Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-28
Rescued by Assistants Aboard the
Monitor Puritan.
TRAGEDY NARROWLY AvERTED
After Three Years of Thought and
Care japanese Creation Fails With
Almost Fatal Result.

While trying to give an exhibition of
diving apparatus OF his own invention from
the United States monitor Puritan yester-
day afternoon a,Sout so O'Clock Takao
Iwaram. a young japanese. narrowly es-
capped death. In the presence of a hundred
friends. who were invited to witness the
test. he was removed from the diving ap-
para US unconscious and heroic remedies
were applied to keep life in his body. After
treatment by DR.. l. Higgins of the Wash
ington barracks the inventor carried
to the naval hospital. and will remain a
patient there several days.
tt, inventors c.cse sail was cue to suffo-
cation. caused by the failure OF the air
pumps to furnish sufficient air to his appa-
ratus. The product of his brain failed at
the critical moment and had it not been
for the prompt work of his assistants Iva
Mani would have lost his life 1t is be-
lievcd that delay of d minute would have
resulted in death.
Lowered Into River.
Considerable time spent by Iwanami
and his assistants In getting the apparatus
properly fitted on him, and after the air.
tight helmet had been placed over his head
and secured the Japanese insisted that he
have his picture taken. Then he was low
cred into the water and quickly hoisted out
again. When the helmet was opened up
he announced that everything was working
beautifully. but asked for more weight,
claiming that the air pump forced him to
rise to the surface. A heavy lead plate
was put on the mans chest, and the weight.
in addition to lead the bottom of each
shoe which he wore, quickly took him be-
low the surface of the river.
Just before he was lowered into the water
he was asked about signals.
'One pull, all right; three pulls, pull me
up" he explained to Gunner Bernard DON
nelly, who was to be in charge of the air
tubes. Then the glass window was securely
fastened on and Gunner Donnelly and his as
sstants began lowering the Japanese into
the water. Meanwhile A. ]. Liz started the
electric air pump, and 1t was working we'll.
Lower and lower sank the inventor, ten
feet, fifteen feet, twenty feet. All seemed
to be well.
Suddenly the bell of the telephone by
which the Japanese. as an auxiliary to
his rope signals to communicate with the
deck of the Puritan, began to ring: and
an assistant quickly answered 1t.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. he shouted, but
there was no response.
Then the rope was jerked-one, two.
three times Gunner Donnelly, who was at
the deck and felt the jerks, shouted to
his assistants to pull up. Hand over
hand the men quickly pulled up the rope,
raising the diver nearer to the surface. He
had been lowered about thirty feet, and 1t
required fully fifteen seconds to pull him
up, on account of the weight Of the div
Ing suit. Then the air tube became caught
in the ladder and more time consumed.
Gunner Donnely was working rapidly,
however, and as soon the apparatus con-
tanning the diver was above the sur
face of the water he reached down to I'M
screw the glass window over the face.
|. The water had set it tight in place.
Gunner's Prompt Action.
"a wrench, quick he shouted; and in
a few seconds was handed him and
he had loosened the window. The divers
hands showed above the surface Of the
water. and 1t was seen that they were mo-
tionless.
Lift him onto the deck ordered Gunner
Donnelly, and the order was quickly car
ried out. The heavy copper helmet was
unscrewed from the diving suit and quickly
pulled from over his head. 1t was then
seen that the Japanese was bleeding from
ears, nose and mouth.
"A Hluulc OF Two were required 10 uIl-
strap and unbolt the fastenings which
held the lower part Of the diving suit and
remove it from the unconscious form.
Meanwhile medicines were called for.
Ammonia was secured at once and that
was applied to the patients nose. and
later whisky was given. DR.. Higgins was
summoned from the barracks nearby by
Ensign J. B. Dalton, and after some de-
! lay reached the ship and took charge Of
| the patient.
Did the pumps stop working?" asked
Iwanami when consciousness began to re-
| turn, about ten minutes after he had been
| taken from the water.
NO" he was told.
II couldn't get any air." he replied.
Taken to Hospital.
That was all he said. He was suffer-
| Ing but he had no fault to find with his
| invention. Then the ambulance came and
| he was hurried away to the hospital.
| It is believed that the diver was let
| down into the river the pressure Of the
| water became greater than the air-pump
! pressure, and the pump failed to force
| air to the man inside the apparatus
| When the air supply therefore, was prac-
| tically cut off, the diver was partially
| suffocated.
| Iwanami has been planning and pre-
| pairing for this exhibition for years. About
three years ago he first began to build the
| diving apparatus. and he has been at work
| upon 1t much of his time since. Nearly
| one hundred persons were on the ship to
witness the exhibition. and with white
| and anxious faces they watched the work
| Of the rescuers When it was found that
| the inventor was conscious. but In a seri-
| Gus condition. orders were given to clear
the ship only a few friends of the pa
| tient being allowed to remain.