Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-07-22
1sIAbou. sponass.

H. 10 ssol adj --r5rrsfu1s ydJhdmui
The mode OF operation prep s.osy5 to a
! dive is veryd pecpliaf, end riniefesting--
| THE diver whose, ,turn Il, II, ,iekes bis seat on
Ethe deck of the vessel, at ether The bow or
stern. and, placing by bis side large IA,
slab Of marble, Weighing about atwenty ,fy,
pounds, to which 10 attached a rope Of ,bt
I proper length aud tbicknass, Zone and
bali ,ipcb), be then strips, and iso left BY
his companions to prepare himself sTbi.
seems 70, : consists ib deyotipg q certain
time Q clearing the passages Of his luogs
by 'ezpectogadon. and, highly infaiipg
them -af aferwards. thus. 9xydjzipg bis blood
very highly By a repetitionrof deep nspira-
tious- The operation lasts from Eve IL
ten ,minnies,o or, more according TO the
depth; and during il the operator is never
Yiptegfered With, by bis rcpmpanoos. and
seldom speaks. or is Sp ken, to; be is simply
watched by two Of them, bnt- at a little
distance and they never venture 10 urge
him, or 10 distract him IN any way during
The process. 1t secm 10 a spectator a
tif the diSer were going through sort OF
mysterious cermonY or incaptatiou. When,
from some sensation known only TO himself,
after these repeated. long drawn, aud heavy
inspirations, be deems the fitting moment
TO have arrived, he seiz IS the slah Of marble
and, after crossing biasclt, and u!ter,ng q
prayer; plungs with II, like a returning
dolphin, into the sea, aBd rapidly descends
The stone is always held during q he descent
directly in front of the head, atsrm's length
aud So as TO qofierp as liHle ,resisi auee a
,oes;hlr. and nv 'y,rvina its iuoiiuat ion ie
acts likewise as q rudder, causing the de-
sceht ID be mots' 81 kss vertical, Aas desired
by the diver79 Az soon yas he reaches the
bou ON be places the stone under his arm
TO keep himself down. and then wa'ks about
upon the rock, or crawls nnder its lodges,
suHng,the sponge into netted bfg with
a huoped mou b, which is strung round his
neck TO receive them; but he holds firmly
to the stone or rope all the while as his
safeguard for returning, and for making
he keown signal at the time lle'desires il.
a Now lei US notice the proceedings Of bis
COMPANIONS in be boat floating some lweu
~ or thirty fathoms above bin. The two
men who we're nearest TO him previously
o his making the dive. bat who systemali
caly seems 10 place themselves so as to
prevent him ON conceisipg the, idea of
beng mpa,ien,iy watched by them while
undergoing the prepreaton, spriIig to heir
fjet9as soon as he disappears, and rush to
the rope. which one OF, them holds IN his
baud, veeripg in out or short eniug il iu, as
the diver moves abut upol the button, and
as soon us the signal iidca,ivc Of lfis wish
to return is felrpthey commence hauling up
the rope With great energy and earnest
uess aud 10 way calculated 10 insure the
great est expedition of ascent, ,siuce The
ovef stay Of u few seconds may bea point
Of life or death to the. diver. The hauling
up is thus, effected The, assistant who
mas hold Of the rope, awaiting the signal
first reaches down Nilh both hands as low
as he can and there ,grasping the rope,
with q great bodily effort, raj e' i: up 10
nearly arms length lover his headj the
1 second assistant is ben prepared to make
| MS grasp as low down as he can reach,
and does the sameG and on, the two alter
ua'ely; aud by fsthom or more at time.
and with great rapidity, bring the anxious
diver 10 The surface. A heavy blow from
his nostrils, to expel the winter and ex
hausted air, iudica' es TO his con AIDES that
he is conscious and breA,hes. A word or
two is then spoken by one Of bis comrades
to encourage him, if he seems much dis
tressed as is often the, case; and the hear
ing Of ths voice is sad by them 10 be a
great support at the moment of their
great exhaustion. 4 few secodds rest a.
The surface, and tRca The diver returns in
to the boat TO recover, generally putting
ON an under garment or Jacket to assist The
res, grafton Of the amin il beat be has lost,
and 10 present the loss of mo'e W thcteo
rapid evaporation OF water from bis body
Such is The trying life. Of LevaHline
sponge diver aud d9nbile 9ere are very
Flew of Us no haze any idea Of what a
fellow creature has suffered in procuring
| that lil,Ie article which has Become a ne
cessily of our toilet,tablv aud The Luxury Of