Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-01-17
An DIVER,
Iow Cleveland NoGett Donned q. Eiv.
ing Suit and Went Down 10
a Wrecked vessel.

! The first Of a series OF papers on Ca
reers Of Danger ard Daring" appears
in the January 81. Nicholas Diving Is
he subject this month. and CIeyelaRd
Noffet1 i TIE writer. In order 10 write
with more intimate knowledge Of the
divers work. he himself donned q div
iEE-Sui7. and nailed q BIT Of w1oG O.
the deck Of q wrecked vessel.
I Wa rising rice the 1-z- a~f-ernoon-
IN hour before slack wa-er tslack Wa
re- Is tire divers Larves-ti-el- when
the crew of the steam pump DuCCer-
berg gathered OF Geek 20 witness my
descent and assist in dressing ne: for
no diver can dress himself. The put
ting on a d.virg-suit i like squeezing
into 81 enormous pair cf rubber boots
reaching up 10 the chin. and provided
with sleeves that clutch the wrist tight
with cl.uG-u- bands. TO keep ont the
water. Thus incased. ven feel Is help
less and oppressed as Z rightly-stUffeG
sawdust doll. and you stand anxiously
while the men put the gasker "a rubber
iUint) over your shoulders. and make
il fast with Jhumb-screws. under q
heavy copper collar. Next YOU steF
into a pair OF ~30-pound iron shoes. that
are strapped over your rubber feet
And now they lead you 70 an iron lad
der that reaches down from rail &C
water. You lift your feet somehow
over the side. right foot. left foot. and
fe-i around for the ladder ing Then
you bend forward On the deck. face
down. As a man would lay his neck OF
the block. This i TO let the helpers
~ L. r9E- z-1T7rI ON y-aI=< Tho hall
that is 10 sink you presently with its
hundred pounds of lead. Under this
belt you feel the lifeline moose hugging
below your arms. a stout o trailing
along the deck. that will follow you
10 the bottom. and haul you back again
safely. let US hope. Beside it trails
the precious black hose that brings
YOU air.
Now Atkinson himself lifts the cop
per helmet with its three google eyes.
and prepares to screw it on. The men
watch your face sharply: they have
seen ~novices weaken here.
want to leave any address, says
Capt. Taylor. cheerfully.
| admit. in my own case. that at this
moment l felt a very real emotion L
watched two lads at the air-pump
wheels as # they were executioners.
though both had kind faces. and one
was sucking placialr at a clay pipe. /
thought how good il was to stay in
the sunshine. and not go down under
a muddy river in a diving-suit.
wait 4 minute" l cried out. and
. went over the signals again-three
slow jerks on the lifeline TO come up,
and so on.
Now the helmet settles down over
my head and jars against the collar.
l see a mans hands through the round
glasses. criss-croSsed over with pro
tec:iEg wires; he i screwing the hel-
met down tight. Now he holds the face
/ glass before my last little open window.
Go ahead wild &c pump" calls a queer
voice. and forthwith a sweetiSh. warm
ISL breath enters the helmet. and I
hear the wheeze and groan OF the
cylinders.
IF YOU get too much air. pull once
on The hose" somebody calls; IF you
don't get enough. pull twice" I won
/ Ger how ] am 10 know whether I am
getting too much or not enough. but
! there i no time TO find out. have just
; 4 mcment for one deep breath from
! the outside. when there i no more
/ outside" for me: the face-glasS has
shut ii off. and now griuTy fingers are
turning this glass in its threads. turn
/ ing il hard. and hands are fussing with
hose and lifeline. making them fast to
! Tugs on the heImet-face. one on each
side. so that the hose drops away under
my left arm. and the lifeline under my
! right. Then l hear a sharp tap upon
my big copper crown. and so | learn
! must start down: for the tap is the
signal.
| pause a to see il I can
breathe. and find I can. One step
downward. and l feel a tug at my
rou>ers as the a~ir-feed pumps them
cut. Step by step l enter the water;
foot by foot the water level ascendS
70 my waist. TO my ShoujderS-to my
head. With a roar in my ears. and q
+ fash of silver bubbles. ! sink beneath
the surface: I reach the ladders end.
toose my hold On it. and sink. sink
( through an ~amber-colored region. slow
~. easily. and land safely thanks to
Arkinson'S careful hanGIing} on the
barCe's deck just outside her c~ombings.
Snd can reach L heavy foot over the
crpth of her hold. where tons of coal
await rescue. \ jerk comes on the life
/ line. and ] answer that all is we'll: in
! Iced. | am pleasantly disappointed.
thus far. in my sensations. II is true
there is a pressure in my ears but
nothing of consequence (no doubt
deeper it would have been differently.
and l feel rather a sense of exhilara-
ton from my ~air-Supply than any in
convenience. At every breath the
whole suit heaveS and settles with the
lift and fall of my lungs. i carry my
armor easily. 1t seems as If | have no
weight at all. vet the scales would give
me close to 400 pounds.
The fact is. though / cid not know it,
my friends up above in the daylight
were pumping me down toe much air
Cthis in their eager desire 10 give
enoughl. and l was in danger of be-
coming more buoyant than is good
/ for a diver: IN fact. if the clay-pipe
gentleman had turned his wheel just
a shade faster I should hav travelled
Hp in a rush-400 pounds and all.
Plating at the White House.
The work of peopling the half a hun
| GTed flower beds with their richly
| arrayed inhabitants is of itself a gigan-
| tic task. All of the plants come from
" HE l~rn=