676 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



engaged in the recovery of the valuable dry dock at Pensacola 

 Bay. In the passionate destructiveness which was so violently 

 manifested by the South at the commencement of the civil 

 war, as children in their rage destroy their own playthings, this 

 structure was burned to the water's edge and sunk. Afterward 

 a company was formed to raise it. It was built in compartments, 

 and this method of construction, which originally was intended 

 to prevent it from sinking, now served to prevent it from 

 floating. Each one of the small water-tight compartments, 

 now they were filled, kept it down. It was necessary to break 

 into the lower side of each of them, and allow the water to 

 flow evenly into them. 



The interior of the hull was full of these boxes. Huge 

 beams and cross-ties intersected each other at right angles, 

 forming the frame-work of this honeycombed interior. It 

 was necessary to break through the outside of these, and it 

 was a most difficult and tedious job, under water. The net- 

 work of beams was so close that the passage between barely 

 admitted the diver's body. Into one of these holes the divei 

 crawled. The work of tearing off the casing occupied him an 

 hour or more, and when it was done, he thought to back out 

 of his place. But he found he could not. The armor about 

 his head and shoulders, acting like the barb of a hook, caught 

 him ; he could pass in, but he could not pass out. In vain 

 attempts to twist himself out he spent so much time that the 

 ^en above began to be alarmed and increased their work at 

 the pump. The air came surging down, and swelled up his 

 armor, so that he was more effectually caught than ever. 

 He signalled for the pump to stop. The cock at the back of 

 his helmet, to let the air out, was out of his reach. His only 

 chance was to open his dress round the wrists, where the 

 sleeves were tied. This he set out to do, but suddenly found 

 himself affected by breathing over the air in his armor. The 

 carbonized air began to affect him, making his mind dreamy, 



