The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-17
RAISING WRECKS.
HOW SUNKEN VESSELS ARE
HOISTED TO THE SURFACE.
Immense Floating Dcrricks Con-
structed Specially For The Work
The Diver and His Queer
Dress-Up She Comes!
wrecks are of such magni-


H. tude that wrecking company
cannot bring one TO the sur
face in less than a day, but to
reach the point where this speed can
be accomplished thousands upon
thousands of dollars have to be in
vested in mechanical appliances, so
that the price for saving vessel, even
when she is deep under water, is not
measured by the length of time taken
! to accomplish the work, but is meas
ured by the number of tugs, derrick
boats and men it takes to accomplish
the task. So prices vary from 800
to $50, 900, and the most important
part of the work is inrnaking con-
tract for its accomplishment.
/ - As soon as the arrangement is made
fol, the work 1.-THE wrecking company
dispatches an odd craft to the SUBJ
merged ship or steamer. It is costly
portable derrick, capable Of raising
| at least $50 tons in weight. If the
submerged craft is of such dimensions
that one derrick cannot raise it, as
many ss necessary are sent to do the
work, and 80 powerful are several der
ricks joined together that gigantic
ull.rigged ship can be raised by four
| of-them from beneath more than 100
feet of water. ..-. -
The derricks stand upon scow-
shaped boat. The largest size of
these craft is the well-known Reliance,
of the Chapman Derrick and Wrecking
Company. She is 100 feet in length,
with a forty-foot beam and is ten feet
in depth. In>her centre is huge
derrick, of iron and wood, which has
lifting capacity of $50 tons. Upon
the deck of the scow is hoisting en-
g1ne, steam pump of gigantic force,
and she is fitted up with numberless
capstands, with an electric light plant
and with other necessary machinery to
be used in the work at hand. But it
is in her huge derrick that the greatest
power lies. The ssmain fall block" !"
of the derrick weigh two tons each,
and the gearing upon the boom weighs
thirty-seven tons, which gives her tre-
mendous lifting power. Her tackle is
of spun steel and she is worked by one
of the most powerful of modern hoist
ing engines.
This splendid piecezof modern en-
cheering skill is quickly towed by
tugs to the scene of the wreck, where
it is moored alongside, and active work
is then begun. First, the diver
has to get himself in readiness for
his plunge down into the depths of the
ocean, to examine the .sunken vessel,
! and see what must be done to raise
her. For this purpose he dons his
divers suit. First he puts on his head
sort of helmet and shoulder pro-
tector. It is made of copper, three
sixteenths of an inch in thickness, and
weighs forty-six pounds. This would
be a gigantic weight to carry around
on the earth, but it will not be o
great weight far down beneath the
buoyant water.
1t is necessary to have the copper
head and shoulder protector, too, of
quite thick copper, for water has a
mighty pressure, and if the protector
was OF thinner stuff the water would
crush it like an eggshell, and the diver
would be drowned like. a rat in a
hole.
The headpiece is about four times
the size of mans head, so that when
it is in position there is plenty of space
around the divers head for air to cir
culate. In the centre of the copper
head.like affair are two eye holes, six
inches in diameter, glazed with heavy
glass, capable of sustaining any
amount of pressure. These eyeholes
are protected by heavy copper rivets,
and through them the diver can peer
around at his work. g..
Next the diver jumps into big suit
of woven rubber. Boots, trousers and
shirt are all woven together without
seams. The suit at the shoulders is
fastened to the armor-like headpiece
by system of clamps, which efectu-
ally prevents water from leaking
through it.
Then the diver dons pair of iron,
sandsl-like shoes. These weigh four
teen pounds each, and while on the
surface of the water they are heavy and
unwieldy, in the depths of sea they
are no heavier than ordinary shoes.
Around the waist is then fastened 100
pounds of sheet lead, woven in weather
belt, and then the helmet is finally
closed by system of clamps, and the
man is ready for his descent beneath
the surface of the sea.
At the back of the helmet rubber
pipe, capable of resisting enormous
water pressure, is securely fastened to
| tube, which allows air to be pumped
through it into the helmet. The mo-
ment the helmet is closed on the deck
of the derrick an air pump starts, and
it keeps the diver perfectly supplied
with the life giving ozone through the
rubber tube. The diver, too, has o
line of half-inch MANILA rope, fastened
to his shoulder, as life line, and
when beneath the water he signals to
the men on the derrick his wishes along
this line.
He regulates his supply of air by
u..1, -.,Jo h., Dr, 1lipo fba air I'm he