CHAPTER XXI.
THE DIVING BUSINESS.
In a little street that runs from Broadway, not far from Wall Street,there was a low doorway with dingy panes of glass, over which was a signwhich bore the following letters, somewhat faded:
BROCKET & CO., CONTRACTORS
About a month after his arrival at New York Brandon entered this placeand walked up to the desk, where a stout, thick-set man was sitting,with his chin on his hands and his elbows on the desk before him.
"Mr. Brocket?" said Brandon, inquiringly.
"Yes, Sir," answered the other, descending from his stool and steppingforward toward Brandon, behind a low table which stood by the desk.
"I am told that you undertake contracts for raising sunken vessels?"
"We are in that line of business."
"You have to make use of diving apparatus?"
"Yes."
"I understand that you have gone into this business to a larger extentthan any one in America?"
"Yes, Sir," said Brocket, modestly. "I think we do the leading businessin that line."
"I will tell you frankly my object in calling upon you. I have just comefrom the East Indies for the purpose of organizing a systematic plan forthe pearl fisheries. You are aware that out there they still cling tothe old fashion of diving, which was begun three thousand years ago. Iwish to see if I can not bring science to bear upon it, so as to raisethe pearl-oysters in larger quantities."
"That's a good idea of yours," remarked Mr. Brocket, thoughtfully.
"I came to you to see if you could inform me whether it would bepracticable or not."
"Perfectly so," said Brocket.
"Do you work with the diving-bell in your business or with armor?"
"With both. We use the diving-bell for stationary purposes; but when itis necessary to move about we employ armor."
"Is the armor adapted to give a man any freedom of movement?"
"The armor is far better than the bell. The armor is so perfect nowthat a practiced hand can move about under water with a freedom that issurprising. My men go down to examine sunken ships. They go in and outand all through them. Sometimes this is the most profitable part of ourbusiness."
"Why so?"
"Why, because there is often money or valuable articles on board, andthese always are ours. See," said Brocket, opening a drawer and takingout some silver coin, "here is some money that we found in an old Dutchvessel that was sunk up the Hudson a hundred years ago. Our men walkedabout the bed of the river till they found her, and in her cabin theyobtained a sum of money that would surprise you--all old coin."
"An old Dutch vessel! Do you often find vessels that have been sunk solong ago?"
"Not often. But we are always on the lookout for them," said Brocket,who had now grown quite communicative. "You see, those old ships alwayscarried ready cash--they didn't use bank-notes and bills of exchange. Soif you can only find one you're sure of money."
"Then this would be a good thing to bear in mind in our pearlenterprise?"
"Of course. I should think that out there some reefs must be full ofsunken ships. They've been sinking about those coasts ever since thefirst ship was built."
"How far down can a diver go in armor?
"Oh, any reasonable depth, when the pressure of the water is not toogreat. Some pain in the ears is felt at first from the compressed air,but that is temporary. Men can easily go down as far as fifteen orsixteen fathoms."
"How long can they stay down?"
"In the bells, you know, they go down and are pulled up only in themiddle of the day and at evening, when their work is done."
"How with the men in armor?"
"Oh, they can stand it almost as well. They come up oftener, though.There is one advantage in the armor: a man can fling off his weight andcome up whenever he likes."
"Have you ever been down yourself?"
"Oh yes--oftener than any of my men. I'm the oldest diver in thecountry, I think. But I don't go down often now. It's hard work, and I'mgetting old."
"Is it much harder than other work?"
"Well, you see, it's unnatural sort of work, and is hard on the lungs.Still, I always was healthy. The real reason why I stopped was acircumstance that happened two years ago."
"What was that?"
Brocket drew a long breath, looked for a moment meditatively at thefloor, and then went on:
"Well, there happened to be a wreck of a steamer called the _Saladin_down off the North Carolina coast, and I thought I would try her as aspeculation, for I supposed that there might be considerable money onboard one way or another. It was a very singular affair. Only two menhad escaped; it was so sudden. They said the vessel struck a rockat night when the water was perfectly still, and went down in a fewminutes, before the passengers could even be awakened. It may seemhorrid to you, but you must know that a ship-load of passengers is veryprofitable, for they all carry money. Besides, there are their trunks,and the clerk's desk, and so on. So, this time, I went down myself. Theship lay on one side of the rock which had pierced her, having floatedoff just before sinking; and I had no difficulty in getting on board.After walking about the deck I went at once into the saloon. Sir," saidBrocket, with an awful look at Brandon, "if I should live for a hundredyears I should never forget the sight that I saw. A hundred passengersor more had been on board, and most of them had rushed out of theirstate-rooms as the vessel began to sink. Very many of them lay on thefloor, a frightful multitude of dead.
"But there were others," continued Brocket, in a lower tone, "who hadclutched at pieces of furniture, at the doors, and at the chairs, andmany of these had held on with such a rigid clutch that death itself hadnot unlocked it. Some were still upright, with distorted features, andstaring eyes, clinging, with frantic faces, to the nearest objectthat they had seen. Several of them stood around the table. The mostfrightful thing was this: that they were all staring at the door.
"But the worst one of all was a corpse that was on the saloon table.The wretch had leaped there in his first mad impulse, and his hands hadclutched a brass bar that ran across. He was facing the door; his handswere still clinging, his eyes glared at me, his jaw had fallen, Thehideous face seemed grimacing at and threatening me. As I entered thewater was disturbed by my motion. An undulation set in movement by myentrance passed through the length of the saloon. All the corpses swayedfor a moment. I stopped in horror. Scarcely had I stopped when thecorpses, agitated by the motion of the water and swaying, lost theirhold; their fingers slipped, and they fell forward simultaneously. Aboveall, that hideous figure on the table, as its fingers were loosened, infalling forward, seemed to take steps, with his demon face still staringat me. My blood ran cold. It seemed to me as though these devils wereall rushing at me, led on by that fiend on the table. For the first timein my life, Sir, I felt fear under the sea. I started back, and rushedout quaking as though all hell was behind me. When I got up to thesurface I could not speak. I instantly left the _Saladin_, came homewith my men, and have never been down myself since."
A long conversation followed about the general condition of sunkenships. Brocket had no fear of rivals in business, and as hisinterlocutor did not pretend to be one he was exceedingly communicative.He described to him the exact depth to which a diver in armor mightsafely go, the longest time that he could safely remain under water, therate of travel in walking along a smooth bottom, and the distance whichone could walk. He told him how to go on board of a wrecked ship withthe least risk or difficulty, and the best mode by which to secure anyvaluables which he might find. At last he became so exceedinglyfriendly that Brandon asked him if he would be willing to give personalinstructions to himself, hinting that money was no object, and that anyprice would be paid.
At this Brocket laughed. "My dear Sir, you take my fancy, for I thinkI see in you a man of the right sort. I should be very glad to show anyone like you how to go to work. Don't mention money; I have actually gotmore now than I know what to do with, and I'm thi
nking of founding anasylum for the poor. I'll sell you any number of suits of armor, if youwant them, merely in the way of business; but if I give you instructionsit will be merely because I like to oblige a man like you."
Brandon of course expressed all the gratitude that so generous an offercould excite.
"But there's no use trying just yet; wait till the month of May, andthen you can begin. You have nerve, and I have no doubt that you'lllearn fast."
After this interview Brandon had many others. To give credibility tohis pretended plan for the pearl fisheries, he bought a dozen suitsof diving armor and various articles which Brocket assured him thathe would need. He also brought Cato with him one day, and the Hindudescribed the plan which the pearl-divers pursued on the Malabar coast.According to Cato each diver had a stone which weighed about thirtypounds tied to his foot, and a sponge filled with oil fastened aroundhis neck. On plunging into the water, the weight carried him down. Whenthe diver reached the bottom the oiled sponge was used from time to timeto enable him to breathe by inhaling the air through the sponge appliedto his mouth. All this was new to Brocket. It excited his ardor.
The month of May at last came. Brocket showed them a place in theHudson, about twenty miles above the city, where they could practice.Under his direction Brandon put on the armor and went down. Frank workedthe pumps which supplied him with air, and Cato managed the boat. Thetwo Brandons learned their parts rapidly, and Louis, who had the hardesttask, improved so quickly, and caught the idea of the work so readily,that Brocket enthusiastically assured him that he was a natural-borndiver.
All this time Brandon was quietly making arrangements for a voyage.He gradually obtained every thing which might by any possibility berequired, and which he found out by long deliberations with Frank and byhints which he gained by well-managed questions to Brocket.
Thus the months of May and June passed until at length they were readyto start.
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