A DIVER’S EXPERIENCES.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 2502, 6 September 1890, Page 5

A DIVER’S EXPERIENCES.

Some; years ago, with two other divers, I went down near the Florida coast. The wreck, this time, was a ship, loaded mainly with cotton. She had struck on u bar during a hur ncaue, be/n blown completely o\er, and then had sunk in a channel inside the reef. The exact place was not known. Consequently, the only thing to do was to go down *r.d "hr. ut for her. JSo we started in twenty le<*t of water, and. all holding to one rope, so as not to low each other, separated, gradually walk ng down a hill into deeper water. I think we had goue about a hundred feet before I felt u twitch on one part of the line, and on looking around, I - j-.v ; .■•• ( rui large, black objects coming i or us. Bold re there was time to think, a school of porlK.iscs came dashing bv. I stood quite still. a-d probably they took me for u rock or other natural object, for one of them passed so closely J could have touched it, and another grazed the tub.'. But my companions tried another plan; they struck at the porpoises with their pikes. For a time we were in a regular school of these fishes, an 1 were afraid tbs tubes would bo fouled : but they left before long, and wo again took up our march. We must have walked an hour, I think, te lore we found the ship; and then she was so covered wit!i sand that we had corue upon her bulwarks before we knew it, thinking her a sandhill. All her masts had l»eeu carried away, and she was lviug upon her side, almost covered. Irortuliately, the hatches wore battened down or she would have Item tilled with sand. By the aid of crowbars we soon broke thorn off, and then we saw a curious sight. All the light cargo nearest the hatch began to rise, the inside air forcing out barrels, boxes, planks, aud bates of stuff in rapid succession, so that thero was a regular pre cession of objects climb':,g up from tho ill-fated ship. These were caught by the wreckers above us and hauled ashore. Thu place was a famous snot for Hshos, and many were beauties, being striped with bright gn*?n, yellow, blue, and red. Others had long streamers, and looked like the harlequins and columbines in pantomimes. 1 noticed that there was the greatest difference between them in their habits. 8 me were shy, aud darted away at the slightest motion ; while others seemed to think me a huge fish, acd came rear me as if curious to see what I was like. toward them.*' But most were shy. As to the , stories of sharks, they are in the main not true. I have had a shark come within five feet ot me, and when I raised my arm it darted off in a huirv that tlio boiling of tli« water nearly threw'mo off my feet. Of ooursc, there nwy I l>e cases where a very largo shark ruigut x a diver ; but if he should attack one v. earing th.; modem diver’s bedmet or armour. 1 think i the shark would have a hard time ot it—copper and glass would not make a very good mouthful. A friend of mine bad a funny experience i (the diver continued, seeing Ins audience was interested). He was walking along on a I sandy bottom, when puddenly ho whs lifted j upward, then thrown quickly backward, an. 1 if it hadn't been for his pJtc, he would huv - fallen over. For :■ few seconds the water was not clear Then lie saw that the cause of his unset was a big skate that had been 1; rug partly buried in the sand—asleep, perhaps. Its hid stooped with his leaden shoes right on its back Tam sure it would be hard to tell which was the most scared. Among the strange things that niav be seen by divers is the ocean forest, off ihe fiastero coast. The sandy bottom there is covered wilh the hardened roata of great trees, und in some instances parts of trunks ore standing, showing that the coast there must have settled, and that the sea has rolled iu over the land. Sometime* we gp down at night, and then the scene under water is often a beautiful sight. Every jelly tteh and living creature rooms to bo abl.tze with light: your ropo appears to be on fire, and every ) motion makes Ibe water glimmer. Ihe crabs and fishes sparkle, many with a light of their own. So, vou see, instead of b« ; ug a dark and barren place, as the majority of people acem to regard it, the ocean, even at tho greatest depths, is probably made blight by the very animal* that most need the light.