The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-12-20
down IN,
A DIVING BELL
At the Bottom of the Sea,
Where the Little Fishes
Play, and
THE MERIMAIDs LOVE TO BE
Plucky Daughter Of Denison Citizen
Tells Of Her Experience in Deep
Sea Diving.


To promenade the bottom of the
sea is a strange experience for any
body. How it befell me. woman
who cannot swim, is in itself unusual
enough to have place in the story.
To be able to write intelligently and
convincingly on subject you know
absolutely nothing about requires a
glittering imagination. So thought,
when the editor of one of San Fran
cisco's big dailies once asked me to
contribute an article on diving. Div
ing! Why, l didn't know any more
about diving at that moment than a
pig does about flying. had experience
ed q railroad wreck. shipwreck. and
had once gone up in balloon and
come down in the Yukon River. but
had never had an adventure such as
was expected to write about. Clear
~, the only thing to do was to find
q wrecking company and interview
some of the divers. With the aid Of
the city directory l located a salvage
company and cheerfully tramped
several blocks Of the front dis
trict. through dust. smoke and debris.
/ found Capt. Whitelaw himself in
his office. and stated the object of my
visit. He gracefully consented to an
interview. and promised to summon
as MANY of the divers as | wished to
see.
While he was explaining to me
that everything was::in rea illness. day
and night. to answer telaphane call
in ten minutes, the bell at his elbow
rung out sharply. Excusing himself
to answer, he Immediately touched
a button and man entered to whom
he gave few brief orders.
Turning to me again. he said he
had just received a telephone call
for a diver to go down and recover an
anchor lost from one OF, the large yes
sells lying out in San Francisco Bay.
and his wrecker. the Rowena. would
leave in ten minutes.
s caught my breath. Why not do
it7
Here was a rare opportunity.
Captain. asked. chow long
do you think you will be out?"
From two to three hor rs. =
every we'll that suits me capital
ly, :" inserted, "and with your kind
permission, I'm going out with yon. =
He looked his astonishment in a
polite way. and to head off any OBJ
lection he might entertain to such an
arrangement. hurried on.
Now. Capt. Whitelaw. please in
vite me to go on beard the Rowena
and see the divers at work. and then,
if it is not straining your hospitality
to the breaking point. perhaps shall
try to induce you to allow me to don
diving suit and explore the depths
myself
The captain gasped snl eyed me
with suspicion. and knewI had to
/ talk my hard.ss and smi g my sweet
est or the day was lost. "Now. cap.
tain, you have taken no pains to con.
+ ceal the fact that you, do not approve
| this step in plain language, you d.
i not want me to go. Surely. it is moi
such difficult or unheari-of thing OF
Ia woman to do; many have done more
Earring things. ] am sure you canno
:efuse when you know have set m.
heart upon getting material for thi
story from actual experience.
promise to obey instructions to tn
letter.
The confidential manner and smil
that. accompanied and punctuated m,
plea were almost more than / wa
able to sustain; but I had fully dc
cided that l was going out on tn
Rowena. and was talking to fill j
time. I had begun half in jest. bt
was now very thoroughly in earnest.