Year: 1878

said that the submarine diving is very
profitable business; what was the largest
salary that You ever made :"


{" was working for Otis & Brothers,
getting out bales of cotton. / was to
have SO day, work or play, and SIS for
every bale of cotton that got out.
worked about six hours one day and got
out 4S5 bales of cotton Ny income
that day was 2,430. tell you, L have
made enough to buy and sell many q
rich man in this town; but bless you
i could never keep it,


:" have had several narrow escapes
from drowning" said Jack, as he re-
lighted his ancient and much-tanned
pipe, but about the closest call was
when l was workin' in the waterworks
crib in Cleveland. You see, much de-
pends on having good signal tender.
can tell when some one else besides
the regular signal man steps up and
takes hold of the line. So can any good
diver for that matter. There was the
diver that worked for the Lake Shore
Railroad Company when they were
building the abutments of their new
bridge here across the Manumee. He,
by the way, was paid $40 day for 100
days. He was working one day shortly
after he had begun on the Job, and 1
went down to see him. The signal
tender asked meif would take hold of
the line. 1 did SO, and gave it three OF
four little shakes that good diver al
ways understands.


He Immediately answered back and
let me understand that he knew L was
there. But was going to tell you about
that narrow escape. 1 had signal
tender who didn't hardly understand
his business. The mouth of the crib had
become stopped up with dirt and L was
cleaning it out. had crawled through
the entrance, which was sort of door,
and was outside of the crib. My life
line and hose chafed against the top of
door, and all at once, when 1 went to
turn around, pulled my helmet off.
There j was out in the water, where in
short time knew L would drown. 1
pulled twice on the life line for the sig
nal tender to pull me up, but he didn't
it. l felt that was filling up with
water fast and pulled again. But still
he did not understand.


Of course all my armor had filled with
water, and as there was no air in it,
was held down by tons weight. Suddenly
George, who 1 was telling you about,
and who had just come down to see me,
stepped up and took hold of the lifeline,
shook it and asked me what wanted
/ had just strength enough left to give
two hard pulls, which meant, 6 Pull me
up quick" George, / afterward heard
them tell, yelled to the signal man and
told him, Help me pull in that life
line, and pull for all you're worth for
Jack is drowning" They hauled me up
out of there mighty quick, now 1 tell
you, and it took lots of strength to do it,
because my armor was full of water
When they got me to the surface 1 was
clear gone, and it was more than an
hour before came to enough to speak"
| The deepest water that was in was
1853 feet. When one is down so low it is
hard work to getair. 1 have had the air
pump manned by six men, working
with all their might, and still I've been
obliged to keep pulling on the lifeline
and calling for more air."


In his day the hero of this brief his
tory was prize-fghter of much repute.
He fought many battles and, it is said,
came out the victor in most of them.-
He states that his hardest fight was in
1S45 with Matt Langdon. They fought
101 rounds in two hours and fifty-one
minutes. Jack came out victorious, but
with broken jaw.


The old residenter has wife and
family living in Blackwols, England,
none of whom has seen him for years,
and from whom he has not heard in
some time. Out of hi- vast earnings he
has saved but little-a farm of wild land
near Manistee, Michigan, being about
all his possessions. But he is happy,
and what more can be desiredy


Ey \ German, while crossing the
Allegheny mountains during the past
winter, states: Dat ven going up de
mountain, hish foot slipped him on de
ice, and he come down On de broad of
hish back, NIT hish face sticking in de
mud, and dere he shtoot."


/