Sentence:  After diligent search had been made in the river for the child to no purpose, a twopenny loaf with a quantity of quicksilver put into it was set floating from the place where the child, it was supposed, had fallen in ... the loaf suddenly tacked about and swam across the river, and gradually sunk near the child, when both the child and loaf were immediately brought up with <WSD>grabblers</WSD> ready for that purpose. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An implement used to extract bodies from the water.