The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-15
THE DEEP SEA DIVER
Perils Against Which the Modern
Expert Must Guard.
PROTECTING HIS AIR TUBE.

This 10 His Chief Care While Deivins
In the Debris Of sunken Wrecks.
Tragic Debut Of John Day, . Clever
but Ignorant Old Timer.
A great deal of water has run under
the bridge since. in the month Of June.
1774. John Day made his fatal debut
as diver in Plymouth sound. Day.
clever but ignorant millwright. had
laid numerous wagers that. confined In
a water tight box and provided with
candle. food and drink. he would re-
main submerged at any depth for
twelve hours. His plan was that the
box should be fastened by screws
from within-to a vessel subsequently
sunk and that when the allotted time
had elapsed he should withdraw the
screws and rise to the surface. His
mad scheme was actually put into ex-
ecution on June %, and Day. as might
have been expected. lost his life. Not
the least extraordinary part Of the az
fair Is that, while he was warned how
the pressure OF the water would affect
his box and greatly increased its
strength In consequence, no one seems
to have so much as limited at the dan
ger OF his death from want of air.
The diver who goes down today to
salve the contents of a sunken wreck,
recover a dropped torpedo or execute
some submarine erection or repairs has
better knowledge of the necessary
risks he runs and the precautions by
which he may avoid all needless dan
ger at his work than had poor Day.
Science, mindful Of the great increase
of pressure brought about by every
foot that he descends beneath the sur
face OF the sea, warns him to 20 slow
~ down the stepladder that hangs
from the ships side or the dock wall
and to pause frequently as he does SO,
that he may grow accustomed to the
Increase by degrees. By this means
a man fit for the work. sound of heart
and free from apopletic tendencies
passes with little Inconvenience from
the moderate pressure Of eight pounds
per square inch, which surrounds him
at depth Of twenty feet, to that of
sixty-nve pounds, which he must sus-
tain after descending $50 feet-the
greatest depth at which his work can
be considered safe.
Once landed at the bottom of the sea
the diver has q host of things to bear
In mind. Weighted as he is with brass
soled boots. copper helmet and often a
treble set Of undertaking below his
diving suit Of twill and rubber, the
tendency to rise Is yet SO great that his
powers Of action are very limited. He
can lift comparatively heavy weight
with ease: the attempt to pull down
some trffiing piece of wreckage from
overhead will probably take him off his
feet. Readers of Robert Louis Steven
son will remember how when, dressed
in full deep sea costume, he accom-
panied a diver to his work the novel
LIST was able to hop with ease upon the
summit Of a rock some six feet high.
But descend again he could not His
companion hauled him OF head down
ward and propped him on his feet 'like
an intoxicated sparrow" Even for
such an apparently simple piece of
work as drilling a hole In a rock or
portion Of q wreck the diver will per
haps need to prop himself against a
stone or make himself secure by lash
ings to the object upon which he
works.
The great danger against which the
diver must be ever on his guard is that
OF getting his air tube entangled in the
debris Of a wreck-no difficult matter
as he creeps in and out Of cabin, engine
room and hold. among a broken and
distorted mass OF wood and iron. He
in
ton. all unconscious that he Is being
helped by a strong current, until he
presently attempts to turn and finds it
vain. 1t is not the deep sea diver only
who runs this risk. Some years since a
diver was at work In twenty feet Of
water repairing some dock gates. His
| job finished, he gave the signal to the
boat above to close the gates that he
| might see II all worked well. The rush
of many tons Of water as the heavy
| gates swung to swept him between and
through them. In a fash he realized
that his air pipe would be caught
between the massive doors and at
the same moment saw his only chance
for life. He thrust his heavy hammer
head between the closing gates, and
this kept his pipe free till he could
| signal for them to be reopened.
| The old method Of communication
between the diver and his helpers at
the surface was by means Of tugs upon
the line. but nowadays the telephone
or perhaps a speaking tube accompa.
MES the air pipe at his side. And
though many divers still work In the
comparative darkness. both oil and
electricity will shed their light upon
the scene IL need arise.
Sharks are visitors with whom in
certain waters the deep sea diver has
| to count. But the shark Is not always
so dangerous a morning caller as
might be thought A diver at work
in the cabin Of a sunken ship saw, to
his dismay. a shark swim slowly In
| The diver had no suitable weapon of
defense at hand. and fight seemed
| the only chance for Gfe-and DOOR