222 FEET BENEATH THE SEA.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8933, 25 September 1907, Page 1

222 FEET BENEATH THE SEA.

11l luck seems to pursue the endeavours to salve terpodo boat No. !»i) from the bottom of the English channel, four miles outside Torbay. Some weeks ago there occurred si distressing accident, as si result of which, after five hours’ immersion under water, for half the time at a depth of 150 feet, Walter Trapnoll, shipwright diver, in the service of the Government in Portsmouth Dockyard, lost his life. Now there comes nows that .Lieutenant Guybon Damaut has had a singularly unnerving experience. Following Trapuell’s funeral at Portsmouth the work of salving the torpedo boat was resumed from the deck of the gunboat Spanker, under direction of Lieutenant Damaut, in charge of a diving party of six men.- For the fourth or fifth time the rope of the buoy indicating the position of the wreck in tiie channel had been cut. Lieutenant Damaut once more descended to tho sea bottom to again locate the torpedo boat, and ho was successful. After lie had been a short time at a depth of twenty-five fathoms, he telephoned to the men in charge of the pumps on the deck of the Spanker requesting more air. The order was complied with, and for some reason unexplained the increased air supply burst the officer’s diving drcss'at the wrist, and water commenced to ponr into it. With his other hand Lieutenant Damaut gripped the wrist at tho point where tho fracture had occurred, and holding it as though it wore in a vice, ho .was drawn up. As explained by Staff Surgeon Rees at tho inquest on Trapuell, tho ascent of divers must be regulated by oousidoratious of the time spent under water, in order to allow the aerated blood and tissues to resume their normal condition. For this reason the task of hauling Lieutenant Damaut to the surface had necessarily to be prolonged. Despite the tightness with which he held his wrist, tiie water continued to enter his dress steadily, with tho result that when lie was taken from tho sea, upon tho expiration of tho time prudence had rendered essential, it filled his dress to the height of his breast. Had it ascended to his helmet he would, of course, have boon drowned. Lieutenant Damaut, it may be added, holds tho record for deep sea diving, The depth to which he lias descended was thirty-seven [fathoms, or 333 feet. Ho is attached to his Majesty’s ship Excellent at Portsmouth, and was specially detailed to the Spanker for the salvage of the torpedo boat. Late at night the Spanker left Torbay for Portsmouth with Lieutenant Damaut [aboard, and the salvage operations are temporarily suspended.