The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-21
WORKS IN MUD
AND CANNOT SEE
Yet Diver Stays Below for Several
Hours at a Stretch and
Labors.

Eyes, l believe that diver gets SIS al
day for his work down on the bottom
OF the dock, but he runs the risk of
losing his life fifteen times for every
dollar he receives" said man on one
of the new Bishop Estate wharves yes
terday as he watched the bubbles CON-
ing up.
The water bubbles indicated where
diver was at work in thirty feet of
water-or mud, for the tide rushing
into the new dock kept the water black
during the greater portion of the time.
A small barge was moored near the
bubbles, and on this two men were
busily grinding away at the pumps
w1ItU1I supp1teu Tire utyer wirn ar.
Near the ladder which goes down into
the water from the end of the barge
The diver signals his wants on this
rope, and the man sitting there carries
them out.
The work being done by the diver is
that of placing new copper sheathing.
ON the piles where it has been torn off.
through driving them into the coral
He has to do his work entirely by feel
ing, as it is impossible for him to see
through the mud When he wishes a
piece Of copper four inches square, or
any other size, to cover a break in the
sheathing he signals the size up by
jerks ON the rope. Then the copper is
cut and sent down to him. Nothing
can be seen of his work above the
water except the rising bubbles, and
all that can be heard is dull thud
when he hurls his hammer in the mud
and drives a nail home" through the
sheathing and piling.
The diver employed is one of the
Oldest in Honolulu. He is, of course,
encased in divers armor, but it is re-
markable even then the length of time
he is capable of staying under water
at his work. Sometimes he only stays
underneath the surface a couple of
hours, but oftentimes he remains
| under the surface for six or seven
hours. A rubber pipe leads from the
| barge pump to his armor, and through
! this the air is forced. 1t leaves the
air-tight arnor suit through a cap in
the divers helmet, and such force is
used in sending the air through that
! he has new air to breathe about every
J second. After leaving the helmet the
air goes into the water with such force
that as it rises to the surface 1t stirs
the water up to such an extent that
one would imagine that steamers
propeller was working down below
instead of man.
AS every pile has to be carefully in.
spected and repaired by the diver. hi.
work in finishing the under portion O
the wharyes will occupy some time.
Cotton Brothers big scoop dredgeI
completed its work this week. All o
the dredging machinery, with the ex
ception Of this one big dredge, has beef
taken from the dock The big doc]
has been dredged all over to a dept
OF thirty feet, and in some places
has been scooped out to a depth o
nearly forty feet.
Work on the wharves is now pro
ceeding at a rapid rate The wharve
have all been timbered and men ar
now at work laying the asphalt whie-
is to cover them.
| A big gang of laborers has been en-
Gagged during the past few days in Law
ing railway from the wharves to tn
reclaimed flats of the Bishop estat
back of the feed company's ware
: houses. An engine and ears is to h