The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-11-14
A DIVER AT WORK.
Donning His Submarine Armor- Down
Among the Fishes-Some Perilons Pre-
dfcameuts
IFrom the New York sun-1

dicaments.
From the New York SUM-
, AT O'Clock every thing was ready
for work. The sea was a little higher
than agreeable, and the schooner rose
and fell on the waves in manner which
rendered the descent more difficult than
it would otherwise have been. Charles
Coolan, good looking, athletic young
fellow, with shoulders broader than
O'Leary's and limbs as hard and mus
cular as prize fighters, was the first
to go down.
His first step was to put on several
suits of extra Undertaking to keep of
the cold. The average temperature in
100 feet of water is 40 degrees. Then
ne drew. on an alright suit of white
India rubber, terminating about the
shoulders in heavy iron breastplate
When safely eacased in this, ponder
GUS iron helmet, weighing 80 to 40
pounds, was brought out and screwed
on to the breastplate until the whole
formed perfectly tight covering
from head 70 foot. There were three
openings, or little windows, in the
helmet, each of the area of several
square inches, and each carefully guard
ed by narrow iron bars. Particular at
tention is paid to the thickness of the
glass and the stoutness of the bars, for
on these depends the Divers fate The
face glass is circular, and is screwed on
last of all, just as the man steps over
the side. Henceforth he is shut up in
living tomb, which at any moment may
become his coffin. -
From the top of the helmet issues a
rubber pipe about the size of garden
hose, only several times thicker and
stouter. Through this the air is forced
| by means of an air-pump worked by
hand. The valves of the pump are sur
rounded by ice in order to keep the air
pure and cool so that wrecking expedi-
lions are often forced to put back into
! port for lack of ice. Inside the helmet
the noise of the incoming air sounded
remarkably like an immense buzz-saw.
Besides the waterproof suit and iron
helmet Coolan put on pair of shoes
the most remarkable part of his equip
ment. 1t would make Broadway
shoemaker smile to see the soles of this
extraordinary foot gear. Each is COM
posed entirely of lead about two inches
thick and weighs from ten to fifteen
pounds. This heavy weight is render
ed necessary to counterbalance the pom
derous helmet and breastplate, which
would otherwise prove too much for the
bearer. The weight of the entire suit
is over 100 pounds, and yet with the in
creased pressure of the water on all
sides, it is comparatively light.
All being ready, Coolan mods to his
assistants (his face glass has been screw
ed, and he can only communicate with
those outside by signs) and begins to
descend. The air is whining into the
back of his iron head-piece at tremen-
duous rate, as he numbers heavily over
the side and lets himself down into the
water. Both hands clutch tightly the
lifeline, down which he descends,
while two men stand over him,
one holding the line and another pay
ing out the air pipe. These are called
'stenders," their business being to re-
spond to the signals and look out gen.
orally after the welfare of the man on
the bottom. On their promptness and
efficiency the Divers safety and often
his life depends. A green or careless
tender is worse feared than a small
school of sharks.
For IS feet or more Coolan's course
is unobstructed. Then he strikes the
maintop-mast of the sunken vessel.
Down this he crawls carefully in the
dim twilight, avoiding the yards and
tackle which still hang from the masts
The scene is ghostly enough for one of
Victor Hugo's novels. The brigantine
lies on her side, imbedded in the firm,
hard sand, with her masts and yards
raking at an angle of say 80 degrees
from the perpendicular. From the
slanted yards hang the tattered remains
of sails and rigging, streaming idly
downward in the quiet water, like moss
trailing from limbs of dead wood.
Down upon the silent deck, among the
pilot fish and sea bass, the diver holds
his way. The fish Turk. about the de-
serted decks in schools, and require
blows and strokes with the divers knife
to drive them away. The latter weap-
on, a rough looking blade, yet, withal,
sharp as razor, is carried slung in a
leather sheath at the side. A big, strip
ed fish known as the hinge collect about
the hatchway in thick school. Coolan
draws his knife, slices one of them in
two, while the rest scatter.
All is black darkness in the hold of
the sunken vessel, and many minutes
pass before every thing is ready for
hosting. The hides, which constituted
large portion of the cargo, are pack
ed over and above the wool, and these
have to be dragged off before the more
valuable commodity can be reached.
At length big, dirty, white bale, strap
ped with iron, and weighing out of
water some 800 pounds, is disengaged
from the debris and dragged to the open
hatch. Into the mouth of the latter,
and just visible in the dark, gray light,
bangles the end of rope tackle, which
is seized and made fast to the bale. A
certain number of jerks on the rope
signify +" Hoist away" and slowly and
quietly the big bale rises toward the
surface.
From two to three hours is the usual
period of divers work. The fatigu-
ing employment, the labor of carrying
about the immense weight of the suit,
and the constant pressure from all sides
are terribly exhausting. None but men
of the strongest constitutions succeed at
the business, and even then it is thought
to lessen their lives. In the present case
two or three bales in the morning and
as many in the afternoon are consider
ed fair days work.
The next "spell" under water is taken
by Rufus Peterson, Coolan's mate He
is thinner and many pounds lighter
than the other, and at first sight would
appear hardly capable of bearing up the
immense weight which is laid upon him.
Long years of practice in the Mississip-
pi and Mexico and in South America
have made him perfect, however, and
he buckles on the marine suit with as
much ease as though it were buckskin.
He disappears below the bubbling
waves, and in Is minutes the tightening
of the falls and a jerk on the life line
| tell that another bale is shocked"
On deck, the wool is subjected to a
thorough examination. Notwithstand-