The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-12
NOVEL DIVING BELL.
Especially Constructed to Resist
Pressure at Great Depths,
The Weight OF Water Crushed It
Like an Egg Shell.

OF fittaburg what remains OF the most
ambitious attempt ever made to con.
struct a diving bell, which would defy
the pressure Of water at great depths.
This was the invention Of Herbert
schon, brass moulder, Of Pittsburg,
who had given long study 10 the
power aud resistance Of metals.
He knew that no diver had ever de-
eccnded and worked successfully at a
greater depth than about 100 feet. He
had heard Of the diver who went down
20 work upon the wreck Of the Elbe
an the English channel, and who was
hurriedly lifted unconscious to the
suriaee from a depth Of 10 feet.
Mr.. Schon knew about the old div
ing bells, and he thought that one
made according to the up-to-dato
scientific principles would startle the
world by it's achievements. He there
fore constructed diving bell made of
phosphor-bronze, ave-eights Of an
inch thick. Each plate was cast with
a hange, and the plates we're bolted to-
gether, the bolts being placed as
closely together as was consistent
with strength. The side plates we're
further strengthened by ribs, an inch
thick and two inches wide. There
was an opening for a lookout on
either side of this box, and the heavy
glass plates we're one inch in thickness.
This novel diving bell was a cube. six
feet high.
When the diving bell was com
pleted, it weighed %, 900 pounds. lis
inventor expected that it would easily
resist the pressure at depth Of $50
feet He had not the slightest hesita-
tiontin going down in it the first time
it was lowered into the water. This
was in Lake Michigan, opposite Mil
waukee, but close to the shore The
depth was about seventy feet. Schon
staid down on the bottom in this bell
for about three hours, and there he
smoked, burned matches, watched the
sewerage of the city float past him and
conversed with his friends above him
by means of telephone.
The inventor was SO delighted with
the result of this experiment that he
wanted to go down in his diving bell
when it was proposed to lower it to a
depth of200 feet twelve miles from the
land. Only the urgent persuasion of
his friends dissuaded him from this
foolhardy attempt, which would I'M
doubtedly have cost him his life.
The diving bell had been taken out
to that part of Lake Michigan on a
big float, and there was party of
scientists present to watch the prog
ress Of the experiment. Before it was
lowered into the water enough ballast
had been attached to the bell to make
the whole apparatus weigh 10000
pounds. But after it had been low
cred into the water short distance it
was weighed and found to weigh only
500 pounds. This might have shown
what the pressure of the water would
be at greater depth.
The line had been marked at inter-
walls of twenty-five feet, and it was
steadily payed ont as the huge bell
sank to the bottom. Before it reached
the bottom, however, the whole thing
was crushed by the mighty pressure OF
the water. This occurred suddenly,
the first the assembled scientists above
knowing about it being the explosion
Of great bubble of air, that rose tc
the surface, after escaping from the
metal case. The broken diving bell
was then hoisted to the surface. One
OF the heavy oak timbers was driver
into itself and splintered to match
wood. The inch-thlck plate glass was
almost pulverized.
According to the ropes, the machine
was down 200 feet, but the gaug'
showed a pressure Of ninety-nin,
pounds, which, if it registered cor
rectly, indicated depth of 228 feet
But on a basis of 200 feet, the pres
sure that crushed this seemingly in
vulnerable phosphor- bronze structur
was s6.S pounds per square inch, o
1853. 924 pounds to each side Of ST
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