“MECHANICAL LUNG.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 April 1929, Page 9

“MECHANICAL LUNG.”

RELEASE FROM SUNKEN submarine;. From the United States submarine S 4, which was lying on the sea-bed forty feet deep—and supposed (for the purpose of experiment) to be unable to rise—two navy men, more than once came up to the surface safely. They were testing escape-masks, inflated* with oxygen, which covered their heads,! like a. diver’s helmet or a great- gasmask. These tests were carried out off Florida. S 4 is the submarine which, fourteen months ago, 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 _ test has demonstrated the practicability of the recently-invented escape-hatch and the ‘‘mechanical lung.” as the oxygen mask is called. In this headpiece, which is, of course, watertight, oxygon is inhaled through one tube. Exhaled air is passed hack into the bag by another lube. The device contains sufficient oxygen to sustain life for ninety minutes. For the purpose of the rescue tests. St had been fitted with escape-lock single-ac-tion hatches, and also with, special l coamings to permit the lowering of a diving boll over the conning tower. In the day’s- experiment. Chief Torpedoman Kolinski and Lieut. Cluirles B. Mom sen (inventor of the mechanical lung) took positions in the conning tower, where an air pocket had been formed by inrusliing water. Donning their headpieces, they opened the safety hatch to make their exit from ihe dome and rose to the surface. A waiting launch, warned by a small black buoy previously released by those nomina-llv" “trapped” in the submarine, pulled them aboard. A few minutes later the same men descended again; and this time escaped safely from the ' motor-room of the sea-bed submarine.