A THRILLING ADVERTURE.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 395, 26 September 1884, Page 5

A THRILLING ADVERTURE.

■ !» ; Alfetto, a Spanish diver, met with a. remarkable adventure and had a very „. narrow escape recently while engaged in diving operations on the coast of; North Carolina, near the little town of; More head. . The . Atalanta, one of the best known coasting vessels in those parts/ was capsized in a .squall on. the 22nd of September, and sank just inside the bar. The owners of the craft contracted with a diving company to have her raised^ and to recover as- much of her cargo as was still serviceable. Alfetto and another diver were engaged to do the work. ; They made' several successful descents,: but on the fourth trip the Spaniard met|with the adventure of which we speak. His comrade signalled hastily to be drawn up, and when he had been haUled into the boat he related • how Alfetto had been seized by a monster white shark and carried off ; but scarcely had he done speaking when Alfetto rose from the water about fifty yards from the boat, and was . picked np insensible, with several holes punched in the metallic part of his diving • suit. Means were successfully adjopted to bring him round, and next day he [told the following story : — ". As .you know, 1 we had smade our fourth descent, and, while my companion clambered into the vessel, I waited, on the ground till he should attach tho cords to draw something out.! I was just about to signal to be drawnjup for a moment's rest, whon I noticed a shadowy body moving at some distance aljove me ap.d toward me. 'In a' moment eyery fish ' had, disappeared, the very crustacean lay still; upon the sand, and the cuttle fish scurried away as If ast as they qould. I was'not thinking of danger, and my first thought was that it was the shadow of a passing boat. , But suddenly a feeling of terror seized me ; I felt impelled '^to flee from something I knew not what ; a vague j horror seemed grasping after me such as | a child fancies when leaving a darkened room. By this time the shadow had come nearer and taken shape. I scarcely needed a glance to show me that it was a maneater, and of the largest size. Had I signalled to be drawn up then it would have been certain death. All I could do was to remain still until it left. It lay off twenty or twenty-five feet, just outside the rigging of the ship, its body motionless, its fins barely stirring the water about its gills. It was a monster as it was, but to add to the horror the pressure of the water upon my head made itap--pear as if pouring flames from its eyes and mouth, and every movement of its fins and tail seemed accompanied by a display of fireworks. I was sure the fish was thirty feet long, and so near that I could see its double row of white teeth. Involuntarily I shrunk closer to the side of the/vessel. But my last movement betrayed ' my presence. I saw the shining eyes fixed upon me ; its tail quivered, as it darted at me like a streak of light. I shrank closer to the side of the ship. I saw itturn on one side, its mouth open, and ' heard the teeth snap as it darted by me. It had missed me, but only for a moment. Tho sweep of its mighty tail had thrown me forward. I saw it turn, balance itself and its tail quivered as it darted at me again. There was no escape. It turned on its back as it swooped down on me like a hawk on a sparrow. The cavernous jaws opened, and the long shining teeth grated as they closed on my metal harness. It had me. I could feel its teeth grinding upon .my copper breastplate as it tried to bite me in two ; for fortunately it caught me just across the the middle, where I was best protected. Having seized me it went tearing through the. water. I could feel it bound forward at each stroke of its tail. Had it not been for my copper helmet my head would have been torn off by the rush through the water. I was perfectly conscious, but somehow I felt no terror at all. There was only a feeling of numbness. I wondered how long it would be before those teeth would crunch through, and whether they would strike, first into my back or my breast. Then I thought of Maggie and tho baby, and wondered who would take care of them, and if she would ever know what had become of me. All these thoughts passed through my brain hi an instant, but in that time the connecting air tube had been snapped and my head seemed ready to burst with pressure while the monster's teeth j kept crunching and grinding away upon | my harness. Then I felt the cold water beginning to pour in and heard the bubble, bubble, bubble, as tho air escaped into tlie creature's mouth. I began to hoar great guns, and to sco fireworks! and rainbows, and sunshine, and all kind of pretty things : then I thought I was floating away on a rosy summer cloud, dreaming to the sound of sweet music. Then all became blank. The shark might have eaton me then at his leisura, and I never would have been the wiser. Imagine my astonishment, then, when I opened my eyes on board this boat and saw you fellows around me. Yes, sir ! I thought I was dead and aie up, sure."