The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-01-05
THE SUBMARINE DIVER.
ED HELPtESSNEs UNDER
WATER.

Even His Senses the Diver May Not
Laws Of Nature Seemed Turned
Against Him.
From his feet to his throat the
diver is dressed in a onepi"ce. loose
fitting, quarter-inch thick suit. consist
ing OF the best rubber moulded be-
tween two layers OF heavy canvas and
terminating in Il copper breast and
shoulder plate to which is screwed
the ponderous twenty-five pound he!-
met. provided with circular face plates
in front and at either side. and at the
back with goose neck" for the at
tachment of the air hose. says Ap-
pleton's Magazine. Each foot OF the
daring adyenturer is fastened To a
twenty-pomd iron sandal. and about
his waist are buckleu a hundred pound
leaIen belt and life line. Once in
side this armor, so heavy aud stiff and
clumsy that strong man barely stag
gers across deck in ii. the diver an
pears for all the warld as if he were
inside huge, man-sfaped Saloon.
And in this awkward outfit. iiamper1nc
every free movement. dependent up
on hundred and one favorable CON
ditionS. the diver braves the unknown
dangers lurking far below.
From the instant the helmet is
screwed down and the helper Srasps
the life line and lowers The diver
ali; tot ~; ri.
of the pumps bring fresh air and the
hiss of the escape valve carry inE away
the used up air sound in the Divers
ears. The click-clic!i-click" becomes
part of his subcOnscious self. He is
listening for it always, ever; not
click escapes him He starts VIC
iently at the slightest irresularitE OF
the sound. He l.stens for il so intent
ly that to save his soul he cannot
count correctly one hundred bricks in
to a bucket, taking them one at
time. 1t is the speech. the one speech,
the speech OF the pumps which tells
him. All is well as far as.we are con-
cerned.'
The diver hears the acceleration CT
the "click-click-clich' as the pumps
work faster with his descent
where he needs more air to
counteract the ncreasing water pres
SIRE. The click click-click" tells him
he is going deeper So does the fast
fading light. So does the water pres
sure which collapses the suit against
+: 81; "a
helmet and breast plate, where his
lungs require freedom. AS his feet
strike bottom the helpless man be-
comes even more helpless than be-
fore He is as il cut off from the
world above him. His sole means OF
speech consists Of few sentences
communicated by Juggling Or shaking
hc Sc or life line. His one Interpreter
is the watchful helper. paying out or
taking in hose and line and ever
feeling" the man below as fisher
man feels" fish.
And now the very laws of nature
seem turned against his helplesSness.
Despite the $50 or 200 pounds of arm
or under which he stagsers in day
light, he now feels light as feather.
He has lost practically ali semblance
of that NEST fundamental element OF
physical strength-grayity. So near
Nv equal is the balance between the
air and lead and iron and copper that
he finds that, like a man on the
moon. he can make fabulous jumps
by giving the slightest spring. For
all practical purposes he is powerless
as a man suspended in a swing and
his muscles and sinews Of steel be-
come useless, almost like those of an
eight year old child. So helpless is
Re that he may not stand erect with
GU. beipg swept from his feet by the
drag OF the current or tide against
hose and life line. If he wants to
progress. DE must lean forward at an
angle of As degrees and labcriously
use his hands for paddles; or he must
crawl on his hands and knees, digging
his fingers into the muck, gigantic
human muGifish. Ii he strikes blow
with an axe it falls comparatively
harmless. Oftenest he is in such pitch
darkness that he cannot twice hit in
the same place. If he uses shovel
he may not shove the blade into the
mud lest he 50 backward like crab,
but he must scoop the blade full with
his hands at the risk of cutting and
tearing them against broken glass.
in cans and other rubhaSc.
Even his senses the diver may not
trust to warn him below water. He