Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-01
A DIVERS DESCRIPTION
OF THE COSTUME WORN WHILE
 UNDER THE WATER.

Going Down to the Bottom of the Sea. Tl.e Diving Dress Invented by Native of switzerland-signaling While Under Water. ''I first began diving in 1S63," said Capt Anthony Williams, the famous English diver. "I was @ wrecker then, and was raising a sunken ship off the coast of Cornwall. had working for me a diver who seemed @ very lazy, careless sort of fellow. I was paying him by the day, and once, after being under water for a long time, he came up and re- ported very little progress in his work. l was angry and expressed myself strongly. He retorted with: ''Try it yourself if you can do any better.'
 "'All right said I, slet me have your div thought was only joking, but wasn't. He doffed the dress, put it on and down went. discharged him when came up and have been doing my own diving ever since.
 "Did you ever see diving dressa Noa Then will put mine on and give you an idea of one, and the captain retired to his state room, whence he presently emerged in full diving costume, except the heavy cast iron helmet, which several of the company raised from the deck and placed upon him, thus making his outfit complete The dress is
 
 of India rubber. The stockings, pants and shirt arc all made together as one garment, which the diver enters at the neck, feet first. The hands are left bare, the wristbands of the rubber shirt sleeves tightly compressing the wrists. There is @ copper breast plate, bearing upon it's outer convex surface small screws, which are adjus1ed through holes in the neck of the shirt, which by means of nuts fastened upon the screws, is held so firmly in place as to render the entire dress, from the neck downward, absolutely air and water tight. Fitting with equal closeness | to this breast plate is the helmet mentioned | above. It completely encloses the head, and is supplied with three glasses-one in front | and one at each side-to enable the diver to l look in any direction. A pair of very thick | leather shoes, made to lace up the front, and supplied with heavy leaden soles, completes | the outfit.
 "You see," said the captain, when his helmet had been removed, after everybody had had ample time to criticise his appear ance in it, lit takes about fifteen minutes to put these togs on, and when the diver is l rigged ill them all but the helmet there are placed across his shoulders ropes sustaining two leaden weights, one hanging at his back, the other at his breast. He then goes down a ladder into the water up to his armpits. and then the helmet is placed on him, the glass in front is screwed in place, and when every thing is made ready he is made aware of the fact by blow on the top of the helmet. He then goes down by means of rope previously lowered, hand under hand, to the bottom of the sea. Sometimes in very strong currents. it is necessary to make the weights extraor- dinarily heavy in order to hold the diver down, notwithstanding the fact that the dress alone weighs nearly 200 pounds, and yet I do not feel the weight of it down among the fishes any more than do that of an ordinary suit of clothes out of the water. It was invented in Switzerland by a native of that country named Bauer, who spent a small competency in having it patented and in trying to bring it into use, but he died a disappointed, heart broken pauper, leaving others to reap the benefit of his invention.n
 Can you breathe as freely in your diving dress as you can out of it?"
 "Yes, indeed. When ten or twelve fath- oms under water my breathing is as wholly devoid of effort as it is when am walking about on dry land. You know that by means of an air pump, worked by men, the diver is supplied with air. Through a hose this air passes into the back of his hell met, and near it's place of entrance is a spring valve for it's escape. This valve can be controlled by the diver, but he usually sets it before going into the water, and sell dom disturbs it afterward. The pressure of the air being greater than that of the water. 8 surplus of the former readily escapes. When this valve is not sufficient, the diver can open in his breastplate similar spring valve, intended only for such an emergency. He can also regulate the amount of air pumped to him by signals upon the air hose to the men engaged in pumping. One pull upon the hose means more air; two pulls, less air, and two pulls and shake, .sI want to come up." These signals on the air hose are generally used by all divers, but each one of us has his own private code of signals on the life line, which is always fastened to the divers waist, and by means of which he is drawn up out of water. These signals each diver writes down very carefully and gives to the man in charge of the life line. By means of these we can send up for tools. material, etc. When a lengthy communica- tion is to be made we send up for slate and write all we want to say. It is just as easy to read and write under water as out of it One can see very plainly, all objects be. ing greatly magnifed. .n-Geuffrey Williston Christina in Chicago Journal