OUT OF THE DEEP.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10871, 15 April 1929, Page 7

OUT OF THE DEEP.

i' LULL “SUN KENS ÜBM All IN E.

“ESCABE MASK” TESTS

From the U.S. submarine St. winch was lying on the sea-bed, -10 ft. deep—and supposed ( for the purposes of experiment) tu be unable to rise—two navy men, more than once came up to the surface safely (cabled the New York correspondent of the London Daily Chronicle on-February (i). They were testing escape masks, in--11 sited with oxygen', which covered their heads, like si diver’s helmet or a great gas mask. These tests were carried out off Florida.* SI is the .submarine which, 14 months was sunk in collision off Rhode Island. Forty lives were then lost, those who survived the collision being unable to emerge and rise to the surface.

it is agreed*that the Lest has demonstrated tbe practicability of the recently, invented escape hatch and the “mechanical lung” as the oxygen mask is called. In this headpiece, winch ; is, of course, watertight, oxygen is inhaled' through one tube. Exhaled air is passed back into the bag 1 by another tube. The device contains sufficient oxygen to sustain life for DO minutes. For the purpose of the rescue tests, S 4 bad been fitted with escape-lock single-action batches, and also with 'special'coamings to permit the lowering of a diving hell oyer the conning tower. Jn the experiment, Chief Torpedoman Kolinski and' Lieutenant Charles B. Momsen (inventor of the mechanical lung) took positions in the conning, tower, where an air pocket had been formed bv inrushmg water. Donning their headpieces, they opened the safety hatch to make their exit from the dome, and rose to the surface. A waiting launch, warned by a small black buoy previously released by those nominally “trapped'” in the submarine, pulled them aboard. A few minutes later the same men descended again: and this time they - escaped safelv from the iTiolor-room of the sea-bed submarine.