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Cousteau and Gagnan did not invent the first working regulator. Let me quote about.com 1942-43 (scuba). Jacques-Yves Cousteau (a French naval lieutenant) and Emile Gagnan (an engineer for Air Liquide, a Parisian natural gas company) work together to redesign a car regulator that will automatically provide compressed air to a diver on his slightest intake of breath. (Prior to this date, all self-contained apparatus still in use supplied air continuously, or had to be manually turned on and off. For unclear reasons, the 19th century demand regulator of Rouquayrol-Denayrouse had long been abandoned.) Cousteau and Gagnan attach their new demand valve regulator to hoses, a mouthpiece and a pair of compressed air tanks. In January 1943 Cousteau tests the unit in the cold Marne River outside Paris. After a modification (placing the intake and exhaust valves at the same level), they patent the Aqua Lung... But earlier on the page you will read. 1876 (scuba). An English merchant seaman, Henry A. Fleuss, develops the first workable, self-contained diving rig that uses compressed oxygen (rather than compressed air). In this prototype of closed circuit scuba, which is the forerunner of modern closed circuit scuba units used by military divers, carbon dioxide is absorbed by rope soaked in caustic potash, so that exhaled air can be re-breathed (no bubbles enter the water). Although depths are limited (pure oxygen is toxic below about 25 feet of sea water, a fact not known at the time), the apparatus allows for relatively long bottom times, up to three hours. In 1880 Fleuss's apparatus is used by the famous English diver Alexander Lambert to enter a flooded tunnel and seal a hatchway door; the hatchway is 60 feet down and 1000 feet back into the tunnel.
Divernet goes into more detail on Fleuss' rebreather in the following article: http://www.divernet.com/history/severn999.htm
An other regulator was patented in 1927 http://www.divernet.com/history/reg699.htm
We have on a regulator documented to be available during The Weird West and one another possible available. So scuba is available off the shelf.
A month ago I didn’t know any of this stuff.
-----Original Message----- From: owner-deadlands@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-deadlands@gamerz.net] On Behalf Of SteveL1979@aol.com Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 3:46 PM To: deadlands@gamerz.net Subject: Re: [DL] Re: SCUBA
In a message dated 8/19/2001 3:32:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, pellinoire@yahoo.com writes:
<< SCUBA is relativly modern, it was invented, I believe, by Cuostu (the famous French diver, recently deceased) and another Frenchman about the time of WW II. Hard hat diving is much older - it might already be around by 1877! Certainly they had been experimenting for a long time. Diving bells were already old technology (though still far from safe). >>
According to THE TIMETABLES OF TECHNOLOGY: Cousteau and Emile Gagnan invented the aqualung in 1943. The first known use of a diving bell, or similar apparatus, was by the Italians in 1535, who used a glass diving bell to explore sunken ships in Lake Nemi. In 1719, Edmond Halley invented a diving bell with a system of refreshing air, allowing for extended dives. However, the invention of the modern diving bell is credited to Charles Coulomb in 1756. Of greatest relevance to DEADLANDS, in 1842, James Eads patented a new type of diving bell. He used it for extensive salvage operations in the Mississippi River. So, as of 1877, diving bells are not only well within the realm of mad science, but of ordinary science. Plenty of scenario ideas available, no doubt!
Steve Long
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