518 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
place far from the coast in deeper water—taking up, it is true, all that lies in its 
path, but this is what would otherwise be left to die off, as no other means can 
reach the depths at which the dragnet works. The clamor against this appa- 
ratus on the ground that it harms schooling fishes is an exaggeration, but some 
countries, as the United States of America and Cyprus, have forbidden the use 
of it. This is regrettable, for thousands of people live by this mode of sponge 
fishing, without harm to themselves or others. 
The fourth mode of sponge fishing is by means of the scaphander, or diver’s 
suit, in which the sponge fisherman may descend to greater depths than the 
naked diver, and may secure great numbers of sponges not otherwise obtainable. 
The sailing vessel equipped with such an apparatus takes on board 4 to 10 
divers and 8 to 12 sailors, and is always accompanied on long expeditions by a 
second sailing vessel, to carry provisions and to receive the sponges. The equip- 
ment of such an expedition for a summer’s cruise of seven to eight months along 
the coasts of Africa costs 30,000 frances, that of a sailing vessel with naked divers 
3,000 francs, that of a bark with the five-pronged hook 2,000, and of a sailing 
vessel with the dragnet 1,500, with the exception of the big vessels of Torre del 
Greco, the equipment of which is always more expensive. 
EVILS OF THE SCAPHANDER. 
The scaphander is in itself a splendid invention and very important and 
useful in submarine work at small depths, but its abuse in sponge fishing is 
equally harmful to the divers, the sponge grounds, and the economic welfare 
of the state. The diver in the apparatus may work without risk at a depth 
up to 16 meters, although accidents happen at smaller depths, as demonstrated 
by practice and as stated by Professor Katsaras.? But at the greater depths 
of 16 to 75 meters, to which the unhappy diver is often forced to descend, the 
air, which is being driven down to him by two strong men by means of a pump, 
is correspondingly compressed in order to withstand the pressure of the water, 
which increases with every inch. This pressure hermetically fastens the rubber 
garment to the lower extremities of the diver, driving the blood continously 
toward the heart and head. The air breathed by the diver in the apparatus, 
saturated with carbon, penetrates into the blood through the lungs, renders 
it frothy and clogs the small vessels with bubbles, causing local obstruction 
and impediment of the circulation. 
The degree of harm depends upon the depth to which the diver descends 
and the time he passes under water, then on secondary conditions, as colds, a 
heavy meal before diving, and fatigue. The disease of the divers, which is of 
@ Tn his excellent work ‘‘ Recherches cliniques et expérimentales sur les accidents survenant par 
l'emploi des scaphandres,”’ Paris, 1890, p. 292-293. 
