LEAVING SIAM.--LIFE UNDER THE OCEAN WAVE.
The time came for leaving Siam. Our friends had enjoyed their visit to
the Land of the White Elephant, and had seen many things that were full
of interest; they wished to remain longer, but they remembered there
were other countries to be seen, and other people whose manners and
customs they wished to learn from personal observation. So they prepared
to continue their journey.
Their next place of destination was Singapore. Between that city and
Bangkok there is a service of steamers each way about once a week; it is
somewhat irregular, as the movements of the ships depend more or less
upon the amount of freight offering and the facility of obtaining
cargoes. The steamers are under the Siamese flag; some of them belong to
the government, while the others are the property of Chinese or Siamese
merchants established at Bangkok. All of them are small, to make sure of
passing the bar at the mouth of the Menam, and their passenger
accommodations are rather limited.
[Illustration: THE DOCTOR GETTING READY.]
The distance from Bangkok to Singapore is about eight hundred miles;
and, as the ships are not built for speed, the voyage usually takes from
four to five days. Our friends engaged passage on the _Bang Yong Seng_,
and were told to be on board by seven o'clock in the morning of the day
fixed for departure. The steamer was at her dock about a mile above the
hotel, and consequently Doctor Bronson and the boys proposed to leave
the hotel soon after six o'clock, in order to be in season. When they
suggested their plan to Captain Salje, the proprietor of the
establishment, the latter laughed, and said he would have breakfast
ready for them at half-past six, and then they would have an abundance
of time.
"How can that be?" the Doctor asked.
"Very easy to explain," the captain responded. "The river is so narrow
that the steamer cannot turn around where she is. She backs down below
here, and does it very slowly, and you need not go to the dock at all.
You can have your baggage ready, and when we see her coming you can pull
out with the boat and drop along-side. The gangway-ladder will be down,
and you can get on board and have your baggage handed up without the
least trouble."
This plan was quite to the taste of the party of travellers, and they
adopted it at once. It was carried out to perfection; and the boys
pronounced it much better than being obliged to breakfast at a
disagreeably early hour, and then pulling up the stream. The consul came
to see them off; and as the steamer passed the consulate, the flag of
their country was dipped in farewell honor to Doctor Bronson and his
young companions. The steamer turned a little below the consulate, and
headed her prow for the sea; and she steamed steadily onward, till at
length she left the Menam behind her and entered the waters of the Gulf
of Siam.
The boys sat on the deck of the steamer, and watched the low coast as it
slowly receded from view. Flocks of birds filled the air, or settled on
the marshy shores, where the scattered palm-trees waved their tufted
heads. There was a faint ripple of surf breaking on the beach, or
forming in long lines where the waters were shallow. The sky was clear,
and the sun filled the atmosphere with a flood of light; while it made
the shelter of the awning indispensable to the comfort of the young
travellers.
[Illustration: COAST OF SIAM, NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER.]
Although the steamer was of light draught, she stirred the mud from the
bottom as she crossed the bar at the mouth of the Menam; she left a long
trail of discolored water behind her, but it disappeared as she steamed
onward and left the shores of Siam fading in the distance. While the
boys were busy with their contemplation of the scene, the Chinese
steward of the steamer came to tell them dinner was ready. They went
below, and were soon seated at the cabin table.
[Illustration: WATER-FOWL OF SIAM.]
The passengers were not numerous. Besides the Doctor and his young
friends, there were only two others in the cabin, and it did not take
long for them to form an acquaintance. One of the twain was a German
merchant living at Bangkok, and the other was a personage who reminded
the boys a little of their old friend, "the Mystery." He was affable,
and inclined to free conversation; and though they could not at first
make him out, they found themselves attracted towards him.
When they went on deck after dinner, the stranger followed; and by
invitation of Doctor Bronson, he drew his chair near them.
In the course of the rambling talk that ensued, Fred wondered if there
were any pearls in the Gulf of Siam. Frank quickly responded that it was
Ceylon, and not Siam, where the most of the pearls of commerce were to
be found.
The remark about pearls led to a discussion of the mode of gathering
them. Very naturally something was said about the methods of going
beneath the waves of the sea.
The stranger joined in the conversation, and it was not long before he
developed much more than a casual knowledge of the business under
consideration.
"I may as well introduce myself," he remarked, "and then we will be able
to talk freely. I am known as Captain Johnson, and have been around the
Eastern seas for the past twenty years. I am an Englishman by birth, and
have been captain of a ship trading between London and Singapore; but at
present I am a wrecker."
Doctor Bronson replied to this introduction by handing his own card to
Captain Johnson, and introducing the two youths by name.
The boys showed by the expression of their faces that they were not
altogether familiar with the peculiarities of the stranger's occupation;
evidently he perceived it, for he proceeded to explain what a wrecker
was.
"Properly speaking," said he, "a wrecker is a man who lives on a
dangerous coast, and makes a living by assisting wrecked vessels, and
saving what can be saved from their cargoes. My occupation is something
like his, but not exactly; he works above the waters, while I go below
them."
"Go below the water to save a ship!" said Fred, in astonishment. "How
can you save a ship in that way?"
The question led to an explanation that lasted through the entire
afternoon and evening. We will endeavor to give the substance of it, as
nearly as possible, in the words of Captain Johnson.
"Life beneath the ocean wave," said he, after he was comfortably
balanced in his chair, "has many features of interest. In my profession
of wrecking I have seen much that does not ordinarily happen to a man; I
am sorry I cannot remember all that has come under my observation, but
perhaps it is just as well, as I might remember too much, and so weary
you."
Frank assured him it would take a longer period than they were likely to
pass together on the ship for him to become weary of stories of the sea.
Fred echoed the remark, and thus the captain was encouraged to proceed.
"Thanks to men of science and ingenuity," the captain continued, "we
have made great progress in going beneath the water in the last
twenty-five years. Formerly a man could only stay below as long as he
could hold his breath, and of course this prevented his descending to
any great depth. With the diving apparatus now in use he can go far
below the surface, and remain there for hours."
[Illustration: A WRECK AMONG THE BREAKERS.]
The boys opened their eyes very wide at this assertion, but they did not
interrupt the story by saying what they thought.
[Illustration: PEARL-FISHER ATTACKED BY A SHARK.]
"The fisher for pearls in the primitive way has no apparatus beyond a
stone attached to a cord, a basket slung around his neck to hold the
pearl-oysters, and a knife to detach them from the bottom, and also to
defend himself from sharks. At the moment of diving he fills his lungs
with air and grasps the cord, and as he does so the stone is thrown from
the side of the boat by his assistant. The weight of the stone carries
him down; he gathers as many oysters as he can while the air in his
lungs holds out, and then he shakes the cord as a signal to be drawn up.
Sharks abound in the regions where the pearl is found, and not
infrequently they seize the poor diver as he rises to the surface. His
only mode of escape is by rapid movement; and you can readily see that
he is at a great disadvantage, as he is out of his proper element, and
in that of the shark.
"The diving-bell was the first invention to improve on the old process;
it consisted of a wide-mouthed bell large enough to contain one or two
men, who stood or were seated inside. If you put a tumbler into the
water with the mouth downwards, you will perceive, as you press below
the surface, that the air within keeps the water from rising."
The boys nodded assent to the captain's remark.
"In this way the air remains in the bell, and until it becomes foul the
divers suffer no particular inconvenience. But as soon as it has been
breathed so as to cause a sense of suffocation they must be drawn up, or
they will die.
"Then somebody arranged an air-pump so as to connect with the bell, and
by constantly working this pump the foul air was expelled, and new air
came in to supply its place. By this process the men could remain some
time below; but they could not leave the bell, and their operations were
confined to the space covered by its mouth. It is a curious fact that
the first diving-bell was invented by a spider, and not by a man."
"Invented by a spider!" the two boys exclaimed in a breath.
"Yes, invented by a spider," the captain continued.
"Why, how can that be?" Frank asked.
[Illustration; NESTS OF THE WATER-SPIDER.]
"The water-spider builds a house of silk in the shape of a bell, and
anchors it to the roots of the grasses that grow several feet under the
water. Having finished his dwelling, he proceeds to stock it with air.
For this purpose he comes to the surface, takes a bubble of air under
his abdomen and carries it to the house, where he releases it, and
allows it to rise into the cavity where he wants it. He repeats the
operation till he has filled it with air, and then he has a satisfactory
home for his family.
[Illustration; DIVERS IN THEIR ARMOR.]
"Now the diving-bell is on this principle, with the advantage of not
being stationary, and also with the greater advantage that the air can
be renewed when it becomes foul. But the modern armor dispenses with the
bell; the head of the diver is covered with an air-tight helmet with a
plate of glass in front, so that the man can see what is about him, and
the air is kept fresh by means of an air-pump and a flexible tube of
india-rubber. There are several forms of this apparatus, some of them
having a metallic knapsack, where the air is received before it goes to
the helmet, while others dispense with the knapsack, and carry the air
directly to the head of the man who is to breathe it. Sometimes, where
the depth is slight, and he is not to remain long below, the diver does
not use the helmet at all, but simply holds a tube in his mouth, through
which a stream of air is driven to him."
Frank asked how the man wearing this armor managed to sink in the water,
and retain his perpendicular position. According to his experience,
there was a tendency of the feet to fly upwards as soon as the body was
in the water, especially where it was salt instead of fresh.
"That is provided for," said Captain Johnson, "by giving the diver a
pair of shoes with soles of lead. They are so heavy that when he is out
of water he can lift his feet with difficulty; but when he goes below,
the specific gravity of the water makes them much lighter. He can then
step around, and at the same time his equilibrium is maintained."
"How long can a man stay under water with the apparatus you have
described?" Fred asked.
[Illustration: DIVERS AT WORK.]
"From one to two hours," was the reply; "according to the depth and
condition of the water. If it is very cold, he will be chilled in a
little while, and must come up to get warm again; and if he has to hold
himself against a strong current he will find his strength leaving him,
and must make a signal to be drawn to the surface. I have been two hours
under, at a depth of eighty feet, and felt no inconvenience; but when I
came up I was not able to go down again for several hours."
"Can you go down in the open sea in this way," said Fred, "or must you
always be where the water is quiet?"
[Illustration: DIVING OVER THE SIDE OF A STEAMER.]
"As to that," the captain responded, "it is impossible to answer in a
single word. The most of our operations are in rivers and harbors, or in
bays more or less shallow. Sometimes at sea it is necessary to examine
the bottom of a ship, in order to stop a leak or repair some other
damage. In such a case the ship is stopped, and a ladder is lowered near
the place to be examined; a man goes down in his submarine armor without
difficulty, and, though the water must be reasonably smooth to allow him
to do so safely, I have known it to be done when there was quite a heavy
sea on. The general rule is, that, unless the sea is smooth enough to
allow a boat to lie along side for the purpose of assisting the diver,
it is not wise to send him below. Divers are their own judges of such
matters, and will naturally refuse to descend if the risk is too great.
"Once in awhile we have cases of diving in the open ocean. Do you
remember the loss of the steamship _Japan_, on the coast of China, in
December, 1874?"
The boys said they had heard about it while they were in China, but
could not remember anything particular about the affair.
"Well," continued the captain, "the _Japan_ was burnt at sea, one
hundred and thirty-five miles north-east of Hong-kong, and fifty miles
from Swatow. The nearest land was Breaker Point, twenty miles away, and
the water where the wreck sunk was twenty-three fathoms, or one hundred
and thirty-eight feet deep. The _Japan_ had about three hundred and
fifty thousand dollars in silver on board, and the underwriters at
Hong-kong who had insured it determined to make an effort for its
recovery. For this purpose they engaged Captain Roberts, who was a
well-known wrecker on the coast of China, and set him at work.
"A schooner and a small steamer were bought, and in January, 1875,
Captain Roberts began looking for the wreck. He dragged the bed of the
ocean for four or five weeks before he found anything; but at last he
was successful, and discovered one of the paddle-wheels of the ship. It
was some time later before he found the wreck of the ship, as it proved
to have drifted eleven miles south-west of the spot where the wheel had
dropped off."
"How could that be?" Frank exclaimed.
"It was because the wind was blowing very strong at the time from the
north-east, and after the wheel fell off the ship was driven on before
the gale till it had burnt low enough to sink. It took from March to
July to find the wreck after the wheel was discovered, and then they
immediately began operations for getting at the sunken treasure.
"The south-west monsoon blows from March till September, and it was only
during this monsoon that the divers could work. On the 12th of that
month the monsoon ceased, and Captain Roberts had not been able to get
at the treasure, which was contained in an iron tank in the hold of the
ship. He thought the whole enterprise would end there, and the _Japan_
and her three hundred and fifty thousand dollars would remain
undisturbed at the bottom of the sea. It was not likely that the
underwriters would incur the expense of another expedition the following
year, when the chances of recovering anything were so doubtful.
"The diver went down for the last time; and while he was below the crew
were making preparations to hoist anchor, and be off for Hong-kong as
soon as he rose.
"Suddenly he signalled to be pulled up, and they hoisted away. As he
rose he held a lump of something in his hand, and passed it to Captain
Roberts, who was standing on the deck of the schooner.
"It was a lump that looked like coal; but it was heavier than coal by a
great deal. Examination showed that it was a mass of twenty-four silver
dollars, all melted and charred together, but still distinguishable as
dollars.
"The question was settled. The wreckers retired to Hong-kong during the
six months that the north-east monsoon blows, and in the following March
they returned to their work. In 1876 they recovered about twenty-five
thousand dollars; and in the two following years the whole of the
treasure was secured. It was one of the finest wrecking operations ever
known. And here is one of the dollars that lay for three years at the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean."
As he spoke, Captain Johnson drew from his pocket an American
trade-dollar bearing the date 1874. It was quite black from the effect
of its long immersion in the ocean, but otherwise was as perfect as when
it came from the mint at San Francisco. The boys were greatly interested
in this curious coin, and so was Doctor Bronson. It was passed from one
to the other of the trio, and the boys were for some minutes so
thoroughly engrossed in examining it that they had no attention to
bestow on anything else.
[Illustration: CORAL-FISHING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.]
Frank wished to know whether there was any coral or other curious
products of the sea where the wreck of the _Japan_ was lying at the
bottom of the ocean.
[Illustration: THE CORAL-WORM.]
Captain Johnson told him there was nothing of the kind in that
particular spot, but that a great deal of coral was to be found in the
tropical waters of the Far East. "The best coral," said he, "comes from
the Mediterranean; other parts of the world produce it in much larger
quantities, but it is not generally fine enough to be wrought into
jewellery, like that from the northern coast of Africa. Can you tell me
what coral is?"
[Illustration: CUP-CORAL AND BRAIN-CORAL.]
Frank answered that coral was a substance produced by a small insect
which works under the water, and produces a substance somewhat
resembling stone. There are many varieties of it, and the work of the
coral insect is usually in the form of branches--like a small tree
without leaves. There are also formations known as cup-coral and
brain-coral, on account of their shape and general appearance.
Fred said he had read somewhere that in the Pacific Ocean there were
islands of solid coral; and there were also reefs surrounding islands
like great walls. Some of these walls were hundreds of miles in extent,
and kept ships from approaching the land.
"Can you tell me what an atoll is?" said the captain, with a smile.
The boys had both heard of an atoll, but at the moment they were unable
to describe it. So the captain came to their relief, and explained it to
them.
"An atoll," said he, "is a circular island or reef, with an opening on
one side, with water that is usually deep enough for the largest ships
to enter. The strip of land or coral is a few hundred yards wide, and
often covered with palm and other trees; and there are sometimes
hundreds of atolls in a single group. They vary in size from half a mile
to forty or fifty miles in diameter, and the lake or lagoon inside is
from one to four hundred feet in depth. Ships may sail around in these
lagoons, and they often abound in fish of many varieties. The contrast
between the rough ocean outside and the calm lake within is very
impressive, and will never be forgotten by one who has observed it."
[Illustration: AN ATOLL IN THIS PACIFIC OCEAN.]