Show ThRILLING S OF f AN OLD DEEP E SEA SA DIVER Ive ve been in some mighty ticklish places said Moses Stearns the veteran Boston diver a few days ago and I 1 thoroughly understand what It Is to have cold chills coursing up and down my spine making my soy teeth chatter a thousand times a minute and my knees knock together like a pair of drum drumsticks drumsticks drumsticks sticks I 1 have been a diver since the war of the rebellion during which unpleasant unpleasantness I Iness ness fleas I served on en the little Monitor as a eo quartermaster took an active part in inthe Inthe Inthe the fight with the Merrimac and was wounded I was the government diver at the Charlestown navy yard a num number number ber bar of years previous to which time and since sizes I 1 have operated along the American Atlantic seaboard and on the northeastern coast of South America During my experiences I have haye brought to the surface over 1500 bodies from wrecks and from ponds and rivers Was I ever eyer frightened Yes I have been badly scared seared sev several several eral times Umes My first real fright was off the Island of in the Car Caribbean CarIbbean Caribbean sea I was employed to raise the cargo of ot a sunken vessel and work worked worked worked ed for four weeks on the job When called upon to accept the work I was a trifle loth for I was aware that those waters were infested with sharks and other large and dangerous fish but be being big ing iI g assured they would not molest me and my exchequer being very low I r agreed to do the work and started in Donning my armor annor one bright morn mornIng mornIng morning Ing I got over OV r the side of the boat and after admonishing my attendants to pull me up as aa fast as strength would I permit if they received a danger sig signal sigus nal naI us I began beyan to descend I had scarcely I gone feet teet when I saw a monstrous shark within a hundred feet of me Ugh how I felt Perspiration broke out all over me and I grew weak I was wasat wasat wasat at a loss to know what to do If I went up he might seize me by the legs and carry them off and I had bad no desire to part with such faithful servants The Theold Theold Theold old shark was laying to calmly watch watching w watchIng ing me and apparently wondering what kind of a fish I was He lie appeared to tobe tobe tobe be in hi a thoughtful mood and no doubt was speculating as to whether he had ever seen s n me before Now I had no ambition to become acquainted with his 1 hip I did not like the way wa he regarded me but I raise a fuss with him about it itI itI itI I thought of the air pipe and slender rope that supported me m and wondered whether the monster would tackle me or the lines either meaning me ning death I imagined there was another shark be behind behind behind hind me for I was fear stricken but I Idid Idid Idid did not dare to take my eyes eye from the hideous fish Fear is the most paralyzing of all emotions and I was the very ment merit of that emotion I was in sus suspense suspense pense for at least three minutes dur during during ing tog which time I 1 passed through an eternity of terror We speak peak lightly of you can gamble your last sou ecu that when we meet it it is a serious thing The great fish seem seemed d to have haye de determined upon something He began to fan his fins gently My time has come I said mentally RaisIng his head he started forward rd like Uke a flash I nerved myself for the shock but it was wan not at me inc he was aiming It was wail wasat wasat at one of the large air globules that rise from the vent ven in the top of the helmet He swallowed it at on one gulp then stopped In a moment he began bean to make involuntary offerings of erin to old Father Fath r Neptune for the bubble was an emetic to him He seemed to be satisfied with his lunch of compound oxygen and md hydrogen for he swam hurriedly away I 1 I bad had another cloe e call eai Charlestown navy nan yard In at iri twenty years ears or more the old Ohi Ohio o Ir r the receiving ship there and au b tl L q rotten that another substituted d the United ship Stat had hj fn t tG t Wabash She is moored a 8 few hUM hu yards 1 ards from the yard wharves the confluence of the Mr Charles Cherles rivers Her mooring 0 of five large iron cables at attached anchors sunk in the bed of or the n Well when the Ohio was w went want down donri and slipped sUpped the i when the Wabash was to be paced c and position I was engaged to do the w hi 1 I started in very Vet successfully work On tM the first Sst day made f fa t t ton two a on the shore share side of the ship The e it day I began work on the othor sid si 1 The tide runs very rapidly there t about six knots say ay an hour and the meeting mooting of the wate Af or both roT rivers a perfect maze of ol 1 and eddies is formed They The gj m a great deal of extra labor on ani a lo lot of ot trouble It was almost irn although carrying extra weight to n re tain thin my hold on the tho bed of the th river j While W making makin a cable fast I Was vas a whirled around round it several seval tim times s and made so o fast that I could coWd not n extricate myself I tried every moans m me ns I could devise but there was no way out oat oe of or it i I was about to give up all hope and j resign myself to death when wb n I hit hi upon a plan pl n a d 8 ens aM ne bt b t i resolved to attempt it oT the chains where the rop l Y was w ete to the boat I took ook tn The me line Itne and aed cut it then I cut it off near the helmet hehne TI r rupper upper line I fastened about mv mY There was nothing holding me to n tn I but the To tut ut it meant to shut off oft a 3 supply of air but y something must be done ilon and 50 so I ga gaa aA aAa a aa a vigorous vig rous danger da r signal and cut th the in twain There was a rush of ot water a set setting s ting headache hea I was ascending I b t came unconscious I was saved ho Po hoever ever If 1 had been rapidly pulled into int the boat bo t my helmet taken off as a quickly quick as possible restorative ap applied applied applied plied and I t recovered ns PETER S McNALLY M NALLY |