Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 155, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1910 — INVENTOR OF DIVING ARMOR. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INVENTOR OF DIVING ARMOR.

Dre»» In It* Present Form la I)n« to Valve Made In 1838. Among pioneer Inventors, to whom the diving dress in its present perfected form owes so much, was William H§nnis Taylor. The previous “hit or miss” attempts were superseded by the Taylor patent of June 20, 1838 (No. 578), In which the essential feature was the valve allowing the emission of consumed air without an Influx of water Previous to that time there had been the diving chests and the diving bell, of which the latter, introduced by Smeaton, in 1778, was the safest and most practical device" for submarine exploration. The diving bell has been developed alongside of the diving dress, and is still in use. The general appearance of Taylor’s diving armor was like that of a knight’s suit of mail, except for a prominent bulge in the body A large pipe coming down from the surface, and penetrating the body

piece on the other side, and was provided with a valve which carried off the exhaust. Although diving armor has now reached its perfected state, this valve has never been materially improved upon. The accompanying illustration Is reproduced from Mr. Taylor’s patent.—Scientific American.

FIRST DIVING ARMOR.