84 REPORT — 1842. 



vertebrae, tbe bodies of which were carious and deeply eroded, while the intermediate 

 fibro-cartilages were, as usual, sound, and projected into the interior of the sac. The 

 oesophagus, which adhered closely to the anterior wall, was much flattened and thick- 

 ened. The sac contained a fibrinous coagulum, distinctly laminated at the circum- 

 ference, together with a quantity of semi-fluid blood in the centre. The orifice lead- 

 ing into tbe right pleura had a lacerated appearance and was situated close to the 

 spine, and capable of admitting tbe little finger. The left ventricle of the heart was 

 hypertrophied and its cavity diminished, but the valves were sound. The aorta was 

 generally dilated, the lining membrane thickened and puckered, and numerous cal- 

 careous deposits existed between it and the middle coat. The stomach, liver and 

 kidneys were natural, but the spleen was very small, and the intestines, especially the 

 colon, were much dilated. 



Abstract of the Case of a Diver employed on the Wreck of the Royal George 



who was injured by the bursting of the Air-pipe of the Diving Apparatus. 



By John Richardson, M.D., F.R.S., §c, Inspector of Hospitals at 



Haslar. 



In tbe operations that have been carried on at Spithead for two years past, for the 

 removal of the wreck of the Royal George, under tbe superintendence of General 

 Pasley, the divers are clothed in a water-tight caoutchouc dress. The legs of tbe dress 

 are of one piece with tbe body and end in close feet, like stockings; the arms are 

 open at the wrists to admit of the passage and free use of the divers' hands, but are 

 rendered air-tight there also, by the application of bandages. The diver enters the 

 dress at the neck, which is then gathered into folds and closely secured to a brass 

 collar, on to which the capacious helmet that incloses the head is screwed. This 

 helmet is furnished with a window of thick glass in front of the eyes, a valve behind 

 to permit the escape of air, and an aperture near tbe crown through which, by the in- 

 tervention of a flexible tube of a length proportionable to the depth of water, atmo- 

 spheric air is propelled by a forcing-pump. An external coarse canvas frock pro- 

 tects the dress from injury, and thick woollen shirts and trowsers, worn next the skin, 

 suffice for warmth. The shoes are heavily loaded with lead, and weighty plates of 

 the same metal are hung over the shoulders and tied to the back and breast. The last 

 act of the diver's toilet generally consists in the screwing on of the glass window ; the 

 forcing-pump instantly begins to play, the dress is distended by the air, balloon fashion, 

 and the diver, having a signal or safety-line tied to his waist, passes over the 

 ship's side, and descends leisurely into the sea by a rope ladder which reaches to 

 the bottom. There he remains working on the wreck from half an hour to an hour 

 and a half or more at one time. The forcing-pump, which is fitted with three pistons, 

 is worked by double cranks manned by four labourers, and throws in a constant 

 stream of air from the time that the helmet is closed before the diver descends until 

 it is opened after his ascent. The heat generated in the air-pump by friction is abs- 

 tracted by a stream of water which flows round the chambers, and the air is thus 

 kept cool. The gauge, which stands at 15 under the pressure of one atmosphere, ge- 

 nerally marks 34 when the diver is below — about equal to two atmospheres and a 

 quarter. The dress loses its balloon shape and is pressed pretty closely to the limbs 

 before the diver reaches the bottom. The helmet weighs 17^-lbs., the leaden 

 weights 80lbs., and the whole dress, these included, 130lbs. ; but the weight is not felt 

 as an incumbrance at the proper depth, which in the operations is from 13 to 15 

 fathoms, according to the time of the tide. The diver generally takes about a minute 

 and a half to ascend from the bottom, but can be drawn up in somewhat less than a 

 minute when an alarm of danger is given. Six divers are constantly employed ; they 

 perform their work with much cheerfulness and alacrity, and they are very seldom 

 known to suffer any inconvenience. Some persons, however, who have attempted to 

 descend so dressed, always bleed at tbe nose and spit blood after they reach the bottom. 



On the 14th of October 1841, Roderick Cameron, a private in tbe Royal Engineers, 

 a well-made, tall, active and intelligent man, who had been trained for some time 

 as a diver, descended to the bottom in 13 fathoms, and in a few minutes afterwards 

 the air-pipe burst close to the pump. The air escaping with a loud rushing noise, 

 which was heard at the distance of 50 fathoms, instantly made the accident known, 

 and the workmen commenced immediately to haul the man to the surface by the 



