The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-01-11
THE Deep SEA DIVER
PerlIs Against Which the Modern
~. Expert Must Guard.
PROTECTING HIS AIR TUBE.

| tragic 0epuN or Jonn bays SiuVof
but Ignorant Old Timer.
A great deal OF water has run under
the bridge since. in the month OF June
l774, John Day made his fatal debut
as q diver in Plymouth sound. Day
q clever but ignorant millwrght, had
laid numerous wagers that. confined In
water tight box and provided with a
candle, food and drink, he would re
main submerged at any depth for
twelve hours. BIS plan was that the
box should be fastened by screws
from wlthln--to 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 20, and Day. as might
have been expected, lost hts life. Not
the least extraordinary part OF the af-
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 hinted>at the dan
ger OF hts death from want Of air.
The diver who goes down today to
salve the contents of a sunken wreck,
recover q 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 ell 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 90 slow
ly 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
man at for the work, sound of heart
and free from apopletie 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
slxty-fve 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 a host Of things to bear
In mind. Weighted as he is with brass
soled boots. copper helmet and often
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 ara very limited. He
can lift comparatively heavy weight
with ease: the attempt to pull down
some trihing piece OF wrsckage from
overhead viii probably tnke him OF his
feet. Readers of Robert Louis Steven.
son viii remember how when, dressed
In full deep sea costume, he accom-.
panied diver to his work the powell
ist was able to hop with ease upon the
summit Of rock some six feet high.
But descend again be could not His
companion hauled him off head down
ward and propped him ON bis feet 'like
an intoxicated sparrow" Even for
such an apparently simple piece OF
work as drilling a hole In a rock or
portion Of wreck the diver viii per
haps need to prop himself against
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 wrech--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
may have been moving in one direc
ton, all unconscious that he ia being
helped by a strong current, until be
attempts to turn and finds II
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 deck gates. His
Job finished, he gave the signal to the
boat above to close the gates that he
might see IL all worked we'll The rush
Of many tons of water as the heavy
gates swung to swept him between and
through them. In q fash he realized |
that his afr pipe would be caught
between the massive doors and nc |
the same moment saw his only chance |
for life. He thrust bis heavy hammer
head between the closing gates, and |
this kept bis pipe free till he could |
signal for them to be reopened.
The old method OF Communication
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 aecompa.
nies the air pipe at his side. And, |
though many divers still work In the
darkness. both oil and
electricity VIII shed their light upon
the scene IL need arise.
Sharks are visitors with whom in
,ertaln waters the deep sea diver has
% count. But the shark Is not always
TO dangerous a morning caller as
night be thought. A diver at work
n the cabin of a snnken ship saw, to
lis dismay. q shark swim slowly in
The diver had no suitable weapon of
iefense at hand, and flight seemed
he only chance for life--and q poor
me at that. Meanwhile the shark
wan to and fro IN the cabin as If
neditating on a system OF attack. The
liver made a sudden bolt for the door;
be shark-as seriously alarmed, Il
eemed. as was the man-dfd the same
md, being unincumbered with cos
ume and in his native element. got
mt an easy first and dIsanpeared.-