Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-11-11
A DIVERS EXPERIENCES
SENSATIONS FELT WHILE WORK
ING IN THE SEAS DEPTHS.
The Dress That is Worn-Breathing
Without Ehort-Method of Sig
naling-A Divers Remuneration.

put on diving dress, go
q down into the depths and
learn the diving business for himself.
That's the way | learned it, says Cap
tain Anthony Williams in the New
York World.
| was originally a wrecker-t is,
I would purchase sunken ships, raise
them and sell them. In the summer
of 1868, off the Massachusetts coast, I
was raising sunken ship. The diver
who was working for me seemed very
lazy, careless sort of fellow. | was
paying him by the day, and at length,
when he came up on one occasion aud
reported very little progress in his
work, after having been under water
for long time, l was angry and ex-
pressed myself strongly. He retorted
with, "Try it yourself if you can do
any better.
"All right, said I. 'sfet me have
your diving dress and | will try it my
self. " He thought | was only joking,
but was not Thinking to see me
back out, aud that | would not dare
TO venture down below into Davy
Jones's locker, he took off his diving
dress and I put it on.
Now, diving dress is really two
dresses, one within the other, and both
of india.rubber. The stockings, pants
and shirt are 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 COMPRISING tue
wrists. There is a copper breast plate
bearing upon its outer convex surface
small screws, which are adjusted
through holes in the neck of the shirt,
which, by means of nuts fastened upon
the screws, is held SO firmly III place
as to render the entire dress from the
neck downward absolutely air and
water tight.
Fitting with equal closeness 10 this
breast.plate is the helmet 1t COM
pletely incloses the head and is sup
piled with three glasses, one in front
and one at each side, to enable the
diver to look in any direction. The
divers feet are incased in pair of
very thick leather shoes, made to lace
up the front and supplied with heavy
leaden soles to prevent him from turn
ing feet uppermost in the water.
When ] had donned this dress |
placed across my shoulders ropes sus-
tanning two leaden weights, one hang
ing at my breast and the other at my
back. Sometimes in very strong cur,
rents it is necessary to make the
weights which the diver carries ex-
traordinarily heavy, and such was the
case with those hanging over my
shoulders on the occasion OF my first
dive, but greatly to my surprise,
though the diving dress | wore weighed
of itself nearly two hundred pounds
| did not feel the great burden ] sus-
tanned in wearing it any more than |
did that of my ordinary clothes when
out of the water.
1t also seemed marvellous to me that
though ! was ten or twelve fathoms
under water my breathing was wholly
devoid of effort as if | had been walk
ing about on dry land. Perhaps some
Of my readers may know that by
means of an air-pump, worked by two
men, the diver is supplied with air,
which passes into his helmet through
hose at its back. Near the place of
its entrance is spring valve for its
escape. This valve can be controlled
by the diver, but he usually sets it be-
fore going into the water and seldom
disturbs it afterward. The pressure
of the air being greater than that of
the water surplus of the former
readily escapes.
When the valve proves insufficient
to permit the escape of n superfuity
of air the diver can open in his breast
plate similar spring valve intended
only for such an emergency. He can
also regulate the amount of mir pumped
to him by signals upon the air-hose to
the men engaged in pumping. One
pull upon the air-hose means "more
air" two pulls, '1ess air"
The signals by means of the air
hose are generally used by all divers,
but each one of the fraternity has also
his own private code of signals upon
the lifeline, which is always fastened
to the divers waist and by which he
is drawn up out OF the water. These
| signals each diver writes down very
carefully and gives to the man in
charge of the lifeline. By means of
| these he can send for tools, material,
| etc
When lengthy communication is
to be made the diver sends up for a
slate and writes all he wishes to say.
1t is just as easy to read and write un-
der water as 1t is out of it, all objects
being greatly magnitied.
The only unpleasant sensation ever
experienced during my whole career
as diver-eveu on the occasion of
my first dive-was a drumming in the
ears. This will sometimes destroy the
hearing if the diver remains too long
under water.
Four hours-two in the morning
and two in the afternoon-comprise a
days work in the diving business, and
If diver always restricts himself TO