Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-07
NOVEL DIVING Bfll.
Owners Of Il Think 1hsy Can Raise Inc
Elbe Is Well a the Pewabic.

}
bell. lying in 100 feet Of water in Lake
Michigan, six miles south OF Thunder
Bay island. This steamer sank after a
collision 30 years ago. and the many
attempts that have been made to locat..
! her since she sank have all resulted in
. failure until the recent successful at
tempt made by Worden G. Smith !.
| diver in a new diving bell Smith has
| not only located TIE sunken steamer.
| but has succeeded iii bringing to the
surface the doors Of the saloon, part Of
the smokcstack, ,he exhaust pipe ana
otner tangible proofs OF his success.
He reports that the steamer appears
| to b. in very good condition, resting
easily upon the bottom of the lake,
| uron a keel almost even, the sides
stardirg about 20 feet from the lakes
| bottom. The upper works are partly
| gone and a portion of the upper deck
| has disappeared, but the hull of the
v, sci appears TO be practically intact
| Smith located the wreck in about 10
/ minutes. He began by sweeping the
J lake bottom with wire, carried about
| In a circle. The work had proceeded
| but short time when 1t was found
| thai the circle had suddenly grown
much smaller AS was hoped when this
discovery was made, the sunken steam
or was the cause of the reduction of the
| weep Of the radical wire. Smith re-
| i.0t.s that there is a huge swarm of
! wfi,tefish all about the wreck. He ex-
Irtcts to find soon, in addition to much
| Of he valuable cargo, the skeletons Of
$. me of the 40 passengers who were
carried down in the wreck
The diving bell used by Smith is
different from any yet devised 1t IS
| cyiindficalfy shaped steel tube. eight
| feet high and six feet in diameter. 1t
| is no more like the old diving bell than
day is like night 1t is net bell shaped,
| and has none Of the mechanical ar
! engagements of the old diving belts.
| The constructors of the marine wonder
+, are careful that no one shall see the
plans or get a photograph of It's
1 mechanism 1t is made OF one inch
steel, and the tube is arched on the top
1t is fitted with glass windows, which
! have been tested TO Withstand a pres
sure equal TO a water pressure AZ a
deptn of four hundred feet. These
windows are so constructed that should
| aey break there is an automatic at
/ t4hiiitlSbl titttA Ntit tit'ot
| without allowing any water 10 enter
the compartment There are also a
| telephone and fresh and foul air pipes
| which connect with Inc surface. on
| tne outside Of the case there is an are
lamp and apparatus capable of gener-
| ating 250e candle power light. This
| enables these in the bell to see Tor a
! distance of at least leo feet from the
| bell Urder water,
The most wonderful part, and al the
! same time the part which, n@xt TO Its
! capability to resist weather pressure.
| given the bell its value and its power,'
| is an arrangement which makes II pos
| sihe to move the boil about the bottom
/, II the sea Independent of any cable
| connection with the surface. Attached
| to the cage ana worked fspm the in
teIior are several long automatic arms,
F., These, It is claimed are used 70 move
1 the machine about or acan be used to
manipulate any tool il Is desired TO use.
| Fney are also used for the lifting Of
| @s ghts, These arms ard he arched
81 IS make il possible - anchor the ma
Chine VITA equal Guilty an an unsv n
d on an even surface.
1T is claimed for Il that there is hut
| little danger If accident. The bell Is
llnilasted with water. and il anything
should get out Cf order the water bal
last can be let out and II VIII come to
| the surface. The interior Of the APP
| paratus is lighted by incandescentt
! lamps. The frame Of the ball has been
| tested to withstand water pressure az
q depth of 1856 fest. so That there is no
| danger OF its coilapsing while at work
| at the extraordinary depth IF $50 feet.
| The success which has attended the
| effort TO locate tho Fewahic has fired
the owners Of The bell with a desire toI
| locate the North German Lloyd steam
En- Elbs, which was sunk by a collision
with the steamer Craithie on January
| 80. 1898, The raising of the Ell,e has
been pronounced impossible Ivy the
most experienced divers Of the world,
| but the successful experiments With
| this remarkable Western diving bell gpI
to show that it may rot be impOes. bic.
| AS evidence Of the belfs owners COM
| fidence to get results from an attempt.
| ore OF them may be quoted.
THE North German Lloyd Company
| have paid in the last two years $60,eDo
fer efforts To receiver the Elbe. and all
| they have been able to do is to locate
1
the upper works of the steamer. These
are down III feat. and this is the great
est depth te which any divers lave at
| tempted to work previously, They
have reported that they believe the
task Of raising he boat % be one inn
possible Of accomplishment. The bell
| We are using is capable of withstand
| ing the water pressure at q depth Of
1000 fcat. ! am informed the Eibe ha,,
aboard large amount, 81 specie, Mud
the boat itself is worth $500 900, besides
| a valuable cargo. The recovery Of This
| treasure is not. 10 my mind a much
| more difficult undertaking than the
raising Of the cargo of the Pewabc''
Cold Beverages are Injurious in hot Weather.
a word should, perhaps, he said Is to
| the unWhclesomcneeG of the extremely