The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-06-22
deep SEA DIVERS.
Death Always Hovers Round
Them While They Toll.
PERlLS THEY HAVE TO FACE.
The Awful Pressure Of Water and Air
That Nav Bury or Burst Thsm--Ths
Helmet Telephone q Wonderful Aid
In Work and In Times Of Danger.

IL 10 SuTpTiSiuS tO leuTu now many
uses there are for divers. The navy,
Of course. employs many to set sub
marine mines and torpedoes and to at
tend to investigations Of the condition
Of ships bottoms. Bridge construction
companies use them. as do those who
build dams. waterworks and reser-
voirs. Waterworks in large cities keep
diver on their stan constantly
Wrecking companies need their serv-
ices. and the profession of underriver
tunneling makes many demands on the
time and skill of the man in armor.
Since Smeaton I'm ITO designed a
pump to supply air to the diving bell
little real Improvement in the art has
been made. save in detail Of helmet
and clothes. until the invention of tho
telephone. The greatest advance ever
made in the art. divers will tell you, is
the combination of the telephone with
the diving suit Before its advent div
ers had to depend entirely upon pulls
on the life line for communication
with the surface and upon signs to
each other when under water II two
modern diving helmet is equipped with
telephone, and the diver can not only
hear what Is said to him from the sur
face. advise those In charge Of his
pump as to whether the air is "com-
ing right" or not. but he can communi-
cate to n brother diver and hear the
instructions sent to him from the sur
Coz oil 80 20 Of
assistance in the work.
At first thought 1t may not seem so
| difficult a thing. this going down under
water and breathing air sent in from
a pump by tube. But the physical
drawbacks to the work are enormous.
For every ten feet diver descends he
sustains an additional pressure Of four
and half pounds over every square
inch of his body. What this means
may be better understood when con-
sidering the greatest depth ever made
by a diver-2O4 feet His body at that
depth sustained a pressure Of eighty
eight and half pounds 10 the square
inch over and above the fifteen pounds
always sustained when in the air.
swallowing as they go; otherwise they
may bleed at the nose and ears and
even lose consciousness. And they
must ascend even more slowly than
they descend, particularly when COM
ing from great depths; otherwise they
may literally burst from internal air
pressure. At the least, too sudden
rise may cause an attack of that ter
ribe disease known to tunnel workers
called caisson disease. or the bends, In
which air gets into the tissues under
pressure and causes the most extreme
torture.
The diver, getting ready to descend.
clothes himself in very heavy under
wear Of guernsey or flannel. the draw
ers well secured to prevent slipping.
and adds pair of heavy wooden socks.
If the water be cold two such suits
may be worn. IL the depth to be ne
gotiated Is great cotton soaked with
oil is put In the ears or heavy wooden
cap pulled down over them. Shoulder
pads, IL worn to take the weight Off
the helmet. are next tied on, after
W
heavy suit OF rubber and canvas. Next
come the inner collar and the breast
plate, which are secured with CLAMPS
20 the rubber dress. the utmost care
being taken In this operation not TO
tear or pinch the rubber. Finally the
shoes are fitted on and the rubber
gloves clamped to rings in the sleeves.
The helmet is the last to 60 on. and
never before the valves and Telephone
have been tested. The attendants start
to pump as the helmet is CLAIMED
home. The helmet is attached IN the
pump with rubber tube. which is
canvas and wire protected M diver
descepds. nfter the helmet ia nut nm
until he has tested the outfit and found
that his air supply ia sufficient md
the pump working nroner,v
He is supplIed with n life line with
which he can signal should his te,a.