Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-04-21

DIVING AT SEvAsToPoL.-It seems that tn
reports which have been circulated, that tn
American Company" which was engaged
in raising the sunken wal ships of Sevastopol
had abandoned the enterprise. are withGu
foundation. They are still prosecuting thei
work successfully. The following extract
letter from one of the parties to the Boston
Transcript, dated March LIST, will be read with
interest
Early in the Winter. frigate and the
bottom of two 81 gun ships was raised, be-
sides the greater portion of a 100 gun ship.
The modes ope andi OF diving may thus be
briefly described The divers boat is 26 feet
in length BY 7 in width The crew consists
of ten Russians, ten borers and ten divers,
commanded by an American. The boat be-
ing mooied at the proper position, number
of the crew proceed to dress the diver. for it
is as impossible for him to dress himself as for
fair Russienne to fix for the ball without the
AID of her femmes d toilette. The outer gar
ment ls OF gutta percha, lifting snugly t. the
person the bracelets of India rubber, and
water tight, clasp the wrists so as to complete
the impetvlousness of the whole armor. The
head dress is huge, heavy copper helmet,
weighing 30 pounds, containing in front a
glass. inches in diameter, through which the
diver may use his eyes in the water to the
depth Of about 100 feet Below this limit is
darkness visible The breast plate consists
of fiat piece of lead Of as pounds weight,
counterbalanced by corresponding one on
the back, The shoes are of thick cowhde
with leaden soles an inch thick. He now
stands clad in complete armor of the heaviest
mould shut out from the world, as it were,
dependent upon his faithful attendants at the
air pump for the breath of life-deprived of
all verbal communication with outsiders, he
belongs to the watery regions below he is
how assisted to the ladder pendent from the
side of the boat-he desceuds imme detely out
of sight and in few moments is creeping
about the bed of the harbor. with his axe,
saw, or knife, with marvellous facility, as If,
indeed he was to the manor bonn.
Attached to his costume are lines which he
uses for signals to the operators above. He
tastens rope or a chain to an object, gives
the signal, and the object is at once drawn
up. For blastingt he takes under his arm a
gutta percha bag containing 200 lbs of pow
der. which is connected with a galvsnic wire,
likes the charge in the most available posi-
ton for the greatest effect sgnalizes, and is
drawn up. The battery is then operated, the
charge explodes. and havoc ensues. After a
few hours the disturbed water b, comes clear
enough for the diver to again descend. and
explore the effects of the blast. Innumerable
fishes are stirred from their apathy by the ex-
pOsion. and swim about the diver with the
utmost familiarity and By their close inspec-
ton evidently regard him as a strange fish
One of the divers was once accosted by a
manstrous ground shark, which. becoming
altogether too affectionate in his salutations
for human comfort. was repused with stabs
and kicks on the part of the diver, who, find
ing the encounter waxing keen, gave the sig.
nal to his allies, and rose to the surface,
hotly pursued by his pertinscious antago-
mist.
The bombshells strewn about the city dur
ing the siege are still doing the work of death
No less than eight deaths, 1 think, have been
caused by explosions of these missiles since
my arrival, hardly year since. Only few
days ago, two seamen belonging to the Eng
lish steamer Beyrout. came on shore near our
shipyard, and for few minutes were COLI
verslng with Mr.. Gowen. They then started
for walk to the Redan. quite near our resi-
dence. and on reaching the breastwork, one
OF hem picked up an unexploded decorating
she'll intending to keep it as a relic, but find.
lug 1t rather heavy, threw it down, when it
instantly exploded, and killed him, almost
seyering the head from the body, and com
pletely cutting off his right leg. The remains
were brought to our yard, whence they were
buried His companion escaped with slight
scratch upon the lip. On the following day,
two Russians were killed in similar man
ner, while picking out the stopper of shell.
The lock by which the conclusion ignited the
powder of the shell is a curious affair, being
small equilateral cross, with q capsule at
each point, and four little hammers held BY
human hair sudden jar breaks the hair,
causing the hammer to strike the cap, which
explodes. After the shells are charged the
locks are enclosed in copper tube and in
serted within the hole of the she'll upon
which plug is placed. The shells, thus pre-.
pared, are placed in box of the size of an
ordinary chronometer box, which, for safety,
must be handled " this side up, with care