The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-07-21
FLEUss, THE DIVER.
His Remarkable Perform nces Under Water.
lLolrdon Times.l

His Remarkable Performances Under Water.
Lorsdon Times.l
Mr. Fleuss made his first appearance at the
Royal Aquarium. Westminster, last night,
In the large tank built for the fwbsle and
used by the seals. His remarkable per-
Torrance under water was better seen than
IL has been elswhere either during the few
months OF the exhibition of his apparatus at
the Polytechnic or at Brighton. He can
stay under water for five hours without an
air tube or any other communication with
the surface, and this absence OF incumbrance
gives him much greater freedom than any
other divers possess. He can, for instance,
lie down and bend his body in any position
without fear of being lifted or fioated up, and
without suffering from the obstruction of
the long pipe which usually
O boat above. Ia short, he
possesses the principal advantage which dis
tinguishes an animal from plant; he moves
Independently instead of being rooted 10
one spot. Foreshsdowed in the water, he
presents a curious appearance, with great
google eyes in his Furnished helmet a strong
water tight dress and waterloo The spec
tators amuss themselves by throwing pence
for him to pick up, or by writing messages
to HIM on cardboard, always under water.
He sharpens his pencil under water, gives
and receives signals with q cord, and is to
experiment on the submarine use OF the
telephone. At Ryde he walked for a quarter
of mile under the sea; at Brighton be went
down in five fathoms by the chain pier in
rough weather. II he could eat under water,
Mr.. Fleuss says he could stay for a longer
period than the five hours which he gives as
an ordinary limit Yesterday afternoon he
remained two hours and seven minutes I'M
der water In the Aquarium, and again went
down for half an hour in the evening. In
a short lecture on his apparatus which Mr..
Fleuss gave in the evening immediately on
returning to the upper air, he stated that
his method is no secret, that it is
patented, and that the specifications are 40
cordiDgly published. In every drauRht OF
breath We draw we take in q certain amount
of oxygen with four times as much nitrogen.
A little OF the nitrogen becomes fixed in tue
form of carbonic acid, and the air thus de-
Perforated becomes unfit to breath. If, how.
ever, the place of the missing oxygen is
taken by q fresh supply, the mixture be-
comes again fit for breathing. According to
Mr.. Fieuss, he takes down compressed
oxygen to supply the place OF that which is
b sathed; in other words, he has invented a
set of snti-lungs, which perform a function
precisely the reverse OF that of the lungs
proper. This was confesssdly a rough. popu.
lar, hasty and generalizsd explanation. A
more scientific account may be expected
from the lecture on the subject which DR.. B
w. Richardson, h RS. who is specially quail
fed for the investigation by his well-kno wn
experiments on ozone, is to deliver a. the
Society of Arts. 1t will be remem oered
that it was to the same Society that Pr0fes.
sor Tyndall explained the fremen's spira'
tor, which bias since proved in practice so
valuable On instrument in straining the bad
air at fires before ii reaches the lungs AID so
enabling the fremen to breathe what air is
left among smoke and noxious vspors Mr..
Fleuss' method is still more effectusl. be-
cause he carries his own supply of oxygen
with him in a compressed form, and hiss
thus been enabled to breathe in an atmos-
phere In which there Is no appreciable
quantity OF air at all. He states that he has
gone through he 6re-dsmp (carburetted
hydrogen ard C.. Jke-damp (carbonic-acid)
and could exist in the charged receiver of a
gas factory. In the great helmet aod In the
hollow of his armor there is room for a GER
tain quantity of air, and this is kept fresh
and constantly renewed by q stream of
oxygen, the pressure of which be regulates
by tap at will. To refresh himself he in
creases the flow of oxygen, ana when he re-
quires a stimulus dlminishes it. Mr.. Fieuss
is Ayoung and vigorous man, who has served
in the steamboats, of the Peninsula and ORR
entail Company. His apparatus is certainly
very ingenious and effective, and well
worthy of attention.