The New York herald., 1921-08-30
DIVER SMOTHERED
ON RIVERS BOTTOM
Degaetano Found in Last
Struggle for Breath ca
Bed Of Harlem.
POWERLESS TO SIGNAL
Two Rescuers Rush Him to
Surface-PulmOtOr Used
i'm Vain.
POWERLESS TO SIGNAL

Nincenzo Degaetano of 3S Crosby
street. a diver for the Merritt Chap
man Wrecking Company. was smoth-
cred to death at the bottom Of the
Harlem River off East 135th street
late yesterday afternoon when his life
line and air line became fouled and he
was unable to signal for his assistants
TO pull him to the surface.
Two other divers found him standing
on the bed of the river in thirty feet
of water, his body swaying as he
struggled with his fouled apparatus.
They hauled him 70 the surface and
physicians worked over him for an
hour with pumotor but were not
able to revive him.
Degaetano had been employed BY the
Merritt Chapman Company for about
two wears and was considered one OF the
most efficient divers in the United
States. He had been working for the
last three weeks laying a submarine
electric feed cable on the bottom OF the
Harlem River from Third avenue In
Manhattan 70 135th street In The
Bronx. lie went down as usual yester-
day afternoon. and his apparatus
worked splenddly during the day. HIS
last descent 10 the bottom was made
few minutes before o'clock. when he
vert down to inspect the work he had
already done and see that everything
was ready for quitting.
Ordinarily O. diver signals to his
ah %
utes and f. either hauled up or the lines
Strengthened out But on this last de-
scent Of Degaetano's his helper. Joseph
Miceli OF 24l4 Belmont avenue. The
Bronx. suddenly became aware he had
heard nothing from pcGaetano Tor III
teen OF twenty minutes Eis instruc-
tions had been not TO haul the diver 10
The surface unless s!gnalied. so he not!-
fled the superintendent or the WORK.
Joseph Burroughs. Burroughs imme-
diatciy ordered two other divers, Arthur
Mayfeld and John Davidson. TO descend
10 the bottom OF the river and see II
anything was wrong with Degaetano.
From the dock II seemed that Degae-
tano's apparatus was working all right
and that his life lines and afr lines were
swinging clear of all obstructions. But
when Mayfield and Davidson reached
the bottom of the river they saw at once
tho Two lines had become fouled OF each
other. the life line having twisted about
In such manner thnt II had bent the
air line and shut OFF the passage OF air
10 the man on the bottom Of the river
They saw Degactano, his head encased
i'm the diving helmet and his feet
weighted with slabs OF lead. standing on
the bottom Of the river. near the 135th
street dock with both arms above his
head. He was swaying from side TO
side against the water and struggling to
untuist the life line and free the other
line 50 he could breathe.
Mayfia,d ana Davidson had brought
knives to the bottom OF the river and
they Immediately put new life line
around Degaetanos body and cut the
divers cir line. Then they signalied to
the helpers on the docl; above and De-
gaetnno was hauled quickly to the sur
face. His diving suit was cut away and
a hurry call sent to the Lincoln Hos
pital for surgeons and 10 gas COM
pauy for puimotor. Dc8aetano had
been without air so long. however, that
he could not be revived
Degaetano was 81 years old. and be-
fore working for the MerrittChapman
Company had been diver for the ltal-
ian Navy,