The Detroit times., 1914-04-24
KEEPS
TREASURES in
MARINE BANK
When He Needs Money He Uses
File and Wrench and Cashes
1t by Gable
RAILROADS. DEPOSIT
STARTED INSTITUTION
Though Only Sixty He Figures
Account Will Not BE EX-
hausted Before Death

WASHINGTON, April 24.-Snorky
draws checks on the First Submarine
bank OF Southwest Washington. lie
endorses them with a file and a
wrench and cashes them with cable
Snorky known to his mother and
two or three others as Edward
Thomas, is 60 years old and is to the
| Seventh.st. wharves IN Washington
what beach-comber is 10 the water
| front in Apia. lie has no particular
profession or trade, but has been get
ting by consistently for many years.
When the spirit moves him. he buys
. barrel of fish and becomes a ped
der about town. But this is only oc-
casionally When he needs money he
draws check as related in the open
ing sentence.
One DAY. about a decade ago, they
were shunting freight cars down in
the old Jersey yards by the gas works
when switch engine ran off a tres.
tie and plunged into the eastern
branch OF the Potomac. The water is
pretty deep at this spot, and securely
imbedded in the mud bottom of the
river the engine reposed as peacefully
as a Spanish galleon~ at the bottom
OF the Caribbean until Snorks came
along
AS a child Smoky bad taken a. ltk.
me 70 ~ 'sStfer SO wheT, stuc :
.oi the. suDmefged irSigSt sngsnr came
TO his ears he saw visions of wealth.
Going TO the point on the" railroad
trustle from which the engine was re
ported to have plunged, Smoky dove.
! into the turbid Anacostia river, as the
eastern branch is known and started
q submarine investigation II took
tETe-eF three df+ts- to locate the I'm
CINE. but Smoky eventually found u
and made an inventory. He file a
claim with Neptune for the engine or
such parts OF il as he desired and re-
turned 10 the surface to equip him
self with such tools as he might need.
Calling on the junk dealer he made
a dicker with that individual The
junk man agreed to advance tools il,
in return. Smoky Would give him an
initial option on all goods to be re-
plevined from the deep. The covenant
was made and Snorky dived again He
piled file and wrench and screwdriver
until he had detached the choicest
and most easily obtainable portion OF
the engine. Then he attached a cable
and arose 10 the surface. Standing
on the trestle he hauled away at the
cable until there appeared the beauti-
tful brass bell of the locomotive. This
he disposed OF profitably and earned
his first reward from out the junk
dealers greasy cash drawer
The junk dealer and what few 9TH
ers who knew of the exploit expected
Smoky to equip an expedition and
prosecute his submarine salvage OPP
erations with gusto. But he disap-
pointed them. Belonging to that hap
by clan the members of which believe
that sufficient unto the day is the
cash in hand, he rested on his laurels.
The proceeds OF the big bell kept
Smoky in spending money for some
time, and. secure in the knowledge
that no one else would attempt to
jump his claim, he waited until he
was fiat broke before he dived again.
On the second trip he brought up
the whistle and apparatus appertain-
ing thereto. Then he detached GER
tain portions Of the control machinery,
including the brass throttle. And so,
whenever the spirit, or the desire for
spirits. moved him, he has descended
into the bosom of the Anacostia and
returned with some choice bit of junk
which always has found a ready mar
ket He has kept up this practice for
years and declares that there Is
enough OF the engine left TO keep him
going for quite while.
Boys who hang around the water
front "chiddlin' joints" say that Snor-
ky has confided to them in convivial
moments that his secret ambition is
to take a flatboat and go out on the
Grand Banks from which location he
thinks he can start to work on the
Titanic. when the engine in the east
ern branch is all liquidated.
But Snorky's submarine exploits are