Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-05-14
A cHAPrER ON DIVING.
An Interesting Descriptions OF Submarine
Expeditions.

An Interesting Descriptions OF Submarine
Expeditions.
One Of the occupations which have
crown up within the last century, and
one which, under certain circumstances
has been extremely profitable IL the
business of diving into deep water In
a dress made for the purpose. Many
people, such as most OF the native IN
habItants of the Pacific islands, and
the people of the shores of the Persian
gulf, where pearl fisheries are carried
on, are expert divers, and without APP
paratus of any kind TO help them, re-
main under water IN astonishingly long
time: but the civilized method OF going
down into the water clothed In dress
and apparatus which enables the wearer
TO work and breathe in the water, is
quite another thing. The modern
oliver" does not really dive at all; he
descends into the water, breathes
through a tube, carries light with him
TO illuminate the water about him, ana
has means OF communicating with those
above him.
The divers most romantic and Inter
esting work is to recover treasure from
sunken vessels; but his services are
oftenest required for something quite
different. The diving-dress, for in
stance, is now used by men in the pearl
and sponge fisheries. In these, one man
now accomplishes what twenty naked
divers were formerly needed for. They
could remain under water but short
time, and could collect only what came
within reach Of their arms. The diver
In the modern dress remains from two
to four hours under water, and reaps
rich harvest. Divers are also employed
In laying stone abutments and break
waters, and in blasting and clearing
away submarine Instructions.
The gre atest depth to which any diver
In diving-dress has descended is two
hundred and four feet. At this depth
the work becomes very difficult and dan
Rerous, on account of the pressure Of the
water The additional pressure upon
each square inch Of surface-for OF
course the natural pressure OF
the atmosphere is everywhere
is, at thirty feet twelve and
three.quarters pounds, or less than
that Of the atmosphere; but it increases
at such a rate that at one hundred feet
deep the pressure is forty-three and .
half pounds, at one hundred and fifty
feet it is sixty-fve and one-fourth
pounds, and at two hundred and four
feet it is lightweight and half pounds.
This depth was reached by the diver
Hooper, an Englishman, In recovering
cargo of copper from the ship Cape
Horn, wrecked on the coast OF South
America some years ago. Under this
pressure, which subjected the tubes and
apparatus to a severe strain, Hooper re-
NAMED under water at one time forty
two minutes, and descended seven times.
| A divers method of work Is as fol-
lows: He first arrays himself In his
suit, the most important feature OF
which is a great air-tight and glass
Widowed helmet. Then he goes down,
upon o rope-ladder II he is inexperi-
enced or timid but the expert diver
simply uses rope. Every diver has a
signalman, who holds his lifeline and
air-pipe, both of which are kept just
taut and clear of the boat, so that any
motion of the diver may be felt The
diver descends slowly, hating for q new
moments after his head is under water,
to satisfy himself that everything ID
correct, and then continues. If he
feels oppressed, or experiences any
humming noise in his ears, he rises q
ward or two in the water and swallows
his saliva several times. II oppression,
ringing in the ears or headache con-
tinues, he returns slowly to the surface
and for the time being gives up the at
tempt 1.-The is AL right" and able to
persevere, he keeps on TO the bottom,
where he gives one pull on the lifeline
to signify that all is we'll, and sets
about the work for which he has come.
In returning to the surface the diver
must use great care. 1t Is more i'm
portant to move slowly in rising than
in descending; for if he goes up too
quickly the effect of passing from q
heavy pressure to light pressure will
make him faint, and prove disastrous.
He stops now and then, and gets &C.
customed to the change. Only men Of
the greatest Skill strength and endur-
ance can make descent below depth
Of one hundred and fifty feet.
One of the most celebrated Of diving
feats was performed by Mr.. Lambert,
an English diver, who brought up three
hundred and fifty thousand dollarsin
gold from the wreck of the small
steamer Alfonso XII, which was;sunk
off the Canaries with five hundred thou
sand dollars in treasure. The wreck
lay at depth of one hundred;and sixty
feet. The treasure-room was In the
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