Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-04-29

gutta percba, or rubber cloth, large and
loose in one piece, pants, boots, wais' coast
and sleeves, into which the diver is insert
ed from the top by his tenders after sub
stituting heavy flannel drawers, socks, DC,
for the ordinary apperal. Once tucked in
to this ample, casing, the head is covered
with close fitting woolen cap, the breast
plate and helmet of iron put on, the latter
hollow globe, much larger of course. than
the head, and provided with three little
windows, grated and glazed, called eye
glasses; the front one is always open while
dressing. The upper part of the dress is
now fastened to the breast-plate, being
placed between its edge and a covered me-
tallic rim which is then firmly screwed to
IFS place by means of a wrench, makirg the
connection water-tight. Heavy cowhide
borgans, with soles of led three quarters of
an inch thick, strong rubber rings for the
wrist which prevent water from entering
the sleeve, and the girdle of shot, weighing
some seventy-fre pounds, = complete the
firing. aJ
The lifeline is tied around the waist the
sheath-knife placed in bis belt, the pump
is started, the eye-glass screwed in, and he
is ready to descend. The dress being now
filed with air, the shapeless body and limbs
of the monster swelling 20 a size fitting
that of his head, making altogether hid
cots Fl gure, which you are not sorry to see
vanish out of sight, wondering what sort
of a reception the mernaids will give him
if he fall in their way. (The fish are not
afraid of them-they sometimes bring up
a pocket FULLY The hose which supplies
the air is of gutta percha, of half an inch
bore, and attached to the helmet just at
the bump of self-esteem. The escape val
We is below it. The life line, by which sig
mails are transmitted, is passed through a
loop on the right eye glass so that the
slightest motions are felt. He usually de-
scends part o: the way, at least, on rope
ladder, but sometimes lowered 10y the life
line from the first. r.. ..a.4
The pressure of air is gradually increas-
ed as he goes lower, more force being re-
quired, of course, to supply the air. If the
pump is worked by hands it requires four
men to tend 1.-two turning at once, and
frequently changing. Two "tenders" stand
by-one holding the hose, the ether the
lifeline, the latter literally holding the div
er's life in his hand; an inattention to sig
mails frequently might cause his DEATH
Once on the bottom, or on the ship, our
lnerman, walks about or works as else
where. Our divers for three months past
have averaged four and half hours under
water, and hard at work, per diem. They
have frequently, however, been down six
and even eight hours, in water from thirty
to sixty feet deep. They can descend in
water one hundred and fifty feet but do
not like to work deeper than one hundred
the increased pressure sensibly affecting the
head at a greater depth. 1t would be in
teresting 10 know upon What physical char
acteristics the ability to endure the pressure
inevitable in descending upon water de-
pends. | can discover no difference in
quantity or quality of brain or lungs be-
tween some who stay down hours without
and others who cannot 60 at
all or who, on trial have Suffered long and
severely after coming up from the merest
experimental dives. And the regular dives
are of various temperaments; but one thing
is common to all-that is, broad shoulders
and deep chests; thus, large lungs are in
fancy; but that is not all,
for some of the best provided in that re-
spect have been unable to stay.