The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-21
DIVERS MAY RE TERROR OF SEA
Theorists Say They Could Enter a
Fortified HarbOr ut Night.
From the Chieago Timeg- Herald.

From the Chicago Times Herald.
If Paul Jones in ghostly guise wanders
around the warships of our new navy he
must see many surprising accessories to
the fighting and working forces as organ
lied in his day One novel and necessary
addition to the crew of a warshIp of the
present time is the submarine diver The
importance of this Individual to the well
fare of a warship has been amply shown
during the recent operations against the
Spanish fleets. Speed has been the most
important point in the maneuvering dur
ing the opening events of the war, and
this has rendered it necessary for our ships
to be in the best possible trim for fast
work. As, owing to the lack of foresight
on the part of those responsible, we are
not provided with the necessary dry docks
to enable us to clean the foul bottoms of
our vessels when they come off a long voy-
age, 1t has been necessary to send divers
down to do the work as best they could.
1t has not been done well, but II has
been the best kind of substitute that could
be found for the proper article. When
snip ogoes into dry dock and is scraped of
the barnacles and seaweed and rank
growth that accumulates there during a
sea voyage and then is treated to a new
coat of paint she energies from the dry
dock as clean and fit as when she made
her maiden voyage. The submarine divers
are able only to scrape away the barna-
Giles and seaweed, and even then they are
so handicapped by the heaViness and I'M
hardness of their dress that it is impossi-
bic to do the work in any but a clumsy
and incomplete way.
II cd had he
necessary part of the ships crew. Many
war ships carry one or more trained divers
and to attain to the rating of diver re-
quires very special qualifications Before
being sent for training, the man applying
has to undergo an extremely rigorous
medical examinati n, and is mercilessly
rejected unless absolutely sound in wind
and limb, possessed of an exceptionally
strong constitution, and, above all, with
out the slightest tendency to any heart
weakness.
Every foot the diver descends the greater
of course, becomes the pressure, and at the
deepest descent made namely 200 feet, the
pressure was as much as lightweight
pounds to the square inch. 1t is, how
ever, only but rarely that 1t is necessary
to go to such depth as this, but even
working in shallow water most men suf-
fer severely at first, and emerge from
their diving suit with racIing head and
bleeding from the nose and ears. In
truth, every time he descends the diver
takes his life in his hand, for anything
going wrong with the air supplying gear
would place him in a very hopeless posi-
ton.
The diving apparatus in use in our navy
Is costly affair. The method of it's work
ing is simple. A long coil of tubing sup
plies the diver with oxygen and by means
of a coil of rope attached TO his person ne
cfo al Iou M
be raised when the work is done. To
descend, the diver has, of course, to be
heavily weighted The weights carried on
breast and back weigh some eighty pounds.
while the heavy leather boots with their
leaden soles weigh another twenty pounds.
The weight of the helmet, which is in
geniously fitted with valves to allow the
vitiated air to escape, is no less than
forty pounds and to this must be added
the weight of the rubber dress itself and
the weight of the heavy underclothing
worn by the diver.
He is not a prepossessing sight, this
monster with the huge headdress and he
glaring eyes, but his usefulness to the
navy is immeasurable. He was wanted
in a hurry and, unfortunately, was not
on hand when the Maine went down into
the mud of Havana harbor. He will be
wanted in coming engagements to patch
holes in the sides of war craft, If these
wounds mercifully fall short of being NOR
tai. He win assist in wrecking opera
tons when 1T is found necessary 10 go
fishing for the valuable portion of
Spanish fleets equipment after we have
treated il as Dewey treated the enemy s
feet at Manila. He will be ready to help
a United States vessel out of score of
unforeseen troubles that may arise when
the modern warship gets down to hghtlng
that is not all one-sided.
automatically submarine diver as a
formidable aid in operations against the
enemy. Whether or not he VIII be so IN
practice remains to be seen. The theorists
assert that the diver can be sent under
water on dark nights to grope his way in
to the mined entrances of harbors and
cut the wires connecting the explosives
with the shore, or they say he can at
tach mines to the keels of anchored war
craft and explode the mines when he
reaches a safe distance; or he can saw
the cables Of anchored vessels and Tht
their crews to great inconvenience IL not
In a position Of positive danger. There is
scarcely any limit to the theorists sug-
gestions for using the submarine diver as
a means of offense in naval campaigns,
but most of the plans are visionary, ana
IL is probable that the most practical use
to which the diver can be put Is to clean
and repair the ships of his own nation
when it IS necessary that the cleaning
and repairing be done eXtraneousy and
facilities are not at hand 10 dry dock the
vessel.
The limitations of the diving apparatus
forbid any very dangerous offensive work
being done by the man who descends in
Il. lie cannot wander too far from his
base OF operations on account Of his de-
pendence on the air supply, and the boat
from which he is lowered could not APP
proach very near 10 a vessel or harbor
IN these days of searchllghts without be-
ing discovered II Is probable however
that daring souls will try the experiment
before the present war d. over. and naval
experts may have 10 ma some way 10
guard against "a new enemy OF che invisi- I
bic varlety-tho submarine diver GA blow |
ing-up purposes bent