The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-05-05
IRVING M. COTTRELL.
Deep Sea Diver and Inventor.
From the Boston Globe.1

From the Boston Globe.]
1t was while planning the work on a
contract that he had taken to construct
a sewer outlet into the harbor at Belfast,
Maine, that Irving M. Cottrell had his
thoughts turned toward submarine div
ing. There was work to be done on that
contract under water; in fact, some of
the most important work; so after think
ing the matter over for time Mr.. Cot
treil came to the conclusion that he would
do it himself,
That was in August, 1902, and up to
that time Mr.. Cottrell had not only never
| been inside of diving suit, but he had
never even seen one at close range. New
ertheless he determined to try dive, if
for nothing more than the experience of
| finding out what life under water in a
diving suit was like.
So he procured complete diving out
tit, and without any previous experience
ne went down into the water of the har-
Dor and succeeded in laying about 285
feet OF Pinch cast-iron pipe, beside
| thanking it on both sides with heavy
granite blocks, some of them weighing
nearly two tons, and it required consid-
cradle hard labor to handle them under
water.
That successful bit of work was Mr..
Cottrell's first trial of his nerve under
water, and SO we'll did he like the work
that he has continued in the submarine
line ever since, and in the nearly eight
years that have elapsed he has been do
ing more or less diving in connection with
other work. He is now superintendent
of marine railway in East Boston and
he attends to all the diving work that
comes to him through that concern.
Belfast, Me-, the scene of his first and
several subsequent diving operations, is
also Mr.. Cottrell's native place. He was
born there on April 8, 1864, and started
IN on his working life at the age of 16 in
his fathers shipyard at Belfast.
Since his first successful attempt at
diving he has been engaged on great
variety of submarine jobs. He has laid
pipe and stone work under water, repair
ed the bottoms of vessels and stopped
leaks in their hulls, searched for dead
bodies and lost articles and repaired ma
rine railways, beside blasting sunken
rocks and making examinations of docks,
working oftentimes under 60 feet Of
water
Va oiiC OSCdSloll, Willie WORKING OIL d
schooner that sunk in Belfast harbor,
his ar hose caught in the anchor chains
and he was pinned fast, unable to move
in any direction. 1t was a perilous DO
sition, and he had very anxious half
hour or so, not knowing what might hap
pen to him while held there as prisoner
on that wreck under water.
But, very fortunately for him, the
schooner gave sudden lurch and was
moved by the action of the tide in such
way that his air hose became freed
from the anchor chains, and he was re-
leased from his dangerous predicament.
In the fall of 1909 Mr.. Cottrell went
down under SO feet of water in lake Win
nepesaukee, New Hampshire, in an eff
fort to recover the body of Maj Rand
lett, who was drowned in the lake,
The bottom of the lake at that particu-
lar point is SO treacherous as to make
diving there pretty risky business. Sew
eral divers had refused to take the risk,
but Mr.. Cottrell accepted the job and
went down into the lake. He made
thorough search of the bottom, but was
unable to find the body Of Maj. Randlett;
and 1t has never been recovered.
Mr.. Cottrell has been down in Boston
harbor number of times under steam
ers, doing work on their hulls. He has
handled dynamite in large quantities,
both under water and out of water, but
has never had an accident of any kind.
He has invented several devices that
he uses with his diving outfit, and at
present has an application in the patent
office at Washington for patent on a
device for raising sunken vessels and
other objects. on which he is building
great hopes.
Mr.. Cottrell is married, and he and his
wife live in pleasant home at 1853 High
land avenue, Somerville.