The Washington times., 1917-07-04
SEA DIVERS FEAR
BARRACUDA PERIL
BUT NOT SHARKS

NEW YORK. July A-DOvn on
the dimly lighted bottom OF Nassau
harbor, where giant grasses waved In
the gentle undulations of the sea and
greer ash played through their
branches like birds in a tree, walked
an odd thing in the shape OF a man,
balbous, misshApen. uneonnected BY
line or air hose with the surface. but
a man
Big fish settled back in the shadows,
him as he walked slowly
along: little FISH in burrows in the
sand from which their heads protrud-
ID oddly popped back out Of sight like
prairie dogs as he approached; birds
nests" in the trees withdrew their
sFanehed tentaeles, big crabs seUttlea
Put Of sight
On he went through forests OF giant
weeds, down the long avenues of kelp,
until he came to an open space,
miniature garden OF delicately colored
.oral and soft waving grasses, where
ttny fish played In and out, their deli
sately waving fms things OF wooder-
ful beauty. He sat down on a grass
bank, slowly and heavily as one to
whom movement is difficult and to
be carefully considered, and then
settled back to watch through his
single protruding eye IN front the
scene Of underwater beauty before
him.
SHES mt barracuda.
Nearly half an hour he stayed there.
The fish moving Iazily about him or
Hitting past with quick Girt Of their
nns. Then a great barracuda poked
It's head from wall of grass and
looked over this odd figure intrudtnG
IN the dominion in which It ruled.
1t was only when this fish appeared
that the man give any sign Of not
being perfectly at ease. He drew him
,elf together for q quick sideways
from the threatened rush
81 this torpedo of the deep. and not
until the nah withdrew and disap-
Deared did he again relax and become
absorbed in watching,
Having apparently Toasted his eyes
sufficiently for one day he slowly
rose and turned to go back along the
path he had come, vending his way
the arehing pathways OF
grass. Suddenly he stopped. looking
upward IS he searched the silver SUR
face Of the sea far above him. There
was nothing In sight He put one
hand behind him to where a small
tank hung and gave q slight turn to
4 handle on II. He bulged. grew
round and distended and then with
: rush went to the surface.
Writes Submarine Scenarios
The man was Darlington BarTinger.
diver, who knows the ocean
moor from personal visits as do few
other men And BarTinger IL not only
! diver: he writes submarine scena-
rios. acts IN them and directs them.
being probably the only underwater
picture director In the world.
Barringer didn't intend to be .
silver and didn't care anything about
the movies when he first started out
IN the world q few years ago. He
was the son Of q man who had been
! surgeon IN the civil war and from
whom he Inherited considerable per
sonal bravery with a bit OF reckless
nesA He went to Syracuse University
10 study chemistry. but in his fourth
rear the spirit Of daredeviltry which
began to appear prominently In his
character did not appeal to the col
ege authorities and BarTingeF left.
He tried newspaper work and that
was too tame for him. So he went
INTO the navy to get hardened up
and when they asked him
what he wanted TO learn he said he
thought diving would be the thing.
Helped Work On Pa.
So they made a diver out of him
md for couple OF years Barringer
cleaned ships bottoms and pulled up
lnchors and did odd underwater Jobs
hat showed he was one OF the best
iiTers in the Government service.
That was how II happened that when
he job OF recovering the Inflated
pa. the submarine which sank off
honolulu. was decided upon. and
George StIllson-who Barringer says
s the best diver in the eountry-was
tent to take charge OF II he took Bar
niger along as one of his men.
When the F-4 had been lifted into
'orty feet OF water ana the services
II StIllson and his men were not
leeded any longer they came back
o New York and went out with
company that had just perfected a
way of taking moving pictures under
water. That finished, Barringer went
Town to Tampico to help raise a gum
,oat that had been scuttled by those
m board when it seemed in danger of
,eing captured. 1t was easy work,
tut there he had some adventures
With barracuda, the memory OF
which will last him a long time.
Had Marrow Escape.
For the diver Is not all afraid Of
despite the popular fancy
has raped many a shark
N the nose and would have chased
hem IL he could travel fast enough
lnder water, but a barracuda is DIFF
erent. They belong to the species of
lighting fish that take a violent dis
ike to invaders and don't hesitate to
how It. II barracuda hits a diver
lie is gone, for the vicious bony nose
4 the fish would bore through his
uit and perhaps through his body
With the impetus OF its rush. So
IIvers don't argue with them.
The barracuda around this wreck
'ecams restless a few days after they
tarted work and got TO nosing
round so close that Barringer and
he men with him spent a good part
4 their time when they were down
shadows.
zone day / was down by the rudder
When / saw a big barracuda lying on
grass bank near by, said BarrinRer.
i saw that he was watching me so
kept an eye on him and kept hold
4 the rudder. Finally there came a