New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-10-06
BLASTING on DIAMOND REEF.

Captain Kidds Treasure. ~ b som. other equa< mys-
te operation. The real ohjec, proves to have Den
the deepening of the water from IL or IA To - fest a.
low water over an ana Of atou, 100 by 100 feet This
had been reduced 10 about ~ by ~ feet when
diving bell If uew construction WIS brought 10 the
work by Mr. Ryerson, by the Of which the blasting
has been rapidly conducted unit 1.-The ming surface
is only about ts 10y ~ feet. For the purpo~c Of en
salnirg the peculiar principles involved in THE new
bell. invitation was given by Nr. Ryerson 10 gen
teme Interested in such mstte 20 witness its oEsr
alton and descend lfth-y pleased benes,b the surface.
Tie he'll is made of boiler plate iron, l6 Of a. inch
thick about II feet in extreme hight, and external
diameter at bottom II feet. Ii Is surnscuntsd by
neck on the top of which Is the man-hoe for iagrces
egress with east iron cover that when closed Is
s.5rciy boted down; q few glass bulls eyss sdnn'
+ light through the dome--haped top around the necs
flooring about feet down divides the bell into two
ccunpatments, connected by msn-holes, which az
closely secured when the one GU top il open. The
The internal diameter of the lower compartment Is
about feet the space of | feet all around being
devoted 10 water and sr chamber the serving 70
hold the water used balst and the other compress
ed air used as occasion may require 70 dsplace por
tion Of the water and render the machine more buoy
mt by substituting the gaseous for the aqueous fluid
The management If this is regulated by the persons 10
the bell who thus have il in their own power to ri%
or sink a. the air from th. air-shamber Is mad. -
expel portion ofweter or is itself expelled by letting
the water from without take it, place and I'LL the va
ter-chamber. This is an Improvement upon the some
~hut similar apparatus Of DIR. Haley, introduced lao
years ago in which the air supplied from casks
surk the bell from above, and connected with
/ BY pipes; and sso upon the improvement ct thus Ivy
MIR. Spa,dng of Edinburgh, who about the same time
introduced chamber into which the air might be- sd-
nited from these casks To- buoy up the machine,
which, the air being expelled by admission III water
I a. in Mr. Ryerson's, might cause, by iueress OF
weight, the machine to descend Other diving-bss
Of recent invention have been provided with arpumTe
with piper connecting with the surface, managed by
those within the bell and the Of compressed az Ia
fill a magazine in Spaldings bells VA long ago -ug
ges.ed by English engineers. Smeatons famous bells
! of older date which were made Of cast iron, And
weighed q tuns, we're furnished directly with air by
pipes connecting with forcing pumps worked above
The water, and were designed 10 hold full 80 cubic
feet of air, which would render them indie
pendent of any further supply from above long ensngh
il was estimated for two persons TO continue below
about an hour This was allowing - cubic feet of air
an hour to EACH Is cubic feet probably sufficient
Ia support life The great size OF Mr.. Ryeron's bell
the whole machine weighing ~ tuns-givee great
capacity for cir and water ballast chambers, Of which
Mr. H. has awaited himself with much ingenuity, intro
ducing the beet devised Of the old arrangements, to-
gether with some rginal improvements Of his own.
One Of the latter is camng numerous jets Of spray u
/ be- thrown into the bell from circular tube which
goes around the inner wall Of the working chamber
Tie effect of the spray is TO absorb aud carry down
the carbOnc acid gas generated in breathing, and
thus purify the atmosphere within. Mr.. Ryersoa Also
nil,ns thst with this spray oxygen mixed with tho
water is set free in sufficient quantity Ia render tho~s
within the bell independent of the stock Of taken
down in the air chamber and that this il not drawn
upon for the purpose Of breathing. Those who
tain the prevalent opinion that the gaseous m'Ituro
with water is common air inevitable accumua-
tiacn OF nitrogen within the bell, the oxygen from
renewed supplies Of air is exhausted by being
yerted into carbonc acid and this is eliminated by
the spray However this may De, aud whether not
the bell works like aquarium aud has within itself
the principle of consuming and restoring the breath Of
life its operation il admirably conducted from the 1T
tie sloop Diamond Reef. A. il TO the surfaoc,
little way Of after arrival on board IL
visited by few with boat, who got upon the
dome and neck, and proceeded with wrcnches TO
the nuts upon the great bolts and raise the heavy
iron One aftertho other four work emerged
bringing with them the long drills with which they had
been boring the hard gneiss rock at the bottom, pre-
psratory to putting in charge for blasting. They
appeared a. comfortable aud uncOncorncd as miners
coming up out Of g wet shaft. They had drilled hole
sx feet in the rock, of the mau-holes in the hoM
being open while they at work to admit the lift
ing OF acLurndrll to any hight required. An oppor
tunity was now offered for others TO descend. little
eteam-cngnc the deck of the soop set 10 work
pumping air through strong hose into the aircbsn-
Der of the machine ~ which I'D. The capacity Of
the a;r-chamber stated by Nj Ryerson ~ be 30
cubic feet and the extreme pressure indicated by tho
pressuregage about ~ pounds nearly three at
moepheres. There would thus appear TO have been
between $40 and GOO cubic feet at air thrown IN,
portion OF which, however, was allowed "
e,cepe before the bell began to sink. A
party OF nine Of US, being suitably drss'ed
and fortified for the occa- on, entered tbs hoIe
at he top and nugy slowed upon the upper Door
under the dome. The cover Was closed over us, and
the light BON the bulps-eyes soon grew dim, as I'd.
water filed liz chamber and sunk by is additional
weight. beneath its surface. A couple Of lamps la-
minated our otherwise dark prison; hut the close
,townce of It's inmates decidedly unfavOrabis 10
clo.e investigation OF its character, and Of the object
OF the pipss valves, iron rods, bolts trap DOOR
-hoies and other portions Of the apparatus with
which came IN contact. revere pain in the
eustaChisn .ubc OF the Indicated ,hst were pa-
ing into region subject 20 very different conditions 81
atmospheric pressure than any we nad ever eIp;n-
creed before, when a sudden thump, that seeu-d 10
threaten 10 cspeze our machine, let know that
led reached sort Of terra frma and the pain passsd