The Cairo bulletin., 1911-05-19
Deep SEA DIVERS.
Death Always Hovers Round
Them While They Toll.
PERlLS THEY 1--WE TO FACE.
The Awful Pressure of Water and Air
That May Bury or Burst Them--The
Helmet Telephone Wonderful Aid
In Work and In Times Of Danger.

''Ns ''sNS e~'y - ~~'~N 1890 -
Helmet Telephone Wonderful Aid
In Work and In Times Of Danger.
1t is surprising TO learn how 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
Il diver on their staff constantly
Wrecking companies need their scrvs.
ices. and the profession Of underriver
tilnneling makes many demands on the
time and skill of the man in armor.
Since Smeaton in 1910 designed
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 the
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 If two
wished to communicate. To-day the
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 brother diver and hear the
instructions sent to him from the sur
face. all of which facilities are of great
assistance in the work.
AT first thought 1t may not seem SO
difficult q 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 ne
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 diver--204 feet. His body at that
depth sustained n pressure OF eighty
eight and n half pounds to the square
inch over and above the fifteen pounds
always sustained when in the air.
Divers must descend very slowly
swallowing as they go; otherwise they
may bleed at the nose and ears and
even lose consciousness. And they
must ascend even more slowly thar
they descend. particularly when com
Ing from great depths; otherwise they
may literally burst from internal all
pressure. At the least, too sudden {
rise may cause an attack of that ter
rible disease known to tunnel workers
called caisson disease. or the bends, IL
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 suit
may be worn. If the depth to be ne
gotlated is great cotton soaked witt
Oil is put in the ears or a heavy woolel
cap pulled down over them. Shoulde
pads, II worn to take the weight OF
the helmet, are next tied on. afte
which the diver wrlggles into hii
heavy suit OF rubber and canvas. Mex
come the inner collar and the breast
plate, which are secured with clamp
to the rubber dress, the utmost car
being taken In this operation not B
tear or pinch the rubber. Finally tn
shoes are fitted on and the Tubbe
gloves elamped to rings In the sleeves.
The helmet is the last to so on, an
never before the valves and telephon
have been tested. The attendants staI
to pump as the helmet is clampe
home. The helmet is attached to til
pump with q rubber tube, which
canvas and wire protected. No dive
descends, after the helmet is put Oh
until he has tested the outfit and foun
that his air supply is sufficient an
the pump working properly.
lie is supplied with life line. wit
which he can signal should his tel
phone get out of order and by whic
be may be drawn to the surface shoul
he become helpless for any reason. Il
must take great care when walkir
about on the bottom not to foul b
life line or his air tube and for TIL
reason must always retrace his stel
exactly to his starting point IL he h
gone into wreck or about any o
structions. For the same reason tv
divers working together must be car
full not to cross each others path.
Sometimes the life line may becon
SO entangled In wreckage that 1t mu
be cut, and then there is danger Of q
diver not finding his way back to h
boat or float, especially IL the botto
is muddy and fouls the Seeing" Il