Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1888-08-09
A DIVERS DESCRIPTION
OF THE COSTUME WORN WHILE
UNDER THE WATER.

Going Down 10 the B0tt"h W WV w.
The Diving Dress Invented by u Native
of MISUNDERSTANDING while Under
Water.
az first began diving in 1863" said Capt
Anthony Williams, the famous English diver.
~ was a wrecker then, and was raising O
sunken ship off the coast of Cornwall. had
working for me diver who seemed very
law. careless sort of a fellow. 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. was
angry and expressed myself strongly. lie
retorted with: "Try it yourself If you can
do any better
"'All right said I, let me have your div
ing dress and l will try it myself Ho
thought was only joking, but wasn't. lie
doircd the dress, pus it on and down went.
| discharged him when came up and have
been doing my o,.n diving ever since.
did YOU ever see diving dress' Not
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
/
really two dresses one within the other, each
of India rubber The stockings, pants and
shirt arc all made together as one garment,
which the diver enters at tine neck, feet first.
The hands are LETT bare, the wristbands OF
the rubber shirt sleeves tightly COMPRISING
the wrists. There is copper breast plate,
bearing upon its outer convex surface small
screws, which are adjusted through holes i'll
the neck of the shirt, which by means of
nuts fastened upoa tho screws, is held SO
firmly in place Us to render tho entire dress,
from the neck downward, absolutely air and
water ii rnt. Fitting with equal closeness
to this breast plate is the helmet mentioned
above. 1t completely cncloses the head, and
Is supplied VITA three glasses-one III front
AMI one at each side-to enable the diver to
LOOK in any direction. ~ pair OF very thic,
leather shoes. made to lace up the front, and
supplied vita heavy leaden soles, completes
the outfit.
"You see,' said TIE captain, when his
helmet had been removed, after everybody
had had ample time to criticise his appear
anco in it, lit takes about fifteen minutes to
, put these toys on, ana when the diver is
rugged in them all but the helmet there are
, placed across his shoulders ropes sustaining
, two leaden weights, one hanging at his baci,
, the other al his breast. He then goes downa
t ladder into the water up to his ainpits, and
then the helmet is placea OF him, tho glass in
front is screwed ii place, and when every
/, thing is made ready he is made aware of the
fact by blow on the top of the helmet. lie
then goes down by means of rope previously
I lowered, hand under hand, TO tho bottom Of
: the sea- Sometimes, in very stronS currents,
p IL is necessary to make the weights e.straor-
] dinarily heavy in order to hold the diver
e down, notwithstanding the fact that the
5 dress alone weighs nearly 200 pounds, and
y yet l 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.
: 1t was invented in Switzerland by a native
of that country named Bauer, who spent a
q small competency in having it patented and
] in trying to bring it into use, but he died q
o disappointed, heart broken pauper, leaving
e others to reap the benefit of his invention"
: 'Can you breathe as freely in your diving
y, dress as you can out of iti'
{ Eyes, indeed. When ten or twelve faith
n oms under water my breathing is as wholly
V devoid of effort as it is when am walking
Y about on dry land. You know that by
l. means Of an air pump, worked by two men
I the diver is supplied with air. Through
e hose this air passes into the back OF his bel
e met, and near its place of entrance is
It spring valve for its escape This valve cal
l. he controlled by the diver, but he usual,
:. sets it before going into the water, and sci
r. dom disturbs it afterward. The pressure o
|. the air being greater than that of the water
3. surplus of the former readily escapes
When this valve is not sufficient, the dive
can open in his breastplate similar sprin
valve, intended only for such en- emergency
" He can also regulate tho amount of al
o pumped to him by signals upon the 'air hos
st to the men engaged in pumping. Ono pu
IA upon the hose means more air; two pull.
ii less air, and two pulls and q shake, II wal
il to come up" These signals chi the air hos
70 are generally used by all divers but eac
So one of us has his own private code of sigma
,k on the life line, which is always fastened t
o. the divers waist, and by means of which
10 is drawn up out Of water. These sigma
e. each diver writes down very carefully an
of gives to tho man in charge OF the life lin
as By means of these we can send up for tool
is material, etc. When lengthy communic
er ton is to be made we send up for slate al
nd write all we want to say. 1t is just as cas-
ey to read and write under water as out of i
lis One can see very plainly, all objects b
an ing greatly magnified. "-Geoffrey Williste
ey Christine in Chicago Journal
a
,o+ LEccts OF iho Climate.
his Tradition tells of a Young ENGLISH rec,,