The Experiences of a Diver.

Hastings Standard, Issue 188, 4 December 1896, Page 4

The Experiences of a Diver.

The quality that a diver needs more than any other is pre : en^ l of mindWithout a man po-. >es this, he should new r ei;U r a diving-suit; for if ilii re is any place in the world wheiv one wants a clear head, it is under water. There i- an uncanny feeling ahor.t the bottom of the sea, a lonesenot'i'.ess that cause-; one to start at the sudden appearance of a dark mass of rock, or the unexpected touch of a sea linger, and a vague feeling of apprehension that something may come out of the blue of the distance. Far removed from actual communication with other human beings, in a vast, strange world, where every form is so di lie re nt from earthly conditions that it seems unnatural ; living under an abnormally high pressure, which in itself alters the aspect of things, the of loneliness, combined with a certain dread, is at times awful. The timid man on earth may keep up his spirits with a lively whistle, but a diver cannot even do that : as, for some reason, it is not possible to whistle inside a diving dress, lie may hum or sing, to be sure, only that takes 100 much breath, and in the end he settles down to listening to his own quick breathing, and the distant thump of the pump above. Neither can diving be called a healthy occupation. Deafness, incipient paraly-is and rheumatism are common features; while divers with any inclination towards lung or heart diserse live but a few months. The ,!<•/Y. of the Australian pearl fisheries, however, are the terrible cyclones that yearly visit the coast. To those is due to the los.s of more property and the death of more divers than ail the other causes combined. Sharks are not nearly as black as they are painted. Though plentiful, and with a decided liking for native divers, they have l never known to attack a man in a divss. In spite of this fact, one cannot help feeling frightened when one conies face to face with the tiger of the sea: particularly when, through the maguiiieaticn of the water and the face-glass, the tidi is ahuo-t doable in size. One's lir>t thou-'ht on seeing a shark is to be pulled up or to take to your heals ; but. as fish have suliicient human 1,-rin • about them to want a thing as :-oon as they see it being taken away, it is safer hj» stand pi rfectly still. In fear that my bare hand- might .ittact the maneating propensity that sharks are supposed to have, I invariably tucked tlusu carefully under my breast-weight and when the iish had disappeared, gave the signal to ascend, kicking violently all the way up. If a diver remains quiet, he is quickly surrounded by an admiring crowd of ti-h, opening their eves and mouths like curious countrymen. The smaller ones have assurance enough to nibble at his fingers ; but let him throw up his arms, and with a flourished of tails they vanish. As the pearling licet is dependent to a certain extent upon fish for food, the diver never misses an opportunity to bag anything edible. Craviish are easily caught, and make quite an agreeable addition to the ordinary diet. Turtles, too, are plentiful, and being fresh meat are valued more than fi h. The memory of my iirst tu-~!e with one of these animals (says 11. Phelps Whitworih. in the Strand Magazine) is impressed very vividly on my mind. I had been told to approach the creature quietly from behind, grasp the edges of the shell, then lift it quickly to my chest, and give the signal to be pulled up. J*>y so doing, 1 was given to understand that the turtle's head, being pointed upward, could not move in any other direction ; and that, therefore, the journey to the surface would be a short one, as the turtle's flippers would be powerful enough to take me up without any other aid. Accordingly, when I saw my first turtle, feeding quietly on a patch of sea - grass some distance ahead, I mode a circuitous patch and crept cautiously up behind it. By the size of the barnacles on its back I knew it was an old one, and it looked tremendous; but I put that down to the faceglass. When I was within a few yards of the game, whether it was the bubbles from my escape valve or the heavy tread of my 3'2-pounder.s that scared it, is a question ; but suddenly up shot the turtle's head. I ducked immediately behind a sponge-growth, and crouched there with beating heart, fearing that my opportunity was gone. In a few moments he resumed eating, and without waiting for further developments, I made a run and a jump and landed fairly on the turtle's back. In stretching out my hands to get under the shell I must have fumbled. Before I had a chance to raise the monster I felt my feet being dragged over the bottom, and a moment later I awoke to the fact that my intended capture had captured me, and was swimming away with me at astonishing speed. Away we went, the turtle trying to leave me behind and I hanging on with might and main. In vain I tried to point the old fellow's head towards the boat—he would have none of u. Drop, I dare not ; for the bottom was out of sight, and I feared j should fall heavily. Signal I could not : my hands were very much engaged. While in this state of uncertainty we came to the end of our tether •—the limit of the life-line. Then there was a sudden jerk, and we parted company. The turtle continued on his way and I fell headlong down. Luckily I struck on a large spongegrowth. and thus broke my fall : but I was a good deal shaken up, and was hauled up looking very seedy and feeling sure that it would be a long t me before I tackled another turtle. Fishing on the bottom is carried on to quite rn extent. Leaving one end of the line in charge of a " boy on deck, the diver descends with hook and bait and conceals himself among the rocks and sea growth. Instead of cropping his book, after the usual

method of fisherman, he floats it a few feet above his head, by moans of a piece of wood brought down for the purpose. If a shark or other objectionable fish heaves in sight, he hauls down his colors in double-quick time ; but if it be a rock cod, aschnapper, or any of the large edible fish which abound in those waters, he tightens up his escape valve for a minute, lest a bubble frighten the fish, and hangs on to the line with both hands. As s«,on as the fish has the hook fairly in its mouth, a sharp pull hooks it, and at a signal to the "boy" above, the big fellow goes struggling to the surface. One of the most ludicrous and yet annoying things that happen to a diver is the discovery that a tly or other insect has been screwed up inside the dress. It is bad enough for his nose to itch, and be unable to scratch it, or for him to find something in his eye and be without the means of taking it out ; but when a fly that has been concealed in some part of the dress begins to crawl deliberately over his face, and play hide-and-seek up his nostrils, it is simply maddening. It is useless to butt the face-glass or wildly knock your head against the inside of the helmet, or to make hideous faces, for all this only tends to make the insect more lively, and hurries it, in its excitement, into your ear or elsewhere. The only thing to be done in such a case is to shut eyes and mouth as closely as can be, and give the signal to ascend.