Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-03-04
Stk|5TREASURE
n Lure ITO DIVERS.
Ingenious Mechanisms Devised
to Recover Some of Wrecks :. /,
Beneath Waves.
ARMORED SUIT IS DESCRIBED
Inventor Explains Device Which En-
abIes Him to Work Freely Under
7,000-Pound Pressure - Two
Claim Deep-Sea Record.

New York.-BefOre the Germans
sank a single vessel In the late war.
II was estimated that there were
strewn upon the floors Of the Seven
Seas $7,0OO,OOOO 900 worth Of ships and
cargoes, and records indicated that
large part Of these were recoverable.
Since the war the sum of the oceans
buried treasure is practically meal
culuhlc.
Naturally nations now vie with one
another for the recovery Of choice
morsp!s Of this treasure trove, and
individual Inventors are devOting ge-
Mus ana energy to the evolution OF
salvng devices ranging In size from
the .une-man diving suit to complicat-
ed merhanisms so large that they
dwarf the Seagoing vessels of which
they are integral parts.
Benjamin Franklin LeaNtt of
Brooklyn, inventor of diving suit.
who claims the deep-sea record. talk
ed enthusiastically yesterday about
what can be accomplished In recov-
er:ng the shimmering treasures OF
GOLD and silver and precious stones
with which old oceans floor is car
pated
Incidentally, Mr.. Leavitt protests
most emphatically against the assump-
ton If world-record honors for any
other diving armOr than his own. He
backs his protest In these statements:
~ NOT only hold the record for deep
sea diving. but for deep-sea salvage.
Went down 361 feet In Grand Ira
verse Ray. Michigan, and remained
down for As minutes the first time.
and at another time nearly two hours.
This Is the worlds record descent.
Capt. John Morgan of the Morgan
Transportation company. cousin OF
the late ]. p. Morgan. did the sound
ing. He took three soundings, using
wire sounder, and there Is no posi-
bili'y Of error. Twenty-six persons
witnessed the descent. This was In
1916.
Two Claim Deep-sea Record.
~ soc by some Of the newspapers
that Mr.. Turner claims the world
record The statement is made that
MT. uIneE went tDWu lCel ic
miles off Graves Light. Massachusetts.
Look ut this chart. Conceding that
Turner went down and did everything
he said he did, If you can find 800
foot depth anywhere Is miles off
Graves Light I'll eat the map. Here's
40 fathoms-294 feet-the deepest wa
ter Is miles Off the light"
Coming now to the question Of his
diving suit, Mr.. Leavitt said that its
principal point of advantage Is in the
air-supply arrangement.
"Niy suit," said he, as self-contain-
cd. carrying enough air for four
hour submergence. The oxygen tank
is connected with reducing valve
which reduces the pressure from 1900
pounds to 2 pounds to the square
inch. and, spraying through nozzle.
sucks nitrogen through caustic soda
cartridge. II mixes with the nitrogen
and is discharged over the shoulder
Of the diver from tube The caustic
soda ahsorbs the poisonous carbon
dioxide and moisture. To protect the
man from the caustic soda, | use an
automatic valve that cloves In three
seconds after the water reaches It,
"'Th- suit itself weighs $50 pounds
and with me in 1t weighed just 800
pounds. The suits buoyancy, how
ever. cnunteracts 425 pounds Of that,
leaving a balance of 70 pounds that
] bear on the bottom of the sea.
Mr.. Leavitt regretted that he could
not show the armOr just as 1t was
when he went down IL Grand Ira
verse Bay, but he explained. he had
made several important improvements
since that descent.
II learned a lot" he said; "in fact
] might say l learned more from my
first A. minutes actual experience
down on the bottom, in my arInOr,
than learned from years of theOriz-
ing. Take the jointed strut rods down
the sides Of the legs and both sides
of the arms for instance. They were
ADDED after my descent" ftf
Leavitt's Diving Armor. 81.
Here he reassembled the armOr to
show how it worked. The legs and
arms. which are very flexible, are
made Of hard-rolled copper tubing.
guaranteed to stand TOO pounds of
pressure to the square inch. s%i
"rhese hinged strut rods down both
sides of the arm" said Mr.. Leavitt,
take the pressure from the wrist to-
The shoulder. The shoulder Is solid
casting Of manganese bronze and has
a bali-hearing which allows the man
within to move his arms, which would
not he possible without ball or roller
behring's" Here Mr.. Leavitt whlrled
the arm around freely to illustrate his
point. AT submergence of 361 feet
there is 1894 pounds pressure here"
He called attention to the fact that
the cable attached to the top Of the
helmet has guaranteed lifting
strength of 10000 pounds. In the cen.
ter Of the cable Is the telephone wire,
connected directly with small COM
ylete telephone In the top of the he'll
met. The diver Is connected" simply
with dlctaphone ear pieces. The he'll
met Is also equipped will, asses
which are triple and nonshattsNo ole. =,
The inp of Mr. Leavitt's desk boasts
n iastt'iIaneOus assortment Of orna-
ments. Here is a piece Of hardwood
brought up from q wreck. The wood
had been 80 years beneath Lake HUI
ron. Mich. hut shows no IN effect from
it's long submergence. Less pleasant,
IL more interesting, Is strange old
black Gina with wide snua rQ fna s