Compressed Air Work And Diving 1909

26 COMPRESSED AIR WORK. When the diver has once learnt to manage his air valve and inflate his Eustachian tubes, he will quickly gain confidence and soon feel quite at home in the water and enjoy the novel experience. Except in clear water the light cloes not penetrate very far and the diver will generally have to do his work by feel. Where electric current is available he can take an electric submarine hand lamp clown with him and these are frequently usecl for salvage operations. They are not, however, much usecl for orclinary operations. The Communications between the cliver and the attendant, when there is no telephone, are made by means of pulls on the rope. Divers usually make their own code of signals, but it is very usual for one pull to mean “all right,” two pulls to mean “more air,” and three pulls “I am in danger, pull me up.” If the cliver is in shallow or very clean water, he can take a small line clown with him and with this line a slate can be passeel up and clown with messages written on it. The position of attendant is a rather responsible one, since upon his care and vigilance the life of the diver may depend. During the descent of the cliver he holds the life line and air pipe together in his left hanel and pays them out with the other. When the diver reaches the bottom he holds one in etich hånd and must keep them sufficiently tight to be able to just feel the move- ments of the diver and to at once notice any signals he may make. In cleep di ving, or in any place where there is any fear of the air pipe becoming entangled, it will be necessary to have two attendants, one for the life line and one for the air pipe. Two men will be requireel for the pump, and there should always be a spare man to do anything that may be requireel, as it is quite impossible for the men working the pump to leave their posts, and