PREFACE. THE science of diving has already reached a point of perfection which fully entitles it to an important place among the industries of the time. Yet up to the present no attempt has been made in book form to deal with the subject in a comprehensive fashion. Many volumes, it is true, have been devoted to the mysteries of the ocean, and record has been made in various places. The object with which the present publication has been projected is to give within reasonable compass a clear view of what has already been achieved by man's ingenuity, and the means by which the various results have been attained. To this end the course of the science has been traced from the earliest accounts of man's unaided efforts down to the period when the assistance of machinery enables him to perform wonders under water. A full account will be found of the most recent improvements in diving apparatus, now that the dress has in a great measure supplanted the bell. |