Year: 1879

lean the tafrail at the right moment saw many
fathoms below long. dark line stretching out
Under the crystal water, ! concluded that this WAS was
We dropped anchor and put on diving dress and
went down. We had been told that six people were
lost; among them was the captains niece, young
woman about eighteen years of age. / got to the
bottom the brig and walked around it, taking
to keep the airtubing clear from the keel,
not to break it. Not sixty yards from me rose the
white wall Of the coral reef There were great holes
in the bottom of the hulk got aboard and iecl-
ing around found that the matches still closed.
The sails hung down in cloggng masses on one
side. The ship looked weird and strange enough,
/. can tell YOU went down into the cabin.
The floor was so steep that could hardly walk. On
side there stateroom, and this the side
which leaned toward me. Wishing to see whether
there was any treasure aboard picked up bar
which had with me and struck the door two or
three times 1t did not bulge and then got the bar
in the crack next the post and began to pry. Sud-
denly, as was looking up--for you must understand
that 1t was above melt swung clean open and the
corpse Of beautiful woman clad in her white night
clothes, with her face toward me- slowly fell over
toward me and hoatcd down through the water head
foremost. Before could move (and il had wished
to was paralyzed with horror her hand touched
my helmet with light blow and her feet struck the
floor The light poured around her from portfolio in
the stateroom. Ireember just how that face looked
The eyes were wide open and starting from their
sockets; the lips were gaspng, and the matted hair
lifted and rembed and waved with her motion like the
long f;bres of seaweed. When could myself
shook off the hand with all the power that could
muster. 1t seemed to clutch at me, and l
frightened. When got on deck, however. felt
better and we fastened line to the corpse and drew
it up. She must have jumped ont of her bunk just
the brig went down and died in trying to open tho
door, The Foam was lost on the coast of Mexico,
below Tanpico, and my diving suit went with her.
When l got into Tampico my baggage consisted Of
nothing but tarpauln and sou'wester.


CAMPAIGNING MEXICO FRANCE


ut was during the French occupation of Mexico,
and joined the army under General Pedro Martini.
served three months in his campaign and got
which side fought or whom what was shooting
at. 1t was mostly guerilla warfare with us. We
gradually moved northward and from Monterey
took French leave and swan across the river
to Brownsville. came North. and my father gave
me q start in business at Cape May: I did a
beach. couldn't keep away from it. 1t there
that first went into the le-saving service as a vol
unteer During the first season rescued fourteen
persons from drowning took some terrible risks.
The next summer, after spending the winter in Phil
adelphia. returned to the Cape and saved several
an instinct for life saving like that Of
Newfoundland dog. l never calculate the
chances chances .s Of my own safety by sur, r.
the life-saving service and showing them
that their own system false made many Of
them my enemies. In 1869 ST. 900 worth Of presents
were given me by the visitors at Cape May My store
was fired by incendaries and a good part Of
the. city was burned down. lost all that
l had. / attribute the fire to the enmity
which had created against myself in the manner
alluded to. went again into the submarine diving
business, finding employment in the Gulf Of Mexico
When the Franco German war broke out in 1870
went to Europe and Joined the franc at Havre
hated discipline and would not belong to q regu-
lar corps During the whole war I served under
General Mocquard. l still have the rifle which
1 used then. 1t was given me in testimony
of my services. at Orleans. Limoges,
Rouen, Baalbeck and many little skirmishes
in the north Of France. After my return
to America, in 1871 went down to Atlantic City and
acted volunteer life was very success
full and during that winter worked my life pre-
serving apparatus. was engaged by the Camden
and Atlantic Railroad Company to organize life
saving service the coast, and the Of 1872
passed without the loss Of single life. Altogether
have saved seventyone lives on the New Jersey
coast yet for this service have received any
recognition either from the government from
societies. In the spring Of lS73 you know.
went to Europe on the Queen"