The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-24 00:00:00

DIVING VISIT TO THE WRECK OF THE;

BRITISH FRIGATE HUSSAR.

A day or two ago, our reporter visited the wreck
or rather the scene of the wreck of the British frigate Hus-
sar, sunk near New York, in the East river, above Hell
Oate, upwards of seventy years ago. This forty-four gun
frigate, as many of our readers know, was a storeship sent
over by the British government, in the revolutionary strug-
gle, both to assist in subjugating the insurgents, as a ship of
war, and to bring. supplies of arms, ammunition, and
money. While passing up the Sound, on the 15th of De-
cember, 1780, she struck on Pot Rock, in Hell Galant
was immediately run towards the shore, at Stoney
which is upwards of a mile further up, on the WesteheaSar
side. She had gotten within filly yards of the igensiong
the officers and crew had just time to take to their Nall
and gain the shore, when she went down in eightriee hen
of water, with all that she contained, including segsaty
American prisoners, confined below, some of whose ads-
tons, still an irons, were fuund in one of the many diving
operations carried ou in removing the wreck. That the
Hussar when she sunk contained a large sum of money,
In silver and gold, is well known. The amount is stated at
two millions of dollars. The loss was severely felt by the
British army, as the ship contained the soldiers' pay, and
various supplies greatly needed ; and no doubt it was one of
those; Providential occurrences by which God himself
fought for American freedom.
Efforts have been made at sundry times sine*,
up the wreck and obtain what money and eel
111Mildsted: About forty years ago, the first attemi .of tb.
kind was made by an agent of the British government, but
without success. Another was made in 1819, by Mr. Davis,
sad another in 1825, by Major Baird. It will be in the re-
collection of our readers that a company was forme I, and
the sum of, we believe, 30,000 dollars spent in unavailing
operations, and the company was finally broken up. All
these aura failed from want of the proper apparatus which
the discoveries of sciencehave since supplied. The diving-
bell has been long in use, but all who have seen and especi-
ally those who have used it, know that it is a very heavy and
cumbrous affair, and a man enclosed in it can do very
little work under the water, and in very deep water
scarcely anything at all. He cannot move about freely
under the water, or use any active exertion with his
hands. The invention of the submariuo armour, by the late
Captain Taylor, has supplied the defect. With this appa-
Daus he worked at the wreck a short time before his death,
end did much for so brief a period. Wo should mention,
fa this connexion, that before he moved in the matter he
went to England, and ascertained, from the archives of the
nowitry, everything that the ship contained when she sunk.
Bat it was not till last year that anything effectual had been
imasomplishcd, when Messrs. Pratt, Howe, and Co., of Bos-
ton, undertook the task and went at it in right earnest.
Mr. Pratt is the successor of Captain Taylor and possesses
his right to operate on the wreck, and also the exclusive
right to use his apparatus, excepting the Visited States go-
vernment. Mr. 1 ratt is a practical diver himself, and was
taught the art by Captain Taylor for many years. The sub-
marine armour enables a diver to descend to any depth and
move about on the bottom with perfect ease, and its con-
struction is such that an unlimited supply of fresh air can
be communicated, so that a person may remain for hears
under water and come up as day as when lie went down.
Hence the great success that has attended the operations of
l'ratt and Howe. In two seasons they have accomplished
more than was achieved in belie century. List year they sue-
cooled in raising a large quantity of the wreck, together with
arms, ammunition, and other articles. This season their
success is still greater, and all the decks are now removed,
except the lower one, beneath which the treasure lies.
Even that is penetrated, and tho divers have actually
worked their way through her bottom ; but the gnat ab-
ject is now to remove the entire of the lower deck, sad so
to gut the wreck that the strong current of water may
sweep away the mud that is collected in her. They tea
only work about aix months in the year at the furthest--
namely, from May till November, and only at low and high,
water—in other words, when there is slack water, as tis
current is so great at all other times that it is impossible to
do anything. In the longer days, they arc generally ea.
abled to work three tides ; in the shorter days, but two.
There could hardly be a more difficult place to operate. It
is below Hell Gate, where the water rushes with such im-
petuosity, and the two tides, the one by the Sound and the
other by Sandy Hook, meet thereabout; and, what is curi-
ous, one current will run in one direction at the bottom,
and the other in the opposite direction at the top, at the
eine time.

to break

Stoney Island, opposite to which the wreck lies, was
awe a small island, as its name imports; but
separated by so narrow and so shallow a stripe of
water, from Manhattan Island, that the internal
has been since filled up. It is nearly opposite
Mott Raven. The shore is so bold that a person can walk
right off the land into seventy or eighty feet of water. The
island is owned by Governor Morris and will henceforth be
called Morris Island.

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A schooner is moored with chain cables and anchors oyes
the spot where the wreck lies and the operations are per-
formed from her deck. Seven or eight men are employed.
The submarine armour consists of strong Indiarubber, and
Is divided into two parts ; one, the troweers and boots, and
the other the jacket, which after being put on are joined
together by means of two copper rims, between which the
edges of the two garments are inserted and secured by
means of buttons, fastened by a wrench, so as to be au-
tight, and so as that the two become one coat of mail. The
wrists are lapped tightly so as to exclude the air. Attached
to the neck of the jacket is a copper helmet, which protects
the head from the pressure of the water, and serves at the
same time for the insertion of the air tube for the admission
of fresh air and the valve for the omission of foul air. In
the face of the helmet is inserted a strong piece of glass for
the purpose of enabling the diver to see objects, but in the
present ease, on account of the great depth of the water,
and the current, it is useless, us nothing can be seen below
40 feet. When the diver is encased in this submarine
armour, he presents as curious a spectacle as can well be
conceived. If the inhabitants of the deep had any idea
about the devil, we have no doubt they would imegine
it was he if they saw the diver, and swim away ism
his satanic majesty as fast as they could. It Is mid
that oven sharks arc scared almost to death by the ap-
pearance. It is necessary to hang weights to the antonne Of
about one hundred pounds around the armour, se m 1111
counterpoise the effeet of the air that is pumped he.
It by means of a force pump, and sink the dime, whisk
is a rather slow operation, especially near the beam, owing
LA the great pressure of the water. It requires ewe men
pumping at the air pump all the time to mitt that
sea supply fresh air. All things being ready, a =rat
ailed to a rope rust through a pulley, is inserted in a ring
is IMP Mip of the helmet, and he is hoisted overboard, feat
houswit, rad down he goes, with a signal line attached to
his left wrist and held by a person on deck, with whom the
diver thus communicates, while, in his right hand, he takes
with him a rope with a small chain and ring attached to it,
for the purpose of tying it around such portions of the
wreck as he is enabled to disengage, or such articles as
are too heavy to bring up in his hands. It is astonish-
ing how easily large masses of heavy matter are moved
in the water at a great depth, once they are set free. The
air tpbe Is a hose committing of India rubber, with twisted
wire inside, to make it strong, and keep it dilated, and
covered with a lapping of twine outside. One end of this
is connected with the air pump, and the other with the
helmet, and the fresh air being forced through it, swells
out the submarine armour, which tits the person loosely,and
thus two objects are accomplished—resistance to the pres,
sure of the water on the body, and a supply of atmospheric
air necessary to sustain life. The force of the air pumped
in drives the foul air out, through a valve, the pressure
from within being greater than that from without, and
thus preventing the entrance of the water ; and, when the
pressure of the external water becomes greater than the
air inside, it closes the valve. AU the time of the operation
the bubbling of the air escaping may be seen over the
spot where the diver has descended. A snit of the sub-
marine armour costa 150 doh., and is used up in six weeks.
From what has been here said, it is not to be inferred
that every one can dive. It is an art that must be acquired'
by practice and instruction, and it is not every constitution
can stand it. Few: can get below 40 feet, and some, even •
at the depth of 15 feet, have the blood driven to their head
by the pressure of the water ; and persons of weak lungs
have no chance whatever—a single trial might cost them
their lives. Even men of the best constitutions can only de-1
scend to a great depth of water by repeated trials, and by •
gradually accustoming themselves to go deeper and deeper;
of course, the greater the depth, the greater the pressure
of the water. It is only healthy, sound men that can dive
and the understanding and the management of the signals;
require experience, skill, and judgment.
When our reporter visited the scene, on Monday last,
there was a large pile of broken pieces of the wreck lying
on the shore, which had been taken up. There was also a
quantity of rigging. Some of the timber was in a rotten
and decayed condition, and some of it as sound as the day
the ship was sunk. This was the case particularly with
some of the knees constructed of live oak. Oa being taken I
on board the schooner, by the courtesy of Mr. Pratt, our
reporter witnessed the operation he has deseribed above
and while he was there, the diver fastened to the rope, and
had hoisted up, by signals, two or three large pieces of the
plank of the lower deck, covered with dark tough mud, in
which were found a number of musket balls, not in the
least affected by the action of tho water. During the pre-
vious tide the compass was brought up, in a wonderful
state of preservation. Among the articles on board the
schooner were cannon balls, some twelve and some six-
pounders, a ease of bombs all rusted together, single bomb
shells, grape and canister shot, the stocks of blunderbusses,
and muskets, and pistols, bayonets and their scabbards, •
very old-fashioned metal pot, a copper fryingpan, a number
of blocks, and two eat-hooks, with blocks attached, for
weighing the anchor, and any quantity of bottles and earthen-
ware. In some cases the bott.les were still corked, andeon.
tamed the wines which were in them when the Hussar sunk,
but now in such a damaged state, by the oozing of the salt
water through the corks, so to have lost their flavour,
though indicating what they were. As soon as they were
relieved of the pressure of the water and brought into the