Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-01-03
A SUBMARINE PROFESSIONAL.
TIE ADVENTURE OF A DIVET, Z n
DER TIE IISSISSIPHI RIVER.
In Coral Groves---Hunting for bullion
Danger from Sharks--Divins
Arnaors, Etc, Etc.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Fio7, the Cincinnati Enquirer.
"Yes,'' said tall, powerfully built
man, who was the centre Of group Of
idlers at the public landing, 'Hve
seen some curious sights in my busl-
ness and had some narrow slides, and
the more I see of it the less | like it;
but after you've followed diving for
half your lifetime and don't know any
thing else, it's hard to break up,
though I'll be dogged if l don't wish
l could. I've done a good deal of div
ing in the Mississippi. Whenever
snag gets jammed in bad place some
body has to 90 down and get it up
"How does it look under the water??'
asked the reporter.
"Well," said the diver, sit depends
on the place. l went down once near
| Caifo to examine q steamer, and 1t
was easy enough to move around, and
there seemed to be curious kind of
yellow light all about it, SO that actu
/ al shadows were cast under water. The
steamer had gone down i'll a sort Of
gully, where there was a hard yellow
bottom, clay-I reckon. She was all
under except the top of her smoke
stack, and it was queer sight, l tell
you. In coming down the river she
had struck fifty-foot log, head on.
1t took her in the port bow, just be-
low the water-line, and went into her
for twenty feet The current whirled
her stern around and the log wouldn't
give, so it seemed to have ripped the
whole side out of her, and they told
me she went down inside of three min
utes. The only way the crew and
passengers got off was that there hap
pened to be a big raft alongside, and
they all took to it.
cat other places in the river where
there's new chute the mud runs like
water, and three feet below the sur
face you have to feel your way, and
tell you it's as much as your life is
worth. A log or snag coming down
the stream or breaking loose from the
wreck is liable to cut your pipe, and
there YOU are, anchored to the bottom.
No, man could never climb mp in
time. You see your soles are lead,
and you are regularly anchored, al
though, Of course, it don't feel 50
heavy i'll the water
"What is the best armor?" askcd
the reporter.
"Well," was the reply, "some use
one kind and some another, according
to fancy, but they are all alike i'll gen
er;l principle. A few years ago the
diving-beli was used for all purposes
it's on the principle of an inverted
| rrlo lo
pushes away the water, the whoie
thing being fed from above by PIPE.
But they're only good for shallow W.
ter. One has been invented that is
fed by other small buckets that a-e
hauled down and the air emptied in.o
the bell, the hot and usedup air being
let out through cock. Men can work
in them about three hours at stretch
rest three, and then go down again
The bells cost small fortune, and are
now superseded to a great extent by
armor. a good, first-elass armor costs
about $500 Some divers won't trust
other folks, and own their own rigs
others, again wear those provided by
the wrecking company. The rig now
used shuts you in complete, except
your hands: the lower part is gener-
ally of sheet India rubber, covered on
both sides by tanned twill the breast,
plate is copper, and is fastened on by
screws. On some 5reast-plates there
is q valve, SO the diver can let out air
or force it in, and so make himself
light or heavy. The neck Of the breast
plate fits OH the helmet that covers
the head, and this is pierced with
three bulls eye windows. Into this
runs the tube through which is pump
ed your air supply. Besides this you
have lifeline to jerk if you want to
be yanked up in case anything goes
wrong. On your back and breast
hang two weights of about forty
pounds each, and on your soles are
forty pounds more, so you could go
down with rush if so desired"
GLOW deep can you go with such an
armor?" queried the reporter
+ at depends upon the mud" was the
reply. "Fifty or sixty feet is enough
for me, but I've been down deeper
than that. The best diving on record
: is that of chap named Hooper He
went down to a wreck off the South
American coast to depth of over 200
feet, and worked forty-two minutes at
one time, going down seven times in
all. But man cant do that and
live long; $50 feet is the greatest
depth a man can safely work, and at
200 feet the pressure on him is eighty
seven pounds to the square inch. In
Europe the Fish Commission hired
some men to go down and collect her
ring eggs -somethin' like going ber-
rying at the bottom of the sea. Well,
they went down in the Firth of Forth
in 100 feet, and what's more. got the
eggs. When Capt. Eads was building
the St. Louis bridge, in 1870, the
greatest depth worked by men in the
cylinders was 1104 feet below water
level. They stood fifty pounds to the
square inch, but when it got to sixty
pounds, a good many of the hands
were taken with paralysis.
"The pearl and sponge divers in the
Mediterranean sea, Bahama, and 9TH
er places all now use armor, as they
can stay down SO much longer.
SEEING UNDER WATER.
I S:ft s6o,ouJ- ,1noy x.,ofo,.