THE DIVER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1020, 9 January 1911, Page 6

THE DIVER.

, - A FASCINATING CALLING. "READY, AYE BEADY!" Everybody has scon pictures of deep eea divers in their queer costumes, and many people have seen a diver go under water or come -back to air, for these events attract a crowd, but there is not much explaining or talking dono on such occasions. A Dominion reporter was therefore glad of an opportunity for a chat' with an expert practitionev of this strange and fascinating trade. Divers, and especially fully-qualified deep sea divers, like this one, aro less plentiful in this country than Cabinet Ministers, and they do not get into print so often. Yet, without making, invidious comparisons, it is proper to say that their work is of a very responsible character. If a diver is sent to examine the bottom of a ship and reports her unfit for an intended voyage she does not go, and it is not until the hull is examined at the dock-or slip that-his statements can be verified. Jlany lives and much property may depend.upon,him. He worlcs with i costly appliances, and his technical education'is expensive. Mr.. A. B. Shobrook, the diver 'who chatted with the present writer, was. trained for the Navy, and rose to be a petty officer. He served under Sir Percy Scott, and was in the famous Ladysmith operations during the South African war. He is now employed by the Union Steam Ship Company. His father w.as a diver before him, and his brothers are inspector divers. It is the family vocation,' and he loves it. If responsibility, danger, usefulness, and strangeness are what make an occupation fascinating, : wlio would not-bo a deep sea diver?

His Strange Costume. To enable tho diver to Work in an element so different from his natural one, ho has to be transformed into a;very queerlooking creature.: Tho diving suit comprises coat, trousers, and socks all in one : piece; It is : a flexible, watertight texture of canvas outside and rubber within. Underneath it ho'wears thick woollen cloth-" ing, but even then tho suit is.very loose upon him-except at the wrists, where thero are tight cuffs of rubber, which are further,secured by/rubber bracelets. When ■ the diver has got into this garment his corslet is put on. This is of copper, and -rests on his shoulders and the upper part of his chest and back. It. conies up to his neck, but is big enough to go on over liis head. The corslet is fixed to the dress by means of screws and wing-huts. .The helmet is screwed on to the corslet. A strange object is this helmet—a copper globe with a round window about four inches across in the front of it, and two smaller windows, one on each side". These two aro protected by little brass gratings. Other features of the helmet.' are the place where the all-important air-pipe is ' attached, and tho regulafcr vdlve, through which the air is allowed to escape. Inside this hollow'globe, tho diver can'turn his head, in freedom,'and'comfort. Helmet and corslet weigh together 451b. Elegant Footwear. -

There are also, tho boots--th€'. immense things into. which tho average man. could thrust his feet with' his own hoots on: Even a policeman would not care to make his Tounds .with these massive structures on his feet. They lmvo thick plates of lead on their enormous soles. They weigh 141b. each. But even his boots, his corslet, and, his helmet - are- not weighty enough to make the diver-sink, and so he has to wear special weights on . his back and breast—slabs of lead. weighing ~ 401b, . each. .His.belt is weighted also. "To stand on dry ground with all these' burdens is in itself hard work, and to walk about would be labour, for Her■cules, but under Water, their weight is not, felt. Movement is only hampered by"tho. density of tho element and by the feeling of pressure all round; .Some of the Dangers. And, of course, the diver must be armed against the monstets' i)f the deep—the shark,, tho octopus, •' and other fearsome creatures. !His.cnief -weapon against the,so „is a big well-sharpened' sheath knife,' double-edged, like a dagger. When these potential enemies conic about him, the diver stands still,' and 'thou they may perhaps merely look at him and glide suvay. Sometimes ho has to fight thehi, ■ and sometimes he gives the signal to be hoisted .up to the'surface. ■ He < may be gripped in the terrible embrace o£ an oc-' topus, and, his mates" up above, must cut the monster o.ff him. Confidence in tho' men at, the. top is a great' thing for the diver. If he knows beyond-doubt that they will understand his every signal, respond promptly, "and keep -pumping tho air down to him in sufficient quantities,: he is afraid of nothing;

Music in fhe Deep. ' . It is dark and silent at the'bottom of the sea. The electric lamp carried bv the diver lights up a little space around'him. He hears a low, weird music, J which' might put him to sleep if ho listened too attentively. But,' whether, he is on land or down below, the "diver ■ must practice constantly a stoical self-restraint.Ho must never oat a too-hearty,.meal, for he knows not when.he may be.called upon to go down,' and diving on a full stomach . is apt to be injurious. He must report himself regularly at • headquarters, and must be always prepared to leave, his hom« at a moment's . notice. There maybe an anchor to.be picked up from tho bottom of tho . harbour, or a sunken'ship to be salved- on a distant coast, or dead ' " v - v <l >e reco ' l ' (!re d. His motto must be; Tteady, aye ready." ' ; 7