"Professor Enochs" recently stayed under water at Lowell, Mass.,
for four minutes, forty-six and one-fifth seconds. The best
previous record was four minutes, thirty-five seconds, made by
"Professor Beaumont" at Melbourne on December 16, 1893.
For the most satisfactory examples of prolonged submersion we
must look to the divers, particularly the natives who trade in
coral, and the pearl fishers. Diving is an ancient custom, and
even legendary exploits of this nature are recorded. Homer
compares the fall of Hector's chariot to the action of a diver;
and specially trained men were employed at the Siege of Syracuse,
their mission being to laboriously scuttle the enemy's vessels.
Many of the old historians mention diving, and Herodotus speaks
of a diver by the name of Scyllias who was engaged by Xerxes to
recover some articles of value which had been sunk on some
Persian vessels in a tempest. Egyptian divers are mentioned by
Plutarch, who says that Anthony was deceived by Cleopatra in a
fishing contest by securing expert divers to place the fish upon
the hooks. There was a historical or rather legendary character
by the name of Didion, who was noted for his exploits in the
river Meuse. He had the ability to stay under water a
considerable length of time, and even to catch fish while
submerged.
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