The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-04-09
81 Frederia 8 Hsskin:..

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BIZ Fred
DEEP SCI
Within few days. the corps Of
Especial deep-sea divers of the United
States navy will reach Honolulu to
Egive their assistance in the recovery.
Tof the sunken submarine F74. The
corps consists of six trained men un-.
der the direction of Gunner George
I'D. Stilson. whose invention of a new
tpower-driven air compressor has re-
suited in a rapid development OF
deep-sea diving within the last two:
year. BY use of this air compressor,
/ Gunner's mate S. j. Dre1Iishak made
Ia new worlds record last year In a
special test in which he went down
i275 feetand spent ten minutes on the.
floor OF the ocean He experienced
no unpleasant after effects
Now Drellishak and three OF his
mates. with Gunner Stilson and Dr.
| G. II. French, a naval surgeon train
ed to care for the physical disabili-.
| ties likely to accompany diving. will
undertake the greatest feat ever at.
tempted by deep-sea divers. They
will endeavor to fasten cables Sc.
Icurely around a vessel lying far be-.
low any esta blished diving depths.
in order that it may be brought to
the surface. Their ability to do this
will be the final test of the efficiency
! of this crew OF picked men. who have
been trained on a torpedo boat de-
fstroyer, located off Long Island
Sound for this purpose. Formerly
diving tests had been made in large
tank in building in New York City.
The tank was only about ten feet IN
depth, but compressed air was ap-.
piled in such a way as to reproduce
| the pressure of water at different.
depths. After these tests. the real
Ediving was attempted and the worlds
record established by Dre1lishak.
The pressure OF the water has been
one Of the greatest difficulties to ov-#
jerome in deep-sea diving. It
Eamounts to nearly fifty pounds to
1.-THE square inch OF the divers body
flor each hundred feet of depth. To
!neutraliZe this, compressed air is
pumped into the. divers suit and he'll.
met and the pressure is increased as
The goes down to correspond with the
increasing depth. The failure of the
air pumps to supply the compressed
air would cause the pressure OF the
water to crush the diver in his fex-
Iible rubber suit, killing him instant
". This hazard has heretofore pre-
vented men from working below a
depth of hundred feet.
With the supply of compressed air
comes another danger. The nitro
gen of the compressed air is absorb
ed by the blood in buhles, which are
inflated is the outside pressure IS
suddenly diminished. This would
result in the death of diver brought
suddenly up from great depth to a
normal atmospheric pressure TO
avoid this he must be raised very
slowly. After some tests made by
4 the British Admiralty in 1907, reg
, nlations were adopted to the effect
depth Of 100 feet must not BE-
4 brought to the surface for one hour
after the beginning of the ascent:
After Drellishak had made his
record dive he was brought SLOWLY
Iup TO within ten feet of the surface
and Kept suspended at that depth II
4 the water for half an hour before be
ling brought to the surface. This
Ipressure of the air supplied to hin
was diminished gradually by mean:
of the device of Gunner Stilson. ana
when he was taken out of his suit
4 he showed no symptoms OF the
is called among divers.
An added precaution has been sup
4 Ip1ied in the form of a large cylinder
4 or room, into which compressed ali
lis pumped. If the diver is in an.
4 way affected by the pressure of the
water. after he is brought up, he !:
3lr1aced in his room under the direc
ltion of a physician, who remains with
him until the pressure has been ex
Ihausted. which usually will not be
much longer than the time he was
/ under the water. This room is sup
piled with a cot. and a telephone
! communicating with those outside
ana a carefully adjusted pump sup,
piles the pressure required by the
patient This big compressed air
room is part of the Equipment
(which has been taken to Honolulu,
with the divers.
Greater achievements in daep-ses
q diving are believed TO be possible bs
& the use ola newly-invented diving
q suit, built of aluminium and stronG
enough in itself to resist the crush
ling Of the water. It is really more
u weighs nearly 500 pounds and the
man inside is practically helpless in
its grip until after he has sunk SC
far below the surface that the weight
lis counterba1anced by the water pres
lsure.# He is then able 10 move
a around after the manner OF a man
clad in o1d-fashioned steel armor.
The suit has over fifty turning
Joints to give it disability and oneSof
q its-marvels is a wonderfully d esi gned
arm and hand The hand is OF steel
and has twelve fingers, so construct
led that when manipulated by the
.Iarm Of the man inside of it, a pin
lean be picked up from the floor This
Liza -sl1nnlisad "a