity To- re-crtcr garbed for a
'oreeches part" IN antique tam o. shanter
uhlck yarn stockings and dugy sailors blouse
BY midday the tug had anchored forty foot north
east of North Brother Island. Quickly George
Golart and Fred. Johnson. expert drtve~a who
were the urewomen FOR this day only" dressed
her In the cauvas-rubucr divers suit In a trce
the breastDlate the girdIe Of leads and shoe
weights were slipped The guy line piashed
beneath the water. the iron ladder was run out
board. MISS Baker took leave OF Miss Bertha Brit
ton, her chaperon ami .chun. and. gently working
Wad OF scented gum between her dainty Jaws
stood ready for the placing OF the copper capped
iron helmet Hurriedy she stole another glance al
her contract absaying the wrecling company from
all liability Then one for air. two for less
anu three 10 pun up she repeated unfaIteriu.iy
10 the hose tender. Tho helmet was snapped on
the pump set working. Soon Golar. fecko-e1
All ready" THIS WAS her over the gtnwa,,
stepped the uncouth Agurc. then stumbled slowly
down the ladder. GrasplnR the life line firmly it
swung clear 10 the side and disappeared a pin
cushion OF creamy bubbles marking where she
dropped. In four minutes the strange nglra re
emerged and assisted on deck. The helme,
window clicked back to discover two uttle
jaws SUI working on the wad of scented gum.
Except for slight gassiness of eye and the com
paint or 4 slight pain in the left ear the girl
seerne1 none the for her adventure de-
manding, indeed to know why she had been hauled
up. once again select audience OF theatrical and
newspaper men on the boat and smallpox patients
In red dressing gowns the nearby island saw
the plucky girl dive a depth Of some Atty feet
and re-emerge safely after eight minutes INNER
'sior.
The alleged object OF her dive was not men
TONED. IN few more moments the farce was
over and little knot of newspaper men stiu
politely creduloUs. listening to an account Of
wonderful birds, beasts and fishes seen beneath
the bounding deep The tug had barely grazed her
pier when the press representative In steppin.
ashore slipped on the gunwae, lost his balance
and fell into the water. He hauled out safe
but dripping.
Before The tux weighed anchor. william Parde-
low tailor. Of No. 81 seventh-st. had asked per-
mission 70 accompany the party. This was granted
but Il was not long before II became known that
the sad faced Rarbed in black from head ~
foo' had lost his wife and daughter Ia the Slocup
disaster, ana ever since the IN fated dav had
haunted morgues and police stations for trace OF
his four-year-old George who was on tho
vessel and Is still missing In IL pamphlet which
he distributed to members Of the party BapdeIov
offered 500 reward for information leading to the
recovery of the boy. The pamphlet SAID:
Captain s II. Berg. Of the United States volun-
teer Life Saving Corps is positive that ne ~
him ashore, and ! have found further trace of him
IN Canarsle, IN company with elderly Iady
VINO she Is and whe"e she lives I DO not know
know that my boy has not been buried with the
unidentified dead, for j have all bodies hIiried
as unidentified whether drowned or burned
In furnishing any Information which will lead N
the recovery Of this boy YOU will confer an ,stn1
able favor, and win the everlasting gratitude az :,
bereaved and welluigh distracted father. who ~
lost all dear 10 him on this earth -S
Bsndelow imagined that Miss Baker when under
water might find trace of his missing boy