Inventions of the Great WarBond, A. Russell (Alexander Russell)
History
Inventions of the Great War
Bond, A. Russell (Alexander Russell)
Inventions; World War, 1914-1918 -- Technology
The work of the diver usually consists of far more than merely passing
lines under a sunken hull. It is constantly necessary for him to cut
away obstructing parts. He must sometimes use blasting-power. Pneumatic
cutting-tools frequently come into play, but the Germans have lately
devised an oxy-hydrogen torch for underwater use, with which the diver
can cut metal by burning through it. This is accomplished by using a
cup-shaped nozzle through which a blast of air is projected under such
pressure that it blows away the water over the part to be cut. The
oxygen and hydrogen jets are then ignited electrically, and the work
of cutting the metal proceeds in the hole in the water made by the
air-blast. A similar submarine torch has recently been developed by
an American salvage company. It was employed successfully in cutting
drainage-holes in the bulkheads of the _St. Paul_, which was raised in
New York Harbor in the summer of 1918.
EXPLORING THE SEA BOTTOM IN A DIVER'S SLED
The diver's sled is still another interesting German invention. It is
a sled provided with vertical and horizontal rudders, which is towed
by means of a motor-boat at the surface. The diver, seated on the
sled, and provided with a self-contained diving-suit, can direct the
motor-boat by telephone and steer his sled up and down and wherever
he chooses. And so without any physical exertion, he can explore the
bottom of the sea and hunt for wrecks.
ARMORED DIVING-SUITS
From time to time attempts have been made to construct a diver's suit
that will not yield to the pressure of the sea, so that the diver
will not be subjected to the weight of the water about him, but can
breathe air at ordinary atmospheric pressure. Curious armor of steel
has been devised, with articulated arms and legs, in which the diver is
completely encased. With the ordinary rubber suit, the diver usually
has his hands bare, because he is almost as dependent upon the sense
of touch as a blind man. But where the pressure mounts up to such a
high degree that a metal suit must be used, no part of the body may be
exposed. If a bare hand were extended out of the protecting armor it
would immediately be mashed into a pulp and forced back through the
opening in the arms of the suit. The best that can be done, then, is to
furnish the arms of the suit with hooks or tongs or other mechanical
substitutes for hands which will enable the diver to make fast to the
wreck or various parts of it.
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