DIVING. 



i 



the rope E, which is so adjusted, as to suspend the 

 whole, with the diver in it, nearly in the position of the 

 Figure, when he will be in a convenient posture for 

 working with his arms, which come through openings 

 X in the vessel, to which sleeves e, of very strong lea- 

 ther, are attached by a hoop or ring, screwed to the ves- 

 sel with the leather between them. The sleeves are 

 lined with cloth, and the edges round the holes k are 

 defended by soft quilting, from hurting the diver's arms 

 by the pressure, as well as to prevent the sleeves and 

 his arms being thrust inwards. / is an aperture cover- 

 ed by a strong lens, for the diver to see through. At 

 m and n are two other openings in the upper part of 

 the vessel, covered by screw caps, which are removed 

 when fresh air is to be introduced into the machine by 

 the nose pipe of a pair of bellows, being applied to force 

 fresh air into one, and drive out the foul air at the other. 

 The lower opening at n is also of use to pump out any 

 water which may leak through at the joints, though this 

 is as much as possible prevented, by fitting leather at aa 

 in the joints of the cover, and the caps m, n before they 

 are screwed tight. The mass of lead G is fastened to 

 the lower side of the vessel in a line between the di- 

 ver's arms, by means of the hoops b,b. On this the 

 whole rests if it comes to the ground, and remains in a 

 proper position for the diver to work, ami fasten ropes 

 to any thing which is to be drawn up, as shewn in Fig. 

 5. 



If the water is very deep, the diver must wear a kind 

 of saddle on his back, which having a ridge touching 

 the top part of the vessel withinside, enables him to 

 keep his arms properly out of the apertures, otherwise 

 he would not have strength to resist the pressure acting 

 upon the .-urface of the arms and slervi s, which forces 

 them into it with a weight proportional to the quanti- 

 ty of Mil-face rxpoM-d, rnd to the depth of water. The 

 diver gives his instruction to those above by a small 

 line r, which is laid through n staple at the side of the 

 machine, and has a handle always 1 Mining in reach of 

 the diver's hand. The upper part of this line is held 

 by a person in the boat or ship above, to whom any 

 signal is given, by the diver snatching or twitching 

 the line a certain number of times, as has before been 

 agreed upon. This is immediately felt by the person 

 bove, who give orders accordingly. The size of the 

 1 is such, that he can continue at the bottom about 

 half an hour, without any pipes or other supply, and 

 will l>e enabled to do many things very readily; such 

 as recovering moorings, chains lost in rivers or har- 

 bours, hooking ropes for weighing up lost anchors, or 

 any other purpose where there is free access to the ob- 

 ject sought, though in entering and searching the 

 wrecks of ships, it would be less convenient than some 

 others which we shall describe. To dive in still water 

 with this machine, requires no other rope than that 

 marked E, which suspends its weight from the yard 

 arm of a ship, and the signal line r to communicate 

 orders to those above. If it is required to dive in a ra- 

 pid current, a difficulty will arise from the water 

 carrying the vessel out of its direction. In this case, 

 the method shewn in Fig. !i will be very effectual. 

 It represents a vessel lying at anchor by the cable or 

 hawser a, so as to lie up-stream of the spot to which the 

 diver is to descend ; then by veering away, or taking 

 up the hawser, she can be brought over the place at 

 pleasure. At the end of the vessel's gaff, a middle 

 block L is lashed, and a small hawser fff rove through 

 it. One end of this has a stream anchor, or a grapnel 

 N, bent to it, with a considerable weight attached to 



the stock. The other end of the hawser is conducted 

 to the windlass at R, through a leading snatch block 

 fixed on the deck at It. By this means it may be taken 

 in, or given out, as the tide rises or falls ; and, by the pig. & 

 position of the gaff, the hawser stands clear over the 

 vessel's side, to guide the diving vessel B, when it is let 

 down or taken up, in the following manner : A travel- 

 ler, or iron ring i, is put upon the hawser/, torun free- 

 ly up and down upon it, by means of two ropes s and n. 

 The rope s passes through a small block q at the gaff, 

 and goes down to the deck, the lower end being fas- 

 tened to the traveller. The other rope n passes through 

 a block p, lashed to the shank of the grapnel. The ends 

 of this are conducted through another sheave of the 

 block q, and also brought on the vessel's deck where 

 both are, and belayed on the gunnel. Now by hauling 

 the rope s, and letting go the other n, the traveller is 

 drawn up on the hawser, and vice versa. The travel- 

 ler ' carries a block x for the rope v, which is attached 

 to the engine B at one end, and goes up to the block M 

 at the end of the gaff. It is then taken down on deck 

 through the block g, and held by a sufficient number 

 of hands to guide the engine. E is another rope sus- 

 pending the weight of the engine from the vessel's quar- 

 ter, and is held by several men, r being the signal line, 

 as before mentioned. 



A vessel moored in this manner by the head in a ra- Operaiinn. 

 pid stream, will steer by the rudder to turn her side- 

 wise within small limits ; but in this motion she turns 

 upon a centre of motion very nearly coincident with 

 the hawser f, so as not to disturb the grapnel N. The 

 diver being put into the vessel, and the joints screwed 

 up tight, the rope v is hauled till the engine comes home 

 to the block x on the traveller, as it lies upon the deck ; 

 tin n by hauling the end of the rope v, the engine is 

 hoisted clear ; and by slackening it out, and at the same 

 time hauling n, the traveller and engine are taken down 

 perpendicularly to the bottom. The rope E being 

 slacked away by a round turn over a timber head on 

 the vessel's quarter, to lower it gradually when the di- 

 ver gives the signal of l>eing near the bottom, the rope 

 E is neld fast, and r being still given away, the engine 

 is conveyed in the easiest manner to the situation shewn 

 by the Figure, where the object sought is supposed to be. 

 In this condition, he can be moved with great preci- 

 sion to any situation he directs by the signals. Thus by 

 hauling or giving out the rope v, he will be moved up 

 stream or down stream ; and by the steerage of the ves- 

 sel's rudder, will be moved athwart the stream to the 

 required .situation ; but if this is not exactly known be- 

 fore the diver descends, it will be prudent for the ves- 

 sel to moor with two anchors at a distance asunder, the 

 cables of both meeting on her bow a, with an angle ia 

 this situation. By giving out one cable, and taking up 

 the other, she may be made to ride at any part of the 

 stream. A diving machine of this kind may, on many 

 occasions, be useful, and to descend in it occasions no 

 danger to the diver, provided he is suspended by tackle, 

 which will bring him up quickly enough when he gives 

 the signal. When he wants fresh air, the vessel, if made 

 of copper, must be either turned or japanned on the in- 

 side, otherwise it would give a most nauseous taste to the 

 diver confined within it, which is not less pernicious 

 than offensive. 



Fig. 7. represents a very useful tackle or tongs, for ta- Diving 

 king up articles from the bottom. Every diver should tongs. 

 be provided with several pairs of these of different di- 

 mensions. In small depths they will bring up goods Fig. 7. 

 without any person descending ; but when they are 



