Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-03-17
MYSTERIES or THE OCEAN.
Strange Life Encountered in the
Depths-Efects Of Light.

ssThe first sensation experienced"
said an intrepid diver at an inter-
view with an Italian journalist, is
something like that which Is felt on
descending into mine, but you soon
get accustomed to 1t. At a depth OF
about nine feet medusae began to be
found In large quantities. Seen
through the water. everything APP
pears magnified. and they are appar-
emily of enormous. proportions. All
recollection OF the protection af-
forded by the glass front OF the he'll
met Is forgotten, and the first Inn
preston is that these masses of hor-
rid faccid and Shiny medusae viii
adhere to your face. just a little
lower down, and a scintillating null
titudionus shoal of small fishes is
encountered, shimmering like so
many strips of shining copper, or
other metal, in state Of continuous
vibration, At depth Of about 1862
feet thick masses of seaweed are
traversed; some OF these are hair
like vegetable growths, with arms
from 90 to 80 yards in length, which,
with a kind of horrid vitality, wrap
themselves round every part of the
body
Below 1872 feet there are small
snakelike fishes of about three feet
In length, and also other denizens of
the deep resembling dolphins. These
latter hurl themselves violently
against the diver. If, as already re-
marked, he is somewhat young at
the game. and has forgotten the pro-
lection afforded By his helmet, he
is still filled with mortal dread lest
they should succeed in smashing the
glass front of the helmet despite its
four inches of thickness. OF course
should that occur, death would be
almost instantaneous Sin other and
worse monsters are the polypi or
devilfsh, who wrap their Shiny ten
tacles around the bold explorer; but
although. repugnant these monsters
are cowardly, and Immediately re-
nounce their attack on coming In
contact with the unfamiliar feel OF
the metal armor plating of my diving
rible, and much more intrepid. giant
crabs.
I'm the vicinity of Ostend," he re-
lates, 81 was requested once to ex-
anime the wreck of vessel which
had sunk not long before. This was
the occasion upon which ] was as
sailed by a veritable horde of those
TIL I 10 81, Jxy
spoken. They were at the time busy
devouring the corpses of the dead
sailors One of these monsters seized
me by the leg, which would have
been crushed, as IL squeezed by a
Jaw of steel, had 1t not been pro-
tected by the powerful armorfng of
my diving dress. I had kind of
sword In my hand, with which | sue
/ ceeded in killing two of these mon
sters, the shells of which / still pos
sess.
"All objects at the bottom of the
sea are covered with kind of GU
rious powder, and a terrible gloom
and silence prevails. What scene
of melancholy! The floor of the
ocean 1B BJreWn Win DOHeS, HOt
few of them of human origin. A
very singular fact which / have OBJ
served is that the sea for certain
period of time keeps bodies in a per-
feet state of preservation. l once
visited the hull of a vessel which
| had gone down with all hands.
1.-THE crew we're mostly asleep at
| the moment when the disaster oc-
| Cured, and had thus practically
passed instantaneously from sleep to
death. So far they had not been Bit
ten or gnawed by any fish, as most
of the hatchways were closed. The
men still appeared as If asleep.
There they lay, wrapped in a calm
and mysterious slumber. I APP
preached and climbing down to the
| hatchways, touched one of the
| corpses with my hand; the flesh
seemed to dissolve and vanish under
my hand leaving nothing but a grin
ming skeletoni Scientific Ameri-
can.