The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-05-02
Deep SEA DIVERS.
Death Always Hovers Round
Them While They Toll.
pERILs THEY HAVE TO FACE.

IN Work and In times OF ban9er.
1t is surprising to learn how many
1ses there are for divers. The navy.
ST 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 staff 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 In ITO 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
| Win tuG buTtuCb upOh ott-ho W
each other when under water II two
wished to communicate. Today 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 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 diver-204 feet. His body at that
depth sustained a pressure of eighty
eight and 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 90; 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 a
rise may cause an attack of that ter.
ribIe 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 woolen socks
II the water be cold two such suits
may be worn. If the depth to be ne.
gotiated is great cotton soaked with
oil Is put In the ears or heavy wooleL
cap pulled down over them. Shouldes
pads, IL worn to take the weight of
the helmet. are next tied on. after
which the diver wrlggles into his
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 t
, tear or pinch the rubber. Finally thu
: shoes are lifted ON and the rubbc
!. gloves camped TO rings in the sleeves.
The helmet is the last to go on. ant
). never before the valves and telephon,
have been tested. The attendants star
= to pump as the helmet is clampet
o home. The helmet is attached to TIN
pump with rubber tube, which 1
8 canvas aud wire protected. No dive
Q descends, after the helmet is put on
l. until he has tested the outfit and foun'
n that his air supply Is sufficient ant
9 the pump working properly.
y He is supplied with a life line. wit
which he can signal should his tele
y phone get out of order and by whic
" he may be drawn to the surface shoul
It No become helpless for any reason. II
o. must take great care when walkin
IL about on the bottom not to foul hi
" life line or his air tube and for thi
Il reason must always retrace his step
exactly to his starting point II he ha
~ gone into wreck or about any oil
ls sttuctions. For the same reason tw
Al divers working together must be car
4. ful not TO cross each others path.
Sometimes the life line may becom
NJ so entangled In wreckage that IL mus
~ be cut, and then there is danger Of th
= diver not finding his way back to h
- boat or float. especially II the bottol
Is muddy and fouls the seeing" Bt
the greatest danger of all. of course.
that the tube be cut or the diver fain
- In either case he Is In desperat
straits. II the man handling the III
ie line "feels" anything wrong he wi
Ia haul the diver up willy nllly and r
'i' gardless OF the severe bleeding at MOI
Gu and ears which will result from t
10 rapid rise to the surface. But " u
IA diver be inside wreck or II his ii