Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-01-06

How the Monitors are Cleaned-OperatiOns
Of ths Divers In Charleston Harbor
A correspondent Of the Baltimore Amer
lean tells how the bottoms Of the monitors
eff Charleston are cleaned, as follows:
During recent visit to Port Royal 1
witnessed with considerable interest the
operations Of the divers employed to clean
the bottoms Of the monitors, and perform
other operations under the water. Messrs.
Joseph H. Smith and James B. Phelps have
q contract with the Government for the
performance Of this work, and have been
Of great use here. Their principal diver
appropriately named Wsters-is SO used
to this work that he hss become almost
smphibious, remaining for five or six hours
at time under water. A man Of hercu-
lean strength sni proportions, when clad
in his submarine srmor ne becomes mon
strous in size and appearance. A more
singulsr sight than to see him roll or tum-
BILE into the water and disappear from
sight, or popping up, blowing, as tho air
escapes from the helmet, like q young
whale, can scarcely be imagined. Waters
has his own ideas Of joke, and when he
/ has q curious audience will wave his
| 5OEhpOE dUUub da BODH hEpuuA VI buC
water, with the air Of veritsble river
god. One Of his best jokes-the better for
being veritsble fsct-occurred last sum.
mer. Whilst he was employed scrapiRg
the hull Of one OF the monitors, 8 negro
from one Of the up-river plantations came
alongside with boat load Of watermelons.
Whilst busy selling his melons the diver
came up and rested himself on the side Of
the boat. The negro stared at the extra
ordinary appearance thus suddenly coming
out Of the water with alarmed wonder, but
when the diver seized one Of the best mel
ons in the boat and disappeared under the
water, the gurgling of the air from the
helmet mixed with his mufled laughter,
the fright Of the negro resched climax.
Hastily seiEing his oars, without waiting
to be paid for his melons, he put OF st his
best speed, and has not been seen in the
vicinity Of Station Greek since he can
not be tempted beyond the bounds Of the
plantation, and believes that the Yankees
have brought river devils to aid them in
making war.
The diver, when clothed in his armor,
is weighted with one hundred and eighty
Eve pounds. Besides his srmoT, he has
two lesden pads, fitting to his breast and
back. The soles OF his shoes are Of lead,
an inch and half thick. Ali this weight
is needed to overcome the buoysncy given
by the mass Of air forced into the srmor
and dress, the latter Of India rubber, worn
By the diver. When below the surface he
can instantly bring himself up by closing
momentarily the aperture In the helmet
for the escape of the air. His buoysncy is
Immediately increased, and he pops up
like q cork and floats at will upon the sur
face.
The work Of scraping the bottoms of the
monitors is very srduous. The diver sits
upon spar, lashed sthWsrt the bottom Of
the vessel, SO arranged as to be moved as
the work goes on, and with the scrsper
fixed to long handle works on both sides
Of him as far as he can reach. The mass
of oysters that become attached to the iron
hulls of one of the monitors, even during
one summer here, is immense. By actual
measurement 1t was estimated that two
hundred and fifty bushels Of oysters shells
and seaweed were taken from the bottom
of the Montauk alone. The captains Of
monitors have sometimes INDUCED in the
novelty Of mess Of oysters raised on the
hulls Of their own vessels.