Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-15
Ihe family Circle.
Down ina Diving Bell.

population Of the place. We used to as
semble to watch them 20 into the rough
wooden shed in which they began to dress,
peeping in when we got chance, and to
follow them out of it along the scaffolding
from which they went down into the wa
ter, in order to see their mates put on
their hemlets and their back-weigh:s and
breast-weights and great boots, with near
" twenty pounds Of lead in each sole,
fasten on their life lines and belts, and
stick their tools into the belts, ike Robin
son Crusoes, and then fix fast the divers
mouth-pieces We used to hold our
breath as they went heavily down and
/ down their long ladders, at last altogether
/ disappearing from view. At least, that
used to be our feeling at first. We cot
more accustomed to the divers in time. At
/ last, some Of Us used to 90 into their hut,
and chat with them as they dressed and
undressed This was how they dressed
they first put on fianneIs something like
cricaeter's. and then an india rubber
jacket aud pair Of trousers made out Of
one piece, like those queer machines which
+ disgusted little boys were at one time com
PEELED TO assume as an intermediate COS
I
breecheS Then the breastplatc was tus.
tened on and then the man who dressed
the divers put on their indla-ruDber wrist
bands and wooden nightcaps tor them, and
they went out to finish their toilet a. a.
ready described The helmets were round
|pot-hke, metal things, with plate-glass
eyes, and two pipes-one to let the pump
ed air IN, and the other to let the waste
air out To save the divers shoulders
pads were put under the helmets. The
weights spoke ol-beside- the forty
pounds of lead which each man carried IN
. his boot soles-were half hundred weight
in front Of, and the same behind him. The
life" line Is a cord with which the diver
communicates with the upper air
Ny chief friends among the divers wa-
an old man who had been almost all over
the world, either as "a diver or as sailor.
The others called him Ghost" Why, |
could not make out for ne was stout
hearty, good looking old fellow
One day, when [ went into the shed
Ghost with some Of his diving things still
on. was sitting smoking By the fire. Tie
/ held up his hands TO explain the state Of
his toilet.
I've been a-havin' the pins and need
\ le-. so that | didn't know whether my
hands belonged to me, or was two pincush-
ions. Leastway-, tn " let me know pretty
sharp as they did belong to me By the
pain they give me"
| asked him what he meant
Why, you see them tight thing we
wears round our wrists won't let the blood
flow as it did ought TO, and this cold
weather ones hands gets like two b locks
o. ice under water. I've give my knuckles
pretty nigh a smasher with my hammer.
and never knowed il till | come up agin.
So, YOU see. when the things Is took off,
and your blood begins to >arkilate, its a
caution the pam it give ye sometimes"
| asked why they did not 70 down in a
diving bell instead Of by ladders.
Why, you see, ladders Is more eonven-
lent for the Kind o. work were about just
now and for any kind o. work that lad
ders could be made to do for, the masters
{ he added, with a grin, would rather use
the ladder than the bell
why ?"
Well, you see. the masters has got it
into their heads that men a. goes down in
the bell, instead o mindin their work, sits
. smokin' and yarnin inside.
: But have been down in a diving
bell, haven't YOU
: Me, sir only wish I'd got As many
: pounds now as times.
, And how DO you feel ?'
T Feel l don't know a, you feels any
b ways partic 'ar-it's pretty much as if you
0 was sittin in a room with the blinds dowf
; or the shutters shut
But don't you feel anything a all
: strange y"
Well, some says that the tust time you
: goes down in the bell, the blood rushes
bit to your head. and your ears ring, ant
you feel half deaf and choky like. But
g, law, that's soon got over. | suppose | mus
= ha felt so fust time, as they says every
/ body does, but don't remember nough
about it,
= e" And how dark Is it,
;, Why, of course, that't all accordin t
: the time O day aud Kind o'day there
e bulls eyes atop of the bell, you know-an
water I've been down in where twas Just a
# easy to work by night as by day-yol
e couldn't see your hand afore your face
e you couldn't see nought, but had to crop
about as if you was locked up in a coal
cellar with the flap down over the gratin.
e But then agin, in foreign parts, I've beei
r where twas almost as light, half a-doze
. fathoms down, as twas atop; and many
j the bottom I've been at that was a dea
t lighter than one O them London offices o.
: toggy day when the gas is alight."
: But isn't there anything curious i
a goin' down in diving bell p
r Not that | knows on it might seen
+ curious to you, perhaps but then, yo,
c see, I'm used to it, 1t don't seem curious
to you to 20 to school, you see, but it I'd
seem uncommon queer to me, [ guess
! Well, perhaps the curiousest thing Is t,
hear the waste air gugglin' out at bottom
and to see it through the bulls eyes goin
: up in big bubbles one atop Of another, a
you've seed a fish a-bubbin' in a pond.
i - But didn't you ever meet with any ad
a ventures ?"
Well, no doubt I've seed some queer
5 sights now and agin; but | can't tell EN-
to We now I've had long spell o work
and it, gettin' time for me to be a-turnin
in
But on another occasion, when Ghost
had more leisure, got him 10 tell me some
Of his adventures.
Well, p'raps the curiousest thing that