Show d gimmi 0 af 4 w v M I 1 1 adventurers CLUB I 1 I 1 k I 1 k I 1 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 HEADLINES FROM I 1 I 1 OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF 1 divers down doom ELLO EVERYBODY hyou HELLO you know theres been a lot said about the hio heroism e rolsy of the lads who go down to the sea in ships and we well ll 11 we all know that those lads deserve all the credit we can give them but its the lad who goes down under the sea into ships who catches my fancy sooner or later there comes a time in any sailors life when lie he runs up against a tough combination of circumstances that well agree to As a matter of fact its a lucky sailor whose life been in danger at least three or four times in his career on the sea but a divers life is in danger almost every time ho he screws on his helmet and goes under the water facing danger is his trade and today one of those deep diving professional danger facers fabers is going to tell us the story odthe of the biggest thrill of his career so stand by the pumps boys and girls hes ready to go frank grissinger Is his name and ho he lives in brooklyn N Y and the worst jam frank was ever in in his life he says as s when ho he went down into tho the sea off the lighthouse at now new bedford mass to raise the foundered tugboat tug boat albert J stone down in 14 fathoms of water jack gardner another veteran diver was franks partner on that job on october 16 lifts they got the call and were off on the wrecking tug resolute to raise the albert stone which had gone down in 14 fa thomi of water the resolute Ile solute was only doing the preliminary work the huge derrick ship monarch was to pick up tip tho the tug and raise it bodily out of the water but first the divers had to g get et slings under her hull bull and make connections so that tho the boiler could be oiled filled with air making the tug rise more easily the resolute located the tug slings were hauled under its hull and they were all ready to tackle the boiler that was franks job and he went down until his heavy iron shoes hit the hull of the tug groping hla his way along the deck frank found the door of the fire room and went 1 j t W K 1 IMP M 3 a 0 ta 1 zi M rv ei aa wa z I 1 V I 1 r 1 I 1 1 1 6 I 1 1 1 I was wedged in tight down the ladder it was dark as a tomb down there and the only sound was tho the air circulating through his exhaust valve with arms outspread frank started tor for the boiler until he met an obstruction feeling of it frank realized it was an aa iron floor door grating that thai had become dislodged and lay blocking tho the passageway it was the heavy to lift but it lay at an angle leaving an opening at one side frank measured the space with his arms and decided he could crawl through it frank started through but his lifeline life line une held him back he pulled it 1 to get more slack and pulled the grating down on top of himl him says franks frank 1 I was wedged in tight using my hands and knees as a brace I 1 tried to rise up under it but it would only give about a foot in desperation I 1 used up nearly all my strength fought that grat ing until I 1 was almost exhausted then panic seized me what if I 1 dislodge myself what abat it if the steam air compressor broke down what it if a storm arose and cut us adrift breaking the air line through which I 1 was breathing and what was even more probable a menace was that we the tender getting no response to his signals might try to pull me up by main force breaking both life and air lines and leaving me there to drown beads of perspiration rolled off my forehead into my eyes and there more was no way to wipe them away I 1 was nen nearly aly blind but I 1 realized that hat I 1 must remain calm maybe help would reach me how I 1 know I 1 signal the tender there were too many ang angles les in the line that thai led to the surface ile ho began shifting his position about that time frank began thinking of things thinking of all sorts of things but particularly of all those things that were nearest dearest to his heart lie ile wanted to live and he bo going to give ap without a fight lie ile began shifting his position to see ace how bow far he could move turning to the right he be could kick one side of the tug with his iron shoes moving to the left he found that only his br breastplate and helmet were jammed then he says 1 I thought of trying to roll and that move nearly cost me my lite life I 1 began turning my body slowly inch by inch and then horrors tho the helmet was not turning with me I 1 wa was s unscrew unscrewing in 9 it as I 1 moved had I 1 continued it would have come off and I 1 would have drow drowned ned where I 1 lay frank rolled back again with every ounce of f strength in his bis body his life ilfe tor for the moment screwing the threads up tightly ind and saving then all at once he lost consciousness the ordeal of mental torture combined with the pressure of the water had been too much for him franks frank I 1 ts male jack gardiner finished the story for him the next thing frank knew he was coming to in a bunk on the resolute with jack a sitting beside him and heres the tale tala jack told no response to tender signal T thirty hirty minutes minute s after frank had gone down the men on the resolute began to get worried about him the tender signaled to him on the line but got nit no response rea jack gardiner r tried held tight they even to draw frank up but the line get a foot of slack on it jack gardiner began then they knew something was wrong ile he screwed on his is helmet and went his diving togs putting on franks line and air down to the deck of the tug following into the tugs fire room an and d feeling hose he made his way down his way ay around aroun dhe he found the grating with franks line disappearing b behind it slice bar and using tant as a lever he jack had found a fi remans to boost minutes of only a matter frank loose after that it was pried to the tender to haul away signal the him the ladder and give cae up said that was a close call but jack when it was all over better luck hick next frank time answered th there ere joing to be any next time and to make mak e a living than diving divine to look for a better way im going boat that had diving for a he was frank of I 1 heard but the last blood diving must be in his sunk in new york harbor I 1 guess service copyright |