The Opelousas courier., 1894-01-27
DELIVERS IN DEEP WATER.
TIE DIVERS BUSINESS AND THE
APPARATUS USED By HIM.
The Modern Kniglt in Submarine Ar
NOR Engages In Dangerous Toll
Down Among Wrecks.

Down Among Wrecks.
llTTHERE were never SO many
diving suits in use in this
country as there are to-
day. said one of the few
New Workers interested III making
these goods. "Minor improvements
are making in the suits constantly, but
the greatest change within a few years
HIS been i'll the manne OF attaching
the helmet. But you must know first
how submarine armor is constructed,
before I can explain this to you. You
have the common notion, l suppose,
that if YOU just have a diving suit you
can do all the diving you wish. That
is q very idea. The suit is
a small part Of the necessary apps-
ratus. For instance, you can buy a
diving suit for $40, ofthe best quality;
but before you can make a dive you
must have apparatus which, Of CORE
spending quality, will cost you $6s7,
Gas the pay of a diver is only S. a
day and his work very uncertain, you
will readily imagine that the divers do
not own their own suits. The suits
are bought by wrecking companies
and other corporations, and they EN-.
pIoy the divers The most expensive
thing about the outfit is the air pump,
and the next is the helmet. The div
ing dress proper is made Of India rub
Der, laid between two layerso Of canvas,
the rubber being entirely covered. A
copper collar. which fits over the
shoulders, chest and back, is fastened
to the rubber suit with twelve bolts.
To this collar the helmet is attached.
Formerly the helmet was screwed to
the collar, but therecent improvement
I mentioned is the fastening of the
helmet with bolts, which is much
stronger and safer. The helmet is
made of sheet copper and weighs about
thirty pounds. It has three eyeholes,
one in front and one on each side, ell
filed with half-inch thick glass, and
| protected with strong copper wires.
On one side is q valve which allows the
foul air to escape, and at the back is
q copper pipe to which the breathing
tube is attached. The sleeve wrists
are made Of strong rubber, which
keeps the water out. The shoes have
iron soles which weigh over twenty.
five pounds each. The heavy leather
belt is lined with blocks of lead,
weighing in the aggregate 100 pounds.
The suit complete weighs about 225
pounds, and on the surface it is very
burdensome !; but in the water it feels
no heavier than any ordinary suit of
clothes. The helmet is always the last
thing put on. When the diver comes
up for q breathing spell the helmet is
not taken off; one of the eye holes is
unscrewed, which answers every pur-
pose.
'sThe lifeline, as we call 1.-THE
rope with which the diver commune.
Gates with the surface, and with which
he is hoisted when necessary-passes
through a ring in the helmet, and af-
ter being bolted in several places to
| the collar on one side goes through a
ring in the belt, and is then bolted to
| the collar on the other side. This is
not only a life-life, but a telegraph
line, too. One pull, means more
wind; ; two pulls, less wind three
pulls, stop the pump for moment
You see, the air supply is the main
thing, and most of the things relate to
it. But the diver may have too much
air as we'll as too little. The air pipe
| is made much heavier and sitter than
the ordinary rubber hose. If it were
too timber it would get into kinks
and shut off the air.
ftThree men on the surface attend
to one diver-two to work the air
pump, and one for the air tube and
lifeline. They must be trustworthy
men, too, or they will kill the diver.
| Some companies make it a point to
employ father and son, or two broth
ers, or very close friends. While one
relative dives, the other exercises great
care on the surface.
II have told you only of the larger
parts of the outfit. The complete ap-
paratus, the 1857 worth, consists of a
~three.cylinder air pump. with water
| tank around the cylinders to cool the
l lkil. b MSS II lLlIlCo u ShSC " III
pump, a bolt helmet, the diving dress
/ proper. $50 feet Of air hose, a set of
belt weights, a pair of loaded shoes, a
| pair of wrist expanders, a pair Of
| rings and clamps. a pair OF diving NIT
tens, a pair of chatting trousers, q life
| line, six extra bolts and nuts for the
| helmet, a pair OF extra couplings, a
yard Of repair cloth, six feet of snap
tubing, a box of rubber cement, and g
cutting punch.
"Encased in this armor the diver
keeps as dry as a chip, and, Of course,
the pump gives him plenty Of air. But
l do not say that he is altogether COM
Portable. When the water is cold the
diver is cold, and requires one or two
suits Of heavy fannels and WOODEN NIT
tens to wear beneath his divers NIT
tens. In clear water he can see very
we'll, but about this harbor the water
is not clear, and most of the work must
be done by feeling. In fact, it is very
hard work; 50 hard that four hours is.
counted a full days work. Formerly
| the divers wage were much higher,
but they have come down, New York
divers probably run less risk than any
| others in this country. because they
do more work and know how to keep
their apparatus in order. Very much
depends upon that, but not everything.
Occasionally an accident happens IN
spite Of all the care possible. The last
fatal accident to q diver in this hsrbor
that / remember was several years ago.
A steamship had sunk near her dock,