The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-08-01
TOILET OF THE DIVER
OPERATION OF PUTTING ON AND
TAKING OFF HIS COSTUME.

Dressing Platform Is an Old Tin
Cana Lesson In the Art of Taking
Things Easy-Necessity For Care.
To watch a diver while he is dressing
or divesting himself of his professional
apparel is not only to be taught a les
son in the art of taking things easily,
but also impresses one with the fact
that the divers is the only occupation
under the sun in which a tin can Is q
toilet requisite.
The can in question is not an orna-
mental object, such as silver backed
hairbrush is or set of manicure in
struments. but the divers valet needs
it in his business as much as any fop
needs either of the silver implements,
for 1t is in this battered old tin that
the valet drops the thumbscrews that
keep the rubber cloth of the diving
suit confined in place between the
outer and inner plates of the cuirass-
like shell the diver wears over his
shoulders and across his breast. There
they remain until the diver is ready to
dress again, when the valet carefully
picks them out of the tin and screws
them back in place.
The operation of dressing a diver re-
quires two distinct movements, one
taking place on the deck of the vessel
or platform from which he is working,
the other at the head of the ladder on
which the diver descends to the depths
EoIou, ~ ;s q buci1acc that rop11iroS a
good deal of time, for the divers life
depends on just how carefully each of
the several things are done, and no
one sacrifices thoroughness to speed.
The diver always has a comfortable
place to sit on before he begins remov-
ing his shoes. after which he draws on
a long pair of heavy wooden stockings
over the legs of trousers. Over these
again he pulls on another pair of
trousers, and then he draws on the
lower part of his diving suit proper.
After that is done he is in the hands OF
his valet. who is also the man who
tends the air pipe and signal rope after
the diver has descended to the bottom
of the sea.
One of the curiosities of this opera
ton is the immobility of the man who
is being dressed. He sits perfectly still
with his hands clasped between his
knees, rarely speaking, his eyes fixed
on some distant point as though he
were absorbed in considering some
weighty problem.
Meanwhile the valet has been draw
ing the rubber suit up OH the divers
arms and part way up over his chest
and then he slips down over his head
the steel cuirass that keeps the pres
sure of the water away from his chest
and also serves to support the weight
of the copper helmet on his shoulders.
At this point in the operation the tin
can comes into use, and the valet takes
from it the brass thumbscrews that
confne the upper edges of the diving
suit between the cuirass and the four
steel bands that are fastened outside
of it. Then the valet puts a black silk
skullcap on the divers head, and the
diver waddles over to the head of the
ladder after a pair of heavy rubber
bands are slipped over the rubber cuffs
of the suit, for the diver works with
barred hands.
Then come the final touches Of the
costume, which are always made as
near the head Of the ladder as possible,
for these operations consist of putting
on the weighted shoes, the weighted
breast belt and the copper helmet. The
diver slips his feet into the shoes Of
cast iron, and his valet and another
helper buckle them around his instep.
Then he bends down, resting his arms
on the head of the ladder, while the
belt, on which are fastened great, thick
squares of lead, is buckled around his
breast and across his shoulders.
The signal cord is fastened to the
breastplate with leather thongs, and
then the signal is given to the man at
the air pump to work lively" which
means that he is to send the wheel
around at much faster pace than he
does when the diver is at work, this
being done to get good current of air
passing through the pipe. Least time
of all does it take to put the helmet
on, for it is dropped into place, and
after one half turn the thing is done
Down goes the grotesque figure be-
low the surface Of the water, up from
the helmet comes q constant stream Of
air bubbles, and if the diver is not
working at too great a depth you can
presently hear the click Of his tools
ringing away at work. - New York
Press.