DIVING MASKS 9 1 down tn an old and warn-out SUtt. In the Httle South Sea Islands, howevcr, therc is never any investigation as to r esponsibility, particularly as in the tropics it is necessary to bury a dead man within twenty-four ho urs. This man was DIVING MASKS buried thc same day in his helmet: and breastplate. He was so smashed inside thc suit that he could nevcr have been dctachcd from it. I had of course heard of "the squcezc" befaTe this and kE first time I saw a diver succumb to the "squeeze" knew what happened to a man, but now I saw it with my was on one of the Tuamotu Islands. When Amcrieans use own eyes I was very distresscd. The result remindcd me of thc phrase "to squceze" thcy are thinking of plcasantcr a buteher making sausages, for all that remained of the occasions. For them it conjures up euddling and necking brown-skinned Polynesian, who had been alivc a few with their best girls. But for us divers it has a more sinister seconds before, was an unrecognizable bloody pulp. meaning. No question of friendly lovc-making but a situa I said to myself: "I must try and do something to prevent tion in which dcath strikes as quiekly as if one were near such accidcnts happening to my comrades. There must be the explosion of an atom bomb. something better in this modern age than these clumsy On that occasion a trader from Tahiti had trained a few out-of-date suits, in which thc diver runs the risk of a Polyncsians as divers with equipmcnt he had bought as a ghastly dcath. Next time I go to Europe or to the States I hargain and which he had never inspected. This was not shalllook into thc question." an unusual thing in thc South Seas. He had come across a It was in this way that I began my tedious and long lot of old diving suits which had lain for many years unused research to try and create a better equipment for divers. Thc in a shed and would enable hirn to start without a lot of old suit comprising a helmet, breastplate of copper alloy heavy initial cxpenses. He hirnself had never dived at dcpth and sundry lead weights was invented by a German eopper and so he prohably neither undcrstood nor cared about the smith in London in 1806. No improvements of any impor danger his divers ran. tanee had been made sinee then. I was not an cngmeer, One of the boys was 150 feet down when the accident meehanic or inventor, but I thought that thc technical happened. Probably thc man had hanged thc helmet's scicnces had made such advances during thc past 150 years outIet valve against a coral formation. In any case some that it could not be very ditlicult to produce something thing was wrong with thc ancient valve. The air suddenly better. At first it was harder than I had thought. Doubtless rushcd out of thc heimet, and at thc same time thc divcr's it was more by luck than judgment that I am still alive head and shouldcrs werc crush-ed to pulp inside the coppel" after thc risks I took with my various machines and diving helmet by thc heavy water pressure at that depth. masks in different seas and the attempts I made to test them In a civilizcd region either a doctor or thc police would in deep water. have investigatcd the accident so that an irrcsponsible and I myself was always particular in furnishing my divers negligcnt trader would be punished for having sent a man with ncw equipmcnt. Whcn thc season endcd I sold thc old 9° 92 DAN GER I S MY LI FE suits and bought new ones the following year. An old suit may function perfectly for a weck, a month, p erllaps three months; but the season lasts six, und if one is careless about ch ecking equipment an accident can happen in th e twinkling of an eye. What I wanted was a suit without thc old type of dangerous helmet a nd valve, and also to get away [rom the clumsiness of the old models. Why should a divcr have to dangle, like an ungainly ape, in a noose instcad of h aving compiete freedorn of movcm ent? I busicd mysclf for four years" in between scasons, during trips to Europe and thc States. Gas masks, such as firemen and others use to prcvcnt being choked by fumes, b egan to intcrest me more and more. A similar light, uncumbersomc mask would be just the thing for a diver . Thcn one could swim along the bottorn like a fi sh instead of stumbling a bout likc a sloth in a heavy copper These s~ ilin g era ft. from the Macassa r Sound with thcir helmet and breastplate. f<.IIlta stie sails a n,; ver)' si ll'lilar to Bcrgc's own pcadcl's AB a n eighteen-year-old boy I had lea rned from the n atives how to bring up oysters from 50 to 60 feet. W e went out in a eanoe a nd plunged to thc bottem with th e help of a coil of rope wcighted with lead. This rope and the weights acted as a sort of lift for uso We slippcd over the side until only our hcads were out of the water und our feet on the weights. T h en all we h ad to do was to fill our lungs with as much air as possible. When they were at bursting-point we let go the gunwale and slipped feet first to th e hottom, with the weights to hdp, the latter varying according to the depth we required to reach . A fully grown diver like myself used a weight of about twelve kilos and a sm all er man between five and ten. On the bottom we swam around and gathered as many oysters as we ceuld get into a basket. Then we took the rope again to help us up, a nd to speed our ascent slipped a little air out of thc corners of our mouths, to b low out our lungs as soon as our heads were above water. T his naked diving gavc me a lot of expericncc whieh proved O ne of thc strects in M acassar in the Southern Celebes. Allhough they wcre like a rabbit warren, Berge could find his way a bout them blindfo lcl ed DIVINC MASKS 93 very useful to me in later years in my designing of a m ask for d eep diving. During a trip to New York I made my first scrious attempt at producing a n easily handled yet thoroughly efficient mask for dcpth diving. It was to b e n o more dumsy than a mask onc could wcar at a maskcd ball. My idea was to cquate the air pressure inside with the water pressure so accuratcly that an air out let vaive would bc superfiuous. The air should seep out from the indiarubber down thc checks whilc the air pressurc inside the mask had to be strong enough to prevent thc water getting in. I had steel ones made by hand in five parts. It was a costly business and I could n ot reckon h ow many thousand dollars these experiments cost me over thc years. I took my first mask out to Macassar to test it out. I thought at first that it would b e aU right and that I should be able to swim about on thc sea hottorn like a fish. Instead of a heavy heimet a nd breastplate I now h ad a light mask for thc face a nd a belt round the waist in whieh the inlet valve was plaeed. The whole equipment fitted eomfortably into an ordinary briefease. It was a thrilling expcriencc thc moment I coupled the air-line to the inlet valve in the belt, caught hold of the life-line and slipped overboard for my first dive. I h ad tried my invention out b eforehand in shallow muddy water in America. At 40 feet I was ncarly drowned. Thc water leaked into the m ask a lld it was all I could da to surface in time. It was a complete fiasco! But I did not lose faith in my idea. Next year I had anoth er steel type made, but the result was the same. The lhird year's efforl was even less successful. As soon as I got into dccp water the mask let me down. In shallow water many apparatuses will suffiee, and at Ja feet one can get by with m~rely a bowl over one's head and The terrib le ill-treatment Berge n:ceived at the hands ofthe J ap anese enough air pressure to see that no water can get in. But as causcd him to undergo a seriolls operati on after his release 94 DANGER IS MY LIFE DIVING MASKS 95 500n as YOll comc to 60 feet it is a very different matter on greater per square inch th an higher up in the m ask. As soon account of thc water pressurc. In order to withstand thc as there was thc slightest lag on thc part of thc valve the water pressure at 1 50 feet anc's lungs need almost double pressure failed in thc mask so that it eould possibly burst or thc a ir p ressure you usually find in a mOlor-tyre. crush t he face. It was impossible to make an accurate adjust I carried on for seven years. I made masks in Europc, in m en t by hand when one was diving. We had to find a valve America and even in J apan, but I ncvcr succeed cd in solving whieh would keep the pressure absolutely stcady in the m ask thc problem. During a trip to thc States in 1941 I decided to a nd bc ahle to function at varying d epths. approach Charles Sorensen, Sc, tbc m a n who was respons After this talk with the experts, Sorensen thought that ible for thc chain production in Ford Motors. Wc had been 1 was the man to try and find the right vaJve in Dctroit. It good friends for many years, and hc h ad plcnty of reSQ urces was quite on thc cards that one a lready existed. and unique cxperience. I had got to thc point when: it was H e put a car and chauffeur at my disposal. Day after day vital to find a really effi cient intet valve tor the mask. 1 cxplored the tQwn from end to end, and I had no lUl.: k thc When I arrived in Detroit, Sorensen sent a ear to pick first couple of wecks. But thcn in a shop which sold oxygen me up at thc station and take mc to the faetory. cylindcrs I found onc that scemcd to be promising. A "Hullo, Vietor!" he called out as he saw me. "Where m cchanic showed me a h igh-press ure valve which, by means h ave you been a11 these years and where have you come of a small serew, eould be regulated so as to release a bubble from now? I'm just off to lunch. Come aod havc a bite of air 01' two in the water. I bou ght it for twelvc dollars, and with me." invitcd t he man to h ave a drink with mc in a drugstore. He Without giving mc time to explain my errand 1 was discusscd a ll mann er of other valves with me, but aecording dragged off to lunch with half a dozen of the Ford chiefs in to: him the one 1 had bought was probably my b est bet. But their private luneheon-room to w hich 00 one has acccss, not if one sank very swiftly, say 20 feet, it would not funetion even journalists. 1 entertained thcm with stories about thc satisfactoril y. South Seas u ntil Sorensen said, "WeH, wh at are you up to Suddcnly I got an idea. H ow would it b e,instead ofletting at t he m oment?" the screw regulate the valve, to let the water pressure itself do the work? If, for example, 1 bored smaD holes in it, would "I've been working for scvcn ycars," 1 r eplied, H on a very tricky problem. And that's why l'vc co mc to sec you." the lower or highcr water prcssure regulate the valve or not? "Seven ycars, eh? It must be samething pretty remark· .He looked very surpriscd, a nd said after amoment, ahle !" "That's a great idea !U "!t's an inlet valve for a diver's mask." Feeling fuH ofbeans I went back to Sorensen, who sent at "A valve ! That shouldn't be hard," he laughed Ollee for his experts. I explained my new idea to them and "Detroit's fuD of valves ~high press ure, low pressure, valve: h ow it would eliminate having to make the adjustments by of every type." hand. As soon as one was down six feet it would become I had a eonferenee wilh a few orhis experts and cxplaincc automatie. They reported to Sorensen~ they said nothing to my difficulties. 1 pointed out to them that under water, sinc! me~and hc made thc same enthusiastic remark as the m echanic h ad m ad e : HA great idea, Vietor!" the valve was placed in the belt, the pressure was I Ib 96 DANGER 15 MY LIFE I) I V I NO M AMKl$ He advised me to take out a patent immcdiately with his Nalur:tll y I p romiscd hirn 1 wD uld go. H e nlllg up lawyer, but I prcferred to go to m y own in N ew York who W :lshing tn n and fix cd an ap pointmcnt for m c with Knudscll, looked a fter my affairs. N ow I h ad som ething to get on with. anel after ;'111 in tcrview with hirn 1 W~L'i pul in touch wilh thc Sorenscn told his san, Cliff, who was also an important n aval exper L<; through his right-hand m an, Collins. They industrialist and a multi-millionaire, to look after thc pro wanted to postpone the d emonstration for a weck so that duction of my mask. In a rela tively shart time I had thirty they could get togelhCl' expcrts fro m all Ovcr the States, and five m asks and all my equipmcnt in order. I h ad prcviously this wD uld ta ke a few days. They guaranteed Lh at 1 would be booked a passage on a Dutch ship which was sailing [rom able to leave with thc Dutch ship from Ncw Orleans, which Ncw Orleans to thc M oluccas and I n Qw d es patcllcd my was the last boat 1 could take and be in the South Seas in diving gcar, which filled a wh ole ra i".... ay truck. Therc wcre time for the scason. nearly two mHes of lire-lioc. An impressive gathering of experls anel m edical m en were I heaved a sigh of relief nQw I was all set. I longcd to get at the diving-school wharf wh en 1 a rrivcd with my m ask in back to m y pca rling. Thc scason would soon start and I had abriefease. For three-quarters o f an hour we cha tled about to get Lo thc Arus aod engagc m y divers before anyon e else my invention. At last 1 said: BI havcn' t come heaT to talk got hold of them or they started o ut independ cntly. As 1 about it but to show you how it works. That's why I'm went to say good-bye to Sorensen 1 wondercd huw I could here." thank hirn and show m y g ra titudc for a 11 the help h e had Thcy sccm ed deligh ted that I was ready to dive. Thc given m e. H e had been more th an h clpful and fricndly. W c'd diving schoo! had a vast tank with thick walls and portholes , been out on his yacht, which was worth h alf a million in whieh divers cou ld bc trained at 10w or hig h water dollars, and h c had shown m c ra und thc whole of the Ford pressure. 1 got in to my geaT, climbcd into the tank, coupled workshops. H e was r eall y keen on secing m y invention suc m y life-line a nd slipped into the water. The experts stooel at ccssful, as h e considcrcd it a very important one. all thc portholes wa tehing me. They saw m e stand on my "Victar," hc said to m c as I eame into thc room, "I ~a nt head a t the bottom , wh ich they h ad n cvcr seen be fore but you to d a m e a favour. Will you fl y to W ashington and which was easy in my m ask. I stayed about h alf an ho ul' in d em onstratc YOUf new m ask to the naval cxpcrts th ere ? As the tank, and when I got ou t 1 feit that they were all very you know, we're working full out to h elp Europe against the impressed. They kept saying how easy and practical my m ask Nazi tyranny, and 1 think they could use your jnven tion. M y was in comparison with thc old-fashioned clumsy diving friend Willia m Knudscn, thc head of G enera l M otors, is suits, a nd that o ne could 110W d o jobs below water which working for thc G ovcrnrncn t now in W ashington, fo r a dollar would h ave been impossible in th ose clumsy old suits. One a year. R oosevelt h as built a skyscraper for hirn and made could P:lSS tlwough n arrow placcs and this would be of grcat hirn Chief of Production for urgent war m aterial to bc importance in salvage work. d cspatched to Europe. Go to W ashing ton and talk to They did theil' best to persuade m e to put off my trip and Knudsen a nd show the N avy YOUT invention. W c'rc not in said Ll lat I sh ould be doing som ething for m y country, but the war yet but it looks as though it won't be long now and 1 Tcplied: " ~1y j ob's to gct m other of pcarl up from the I hope you'll play your part like thc rest of us." d cpths and 1' m only a pcad-fisher alld nothing more. 1 came 98 DANGER IS MY LIFE DIV I NG MASKS 99 h en: out of patriotism to show you thc mask. 8ha1l I leave it and New Guinea when I considered th e risks of a confli ct so with you? !t's not patentcd, as I couldn't get one for it." great. I could only rcply that it was rny trade and I didn't They were very pleased to be able to keep th e model and want to givc it up. It did not suit me to take a Government study it düseT. They promised to d evclop it to th e utmost job as thcy h ad proposed. Thc naval cxperts were better and adapt ie for work in cold watcrs. They would protcct p laccd th l1 n I was to d evclop the mask for their own pur~ my rights and so evcryonc was h appy. poses, as the chier difficuhies h ad already been overcome: I lcft thern a small model in aluminium and I pointed out namely the adjustmcnt of the air valve. After these years of that not only could this m ask be used [01' salvage work but struggle alld bitter disa ppointmcnt I was only tao keen to that it would be ver y advantageous to parachutists. This get back to my real profession which I lovcd. caused same surprise, and they askcd mc to cxplain mys elf. As thc U .S. Government ('cckoned with a war in thc "F0rty per cent ofparachutists," I said, "hurt thcmsclvcs Pacific I realized at once th e difficulties I should h ave in on landing. Wich a diving mask a parachutist in a rubber getting a visa for my sccond wife, Tetarii, a Tahitian wh o suit could la nd in the water instead of risking breaking an was resident in Hollywood and had Ameriean citizcnship. arm or a leg on th c ground 01' by geUing caught up in a tree Thc emigration a uthoritics h ad bcen ordered not to iss ue 01' on buildings. They could drop into thc sea and make visas to American women to cross th e Padfie. Dnly a rter their way slowly ashore u nderwater. Thc risk of damage on great difficulty did I m anage La procure a special one for landing in thc water is ncgligiblc." her, I pointed ou t that Tetarii, in addition to being my wife, P arachutists n ow lcarn to drop in bettcr equipment and was an invaluabic assistant in my pea rling . We were s hip~ ~h crc are not so many w ho hurt thcrnsclvcs on landing, but mates of lang standing and she did not wish to be idie like m 1941 about 40 pel' cent came Lo gricf. most or thc whitc women in Indoncsia. Wc always had "But how carne you to think of parachuting," askcd plenty 0 1' servants who Iookcd after thc house and OUT one of the experts. "You're a peaceful pearl-diver and YOll daugh ter, Tetarita. Tetarii was not particularly efficicnt at haven 't anything to da with war." anything cxcept p earling. As a child she had lcarncd to divc "1 know tha t the Japs will strike one day in the regions with th c n ative boys. whcre we divers work. T h e main rcason 1'111 HOW in Wash As I was a Swedish national I had no difficulty in getting ingtol1 to show my invention is becausc I'm on thc A llics' a visa. Now I t hink of what happened [0 mc as a prisoner in side and want to bc of sorne u se. Don't kid yourselves that the J ap camps I think I was rather rash not to havc staycd you 'll only bc having to manufacture weapons h ere in thc in thc States. I su ffered torture and persecution as a prisoncr, States to send to Europe. I'vc livcd in Japan and I've seen as I shall tell in a Iater chapter. I n actual fact, back in my their spies, disguised as divers, taking soundings off the hotel I was thc one to give same American warnen the Australian coast in international waters. J apan will come strongest warning ofJapan's intentions. But I had great plans into th c war and she'll strike h ard, I can ass ure you." with m y new mask, so I took risks w hich I should not have Wc discussed for a lang time th e possibility of war done. breaking out in the Pacific and they were surpriscd that I should be returning to p carl in thc waters b etwcen Aust1'alia DANGER IS MY LIFE HOME TO SWEDEN to take as areserve. The new money restrictions are very I waited for an hour but he did not eome back. difficult for a man who has no country and he has to resort I was right, I thought. He only wanted a free drink. to this type of chieanery. A litde dazed by his chatter I went up to my bcdroo m I flew with my family on a Dutch 'plane to Manila. The to rest. town was very ravaged by war but it was wonderful to corne As I was sitting on the bed there was a knoek at th eI 00 I' to a plaee where the war was over. I feIt that I had return cd and the young Ameriean diver eame in. He had his "I'IIUI to civilization after those menacing years in Java. full of masks. One day a powerfully built young American ca me over "Take a look at that," he said. "These are all Vk lOl' to me as I was sitting in the bar of the Manila Hotel. Berge's masks. My pals and I have cleaned up lJa' whol "Aren't you Victor Berge?" he asked. "YOll must excuse of Manila harbour with them. Don't try to kid me. YOII me, but I did so much want to talk to you. I've dived so believe me now, don't you?" often in your magnificent mask. I began in Pearl Harbour, I looked at them. They were all different models, pmo where we salvaged in record time the warships sunk by thc dueed in Cleveland, Ohio, and they were all Vietor HCIW' Japanese. We were all using your mask." masks. I looked bewildered. What did the boy mean? I had I told the young man that I believed hirn. He cxpl"llI rd never sent any masks to Pearl Harbour and had only got to me that they used them in the diving school anel wr l' those whieh I had had with me in Java for pearling. Perhaps standard in the whole American Fleet for salvage op ration.. he wants a free drink, I thought, so I asked hirn to sit down. In America it was thought that I was dead. My patent hAd He began to talk of my mask and I opened my eyes wider lapsed and while I was being tortured by tJa JuP "'Oll as I began to und erstand wh at he was talking about. several American companies had begun to turn th m out At last he seemed to think that I was rather dumb, and for the Navy. All this had resulted from my cl monlll m lioll he said angrily: "You don't seem to beIieve me. Are you before lieft Washington for J ava. I was cl 'light NI thnt "'Y really Vietor Berge, as you say? Everybody in the wodd efforts to invent a really good mask had b ' 11 Nu omlll ntly knows Vietor Berge and his diving mask-even here in this suceessful. goddam plaee." From Manila I telephon cd to S hWll lld ll rru . In N w "WeIl said. But I still don't believe you. I'm Victor York, a eompany with whieh I had dUlle1 Il 101 01' tm.11I MI! Berge all right, and I onee had fifty magnifieent masks, but in the old days of mother of pearl. My blllll"r.. IH tllIl1 WAM the Duteh took them from me and I only managed to g'l astonished to hear my voiee. "Victo!'," ho c.: l'ird, "10 you'I'C1 back six. I've no idea where the others have co me frorn. I n alive!" Like all my friends in Amr.dl'll hfl Ihou"ht lha .I"IM time I shall make some new ones, but theJaps have tortur 'cl had finished me off. We agrce:d ICI IIlurt Olll' bUIIIIIClI. I\K"ln, the life out of me and I'm not fit enough yet to start pearling and after a diseussion on pd ' 8 hr ImHlIlI Cl ll lu wir m " again." credit of 50,000 dollars. Now it was the young Ameriean's turn to goggle. I began to buy mOlhe!' 01' I rl\ rJ I",t1 ellel V ry 1CC M'.tI blill. "youjust wait for me here, and you'lI see I'm not lying," ness. In addition to Ihis I WUII ollf1l'fllI Ih a Jub 111' ."Iv".III. he sald, and strode off. 7 ,000,000 dollars whieh ltael h ~ II .ullk 111 tha b"y Clu,.hlfl Einst wohlhabend und bekannt - heute fast vergessen - der Perlentaucher Victor Berge Von Finn Rideland Aus dem Schwedischen übersetzt
Im Alter von zehn Jahren hatte der spätere Autor und Journalist Finn Rideland ein Buch zu Weihnachten geschenkt bekommen. Es war eine gekürzte Ausgabe von Victor Berges Buch "Perlenfischer". Finn war von all den Abenteuern, die darin geschildert wurden, stark berührt. 1954 kam Berges zweites Buch "Gefahr ist mein Leben" heraus. Beide Bücher wurden in mehrere Sprachen übersetzt. 1958 traf Finn Rideland in Stockholm das erste Mal mit Victor Berge zusammen. Er produzierte auch eine Videodokumentation über dieses einzigartige menschliche Schicksal mit Material aus zehn südlichen Meeren. Lagunen und Tiefen im Südlichen Ozean wurden zu Victor Berges Arbeitsplatz. Perlen wurden sein Leben. Der II. Weltkrieg raubte ihm alles - außer der Hoffnung. Da hatte er seine Muttersprache längst vergessen.
Der Perlentaucher Victor Berge wurde 1891 in BolInäs geboren und starb 1974 im Stockholmer Vorort Stockhagen. Er war der Sohn eines Gerbermeisters, der schließlich nach Ockelbo in Gästrikland zog. In den späten 1920-er Jahren veröffentlichte Victor sein Buch "Pearl Diver" - in englischer Sprache. Nur wenige Jahre später erschien 1942 die schwedische Übersetzung "Pärlfiskaren", eine gekürzte Version in "Das Weihnachtsbuch der Jungen" im Ahlen & Akerlund Weihnachtsbuch. Ich erhielt es als Weihnachtsgeschenk und war stark beeindruckt. Das Buch hat mir sehr viel bedeutet, sogar im Erwachsenenalter.
Kinderjahre Im Alter von fünf Jahren verlor Victor seine Mutter. Der Vater zog dann mit seinen Kindern und seinem Gewerbe nach Ockelbo. Im Großen und Ganzen scheint Victors frühe Kindheit ziemlich schön gewesen zu sein. Schließlich heiratete der Vater eine Frau, die sowohl freundlich als auch harmonisch gesinnt war. Die Geschäfte des Gerbers gingen gut und es gab genug Geld im Haus. Die Gerberei Berge kaufte Häute von den Bauern in Hälsingland und Gästrikland. Während meines Gespräches mit Victor Berge in hohem Alter sprach er oft von seinen Kinderjahren in Bollnäs und Ockelbo. "Es war nur sehr selten, dass wir Häute von größeren Wildtieren sahen", betonte er. Zu dieser Zeit gab es nicht viele Elche in den Wäldern, und Hirsche waren auch eine Seltenheit. Die Felle, die sie erhielten, stammten meist von kleinen Tieren und einigen Füchsen. Sein Vater mochte solchen Kleinkram nicht wirklich, aber er sagte nie nein zu irgendeinem Jäger. Bei seinen Geschäften mit Dorfbewohnern fragte er oft nach Rinde. Bei der Verarbeitung der Häute hatten sie großen Bedarf an Rinde. So konnte der kleine Victor sich etwas verdienen, indem er die Rinde in kleine Stücke zerbrach und sie in der Sonne zum Trocknen ausbreitete. Dann kam die Rinde mit Lauge zum Gerben in Fässer. "Ich bekam zwei Penny für jedes Fass und war sehr glücklich darüber. Für dieses Geld konnte ich Angelgerät kaufen. Angeln war etwas, das ich liebte." In seinem ersten Buch erzählt Victor, dass das Leben in seiner Kindheit sehr traurig und eintönig war. Er fühlte sich vom Rest der Welt isoliert und vermisste seinen Vater, der oft auf verschiedenen Märkten unterwegs war. Der erzählte den Kindern nie von den Orten, die er besuchte, eine Verzweiflung, die Victors Neugier nur wachsen ließ. Noch neugieriger nach der Außenwelt wurde Victor, als eines Tages seine Familie von einem sehr dunkelhäutigen Mann, einem Hofhändler, besucht wurde. In der Zeit wurden viele Lieder aus den Südstaaten der USA gesungen. Das geschah in einer Mischung aus Schwedisch und Englisch, etwas, das Victors Sehnsucht nach der Welt noch erhöht hat. Eines Tages starb seine Stiefmutter nach kurzer Krankheit und ein paar Jahre später verließ auch sein Vater diese Welt. Die Kinder, außer Victor, wurden unter Verwandten in Bollnäs aufgeteilt. Nur Victor landete beim Dorfmetzger von Ockelbo, seinem Vormund, einem Umfeld, das ihm nicht gefiel.
Sehnsucht Victor Berge war gerade ins Jugendalter gekommen, als er nach dem kummervollen Dasein beim alten Vormund wieder zu seinen Geschwistern und anderen Verwandten nach Bollnäs kam. Ein Schwager war zu seinem Vormund ernannt worden. Die beiden verstanden sich nicht gut, Victor war unbequem und wollte auf See gehen. Aber das wurde immer abgelehnt. Am Ende entschied er sich abzuhauen und schaffte es, ein paar Freunde zu überzeugen, mit ihm zu kommen. Die Absicht der Jungen war, nach Norwegen zu gehen, um nach einem Schiff zum Arbeiten zu suchen. Als sie jedoch nach Dalarna kamen, hatten seine Kameraden keine Lust mehr. Ihr letztes Geld reichte für Zugtickets zurück. Aber dann änderten sie doch ihre Meinung und fuhren weiter nach Söderhamn. Dort wurden sie von der Polizei aufgegriffen, weil sie wie Landstreicher aussahen. Sie waren ein paar Wochen in Gewahrsam und wurden dann nach Bollnäs zurückgeschickt. Victor lebte bei seinem alten Großvater. Der sah das mit der Flucht nicht so schlimm. Schlimmer war es mit dem Schwager, der auf ihn aufpasste. Dazu hat mir Victor einmal gesagt: "Ich war sehr enttäuscht von den Erwachsenen. Das hat mich irgendwie verändert ... Ich konnte nicht davon wegkommen, dass ich unter diesen Umständen nicht dazugehörte. Meine Verwandten hatten mein kleines Ruderboot in Ockelbo verkauft, als das Haus meiner Eltern versteigert wurde. Sie hatten mich unter Fremden zurückgelassen, mein Vormund war streng und geneigt, das Schlimmste von mir zu glauben. Die meisten Erwachsenen in meiner Umgebung misstrauten mir. Wie hätte ich hier jemals vernünftig leben können? In meinem jungen Leben gab es zu dieser Zeit keinen Platz für irgendwelche familiären Bindungen." Dann erhielt Victor Berge schließlich die Einwilligung seines Schwagers und Vormundes, auf See zu gehen. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis er packte und sich von der Familie und dem Dorf verabschiedete.
Das neue Leben Der Victor Berges seemännische Ausbildung begann auf einem Holzschiff im Verkehr zwischen Söderhamn und Stockholm. Aber bald gab es längere Reisen. Ein paar Jahre segelte er "vor dem Mast" (als Matrose) und landete schließlich auf einem Schiff, das sich als wahres "Höllenschiff" erwies. In einem südafrikanischen Hafen floh er zusammen mit fünf weiteren Besatzungsmitgliedern. Damals war er noch keine 20 Jahre alt. Nach einer Woche an Land bekam er Arbeit auf einem englischen Vollrigger mit Ziel Bunbury in West-Australien. Von dort trieb ihn die Neugier weiter. In seinem Buch "Perlenfischer" sagt er: "Jetzt sollte man langsam zur Ruhe kommen." Nach einigen weiteren Abenteuern und Wanderungen traf Victor einen Chinesen namens Chung Ko, Besitzer eines kleinen Perlenfischer-Seglers. Die Besatzung bestand aus einer Handvoll junger Polynesier. "Es war wie ein neues Leben, als ich einen Job auf dem Logger bekam und in die Mannschaft aufgenommen wurde", erzählte Victor mir. Es war noch einige Jahre vor Ausbruch des I. Weltkriegs, also lange bevor es Leichttaucher-Ausrüstungen gab, und die Jungs gingen nackt auf der Suche nach Perlmuscheln auf den Meeresgrund. Der Chinese Chung Ko hatte seine Mannschaft trainiert und nun brachte er dem jungen Victor bei, so zu tauchen und zu suchen. Die Perlenfischerei lief gut und alle an Bord hatten ihr Einkommen. Meistens wurden die Perlen in Hong Kong verkauft. Nach ein paar Jahren trennten sich Victors und Chung Kos Wege. Es war eine Zeit voller Gefahren, nicht nur unter Wasser in den Tiefen des Meeres, sondern auch unter den wilden Menschen auf den Salomonen und Vanuatu (Neue Hebriden). In seinen Büchern erzählte er von Treffen mit Haien und anderen gefährlichen "Monstern". Schon in jungen Jahren wurde er so ein wohlhabender Mann und endlich fand er in Neuseeland eine Frau. Er wurde Vater und wollte ein sichereres Leben für sich und seine Familie finden.
Zurück nach Südafrika Schon bald erwarb Victor Berge in der Provinz Transvaal eine große Landfläche und eine Vielzahl von Nutztieren. Aber er fühlte sich nicht wirklich wohl. Die Art, wie der weiße Mann die Schwarzen behandelte, bedrückte ihn. Dann brach der I. Weltkrieg aus und Victor wurde von den Behörden aufgefordert, sich als Ausländer zu registrieren. Er hatte kein gültiges schwedisches Ausweisdokument und musste deshalb zum schwedischen Konsulat in Kapstadt. Da stellte sich heraus, dass Victor nicht mehr Schwedisch sprach! Der Beamte dort glaubte ihm also nicht. Plötzlich rettete ihn eine Kindheitserinnerung. Victor erinnert sich an das Gebet "Gott, der die Kinder liebt". Mit seinem alten Dialekt sprach er das Gebet, langsam Wort für Wort. Damit überzeugte er den Konsul schließlich und der sagte ihm: "Ich muss dir glauben. Du bist Schwedisch. Du kommst aus Nordschweden. Du wirst deine Papiere bekommen!" Nach einiger Zeit beschloss das Ehepaar Berge, in die Südsee zurückzukehren. Die Vermietung von Elefanten hatte auf dem Bauernhof in Transvaal das Leben von Menschen und Vieh krank gemacht. Lej on och elefanter hade börjat göra livet surt för både folk och kreatur på farmen i Transvaal. Die nächste "Station" wurde die Insel Tahiti in Französisch-Polynesien.
Erfolg und Widrigkeiten In den 1920-er Jahren begann Victor Berge mit der Entwicklung von leichten Geräten für das Presslufttauchen (Scuba) und widmete sich in Zusammenarbeit mit der US Navy der Verbesserung einiger älterer Unterwasserfahrzeuge. Im Jahr 1926 besuchte er Stockholm. Die schwedische Verteidigung war an seinen Ideen interessiert, verfügte aber nicht über genügend Ressourcen. Die Zwischenkriegszeit verbrachte Victor meist mit Perlenfischen. In den späten 1920-er Jahren lernte er den amerikanischen Journalisten H.W. Lanier kennen, der ihm half, das Buch "Pearl Diver" zu schreiben. Da war er noch nicht 40 Jahre alt. Mitte der 1930-er Jahre hatte er eine ganze Perlenfischereiflotte aufgebaut. Er galt damals als wohlhabender Reeder. Aber dann brach der zweite Weltkrieg aus. Er war mit seinen Perlenfischerflotten in den holländischen Kolonien (heute Indonesien). Alle Schiffe wurden von der niederländischen Marine versenkt, damit sie nicht in die Hände der Japaner fallen konnten. Das okkupierende japanische Militär nahm Victor Berges Angaben zur schwedischen Nationalität nicht ernst. Er hatte seine schwedische Muttersprache vergessen, und in der Gesellschaft hatte man ihn "Tuan America" genannt, Mr. America. Trotz aller möglichen Hilfe vom schwedischen Generalkonsulat und Vertretern der schwedischen Wirtschaft auf Java wurde er im Februar 1942 von der Kempeitai, der japanischen Geheimpolizei, von den Alliierten auch japanische Gestapo genannt, verhaftet. Er blieb mehr als drei Jahre lang Gefangener, bis zum Ende des Krieges in diesem Teil der Welt im August 1945. Seine Familie wurde überwacht. Seine Perlenfischerflotte war versenkt worden. Hunger, Durst und Unterdrückung waren das, womit er in diesen Jahren fertig werden musste.
Der Freund Victor Victor Berge erzählte mir oft von einem Traum, den er während der Gefangenschaft hatte. Der polynesische Gott Taangaroa hatte einst seinen Kopf zwischen den Wellen auf See erhoben und ihm gesagt, dass er das Böse der ganzen Welt überleben würde. Er würde ein Alter von 96 Jahren erreichen. Ich konnte nur zuhören und nicken. Wie viele Briefe an die holländische Regierung und an Königin Juliana er mit meiner Hilfe mit der Bitte um Entschädigung geschrieben hat - ich erinnere mich nicht mehr. Victor verlangte eine Entschädigung für seine versenkte Fischereiflotte. Im Jahr 1942 war sie etwa eine halbe Million US-Dollar wert gewesen. Es war Mitte der 1960-er Jahre, als wir in die Götgatan in Stockholm in die Botschaft des Königreichs der Niederlande gerufen wurden. Aber Victor konnte nicht mitkommen. Ich habe ihn dort vertreten. Während eines zwanzigminütigen Gesprächs wurde mir mitgeteilt, dass Herr Berge bereits vor einigen Jahren einen Schadenersatz in Höhe von etwa 30.000 schwedischen Kronen erhalten hätte. Das Land hätte nach seiner Zeit als Kolonialmacht in Südostasien viele Tausende von Ansprüchen erhalten und könne nicht jeden zufriedenstellen. Ich habe Victor nie diese Wahrheit erzählt. Ich wollte ihm seinen letzten Hoffnungsschimmer nicht nehmen. Ich sagte nur zu ihm, dass man sich weiter bemühen müsste. Wir sprachen meistens Englisch miteinander, weil sein Schwedisch so schlecht war.
Manchmal hat man sich gefragt, ob er nicht irgendeinen Hirnschaden erlitten hätte. Vielleicht ist das schon in jungen Jahren vorgekommen. Er war auf der Suche nach Perlmuscheln ohne Atemgeräte lange Zeit unter Wasser auf dem Grund des Ozeans gewesen. Vielleicht erklärt das, wie es passieren konnte, dass er in einem so frühen Stadium seines Lebens seine Muttersprache völlig vergaß. Als Person war Victor Berge sehr dominant und seine Ausstrahlung konnte manchmal beeindruckend sein. Er hatte eine coole Laune und konnte sich leicht aufräumen. Aber durch eine magische Schlacht konnte ihm die Ruhe wieder zurückgegeben werden. Han hade häftigt humör och brusade lätt upp. Men som genom ett trollslag kunde lugnet lägra sig över honom igen. Er war weder reich noch arm, als er starb. Er hatte ein ausländisches Konto und ein paar schwedische Sparbücher mit insgesamt rund 30.000 Kronen. Seine Verwandten hier in Schweden haben nie darüber gesprochen. Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, dass er etwas über Kontakte zu seinen drei Kindern in verschiedenen Gegenden der Welt erwähnt hat.
CAUTlON: THIS MASK SHOULD BE USED ONLY BY ONE WHO HAS BEEN TRAINED IN DEEP SEA DIVING. **************** INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF DIV I NG MASK
This M&sk conslsts ara molded rubber face mask secured to the face w1 th rubber straps. These straps are se cured tosether wlth a buckle 1n the rear.
The eyepieces are manufactured from tempered glass; hence the)' are noo , breakable. A demand type breathlng valve 16 se eured to the front of the masks. The valve 1s des 19ned so that Ir a press ure ofbetween 50 and 100 Ibs. 1n e)[ cess of that on the bottom 18 carried 1n thesupply hose t.hevalve will on1y open when the diver Inhales.
This valve 15 provided w!th a by-pass valve that when open by-passes the
(1 ) supply around the demand valve pro vidin~ the diver with a continuous flow of air or ol[y~en. The demand breathin~ valve unit is also provided with a button which if pushed by the diver will enable him to easily blow any water out of the maske
This valve by-passes the supply around the demand breathin~ valve and is in stalled tofurnish aneasier andqulck er means of obtalnln~ the excess of alr wlthln the maske
OXYGEN HOOE: Standard oxy~en hose 18 used for th!! divers air supply. The number of len~ths used is of course dependent on the depth of water and work to be accomplished. Thls hose, lf ln ~ood condltlon, can be any OXY ~en hose ln use for cutting or weld in~.
The safe maximum desi~ned worklng pres sure for oxy~en hose ia 150 Ibs. per square inch:
• (2) BELT TO CARRY WEIGHTS: It has been found that best results can be obtained if the diver carrles a belt weighing between 8 and 15 lbs.
A standard rifle cartridge belt is highly recommended. Lead weights can be cut or cast to fit the cartridge pockets.
The buckle is quickly detachable en abling the diver to make himself light for rapid surfacing .
SAFETY LINE: This can be any line of suitable strength.
AIR OR OXYGEN SUPPLY: This can be (1) bottled compressed oxygen, (2) • compressed air from flasks, (3) air from a standard sha110w water diving pump.
If (1) is used the maximum depth to whlch diving should be attempted is 50 ft. because of the physiological
(3 ) effects of oxy~enon thebody. However divlng can be done at 50 ft. 1'0r 10ng per iods with no harmful effects.
If (2) 1s used the depth is limited to 100 ft. s ince the working press ure of the hose will be exceeded at great- er depths.
Ir (3) is used the depth 1$ limited to 36 ft. bythe capaclt,y of the pump.
OXYGEH REGULATOR: Astandard twostage oxygen regulator has to be provided if compressed ox,ygen is used.
The regulator reduces the ox,ygen pres sure from that in the bott1e to that desired for the divers supp1)".
SHALLOW WATER DIVING PUMP AND VOLUME TANK: The volume tank need not be 1arge. A tank cf about one half cu. ft. volume ls suff1cient.
(4 ) CLQTHIKG: Swimming trunll:s, rubber . · sneakers. and any other clothin~ for protectivE' purposes thatwill not 1D terfere w1 th the movements of the di- ver.
* * * * * * * * * USE OP EQUIPHENT
The prel1minary steps common to all div1n~ operations are first carried out such asmoorin~ ofthe divin~boat. l owerin~ ofthe descending line. etc.-
This equipment i5 then prepared for use as foliows:
(a) The source of air or oxygen supply is setup near thescene ofoperatlons. As statedabove thesemethods ofsupply can be used:
(1) COHPRESSED OXYGEN: In this case the oxygen regulator 15 connected to the bottle and the divers alr supply hose connected to the regulator. TABLE 1. DE COMPRESS ION TABLE •
Depth Up:Tlme from leavlng surfaee to :Stop at different To : beginning of ascent or to up :depths in ninutes :stage for surface decompresslon :
Feet • Minutes : 30 I 20 ' 10 ' 40 - 120 - 0 40 - - 180 2 40 - 240 4 40 300 - 6 50 78 - 0 50 - 120 - - - 2 50 150 5 50 200 - 9 50 300 - 12 60 55 0 60 - 75 - 2 60 110 13 60 150 5 15 60 180 - - 7 16 60 - 210 - _8 18 -- - - ": ' -' . ,- " - --. 70 -.....,--- 43 - - :+- -- 0 70 - - 60 - 4 70 - 75 - - - 13 70 - 90 - - 4 16 70 - 120 - - - 13 16 70 - 150 - - 18 21 70 - 180 - - 21 32 80 - 35 • - - - 0 80 - 50 - - - 6 80 - 70 - - 16 14 80 - 100 - - 20 16 80 120 - - - 22 26 80 - 150 - - 28 29 90 - 30 - - - 0 90 - 45 - - 6 90 60 - - 9 16 90 - 75 - - - 18 14 90 - - 100 - 2 27 21 90 - 130 - - 9 27 29 100 - 25 - - 0 100 - 40 - - - 12 100 - 60 - 16 16 100 - 75 - - 27 21 (2 ) COHPRESSED AIR: Thea1rsupplyhase 15 connected ta the 50urce of aIr throuQh sultable pipe reducers.
A stop valve anda1r Qauge must be on this line so that the pressure to the diver can be observed and controlled at .... 111 by openlnQ and closing thls va1..ve .
(3) SHALLOW' WATER PUMP: The air supply hose ls connected to the volume tank and the volume tank to the pump.
(b) The air suppIy hose Isconnected to the mask. The flow of aIr Is tested w!th the by_pass valve open andclosed.
(c) The dlver puts on the mask and tests the alrsupplyfor easeofbreath Ing wl th the by-pass valve on the breathlng valve open and closed .
It. will be found in all probablllty that Itwlll be necessary tokeep thls valve open Ir the shallow water pump Ls used .
( 8) (d) The tenders adjust the air supply to between 50 and 100 Ibs. in excess of bottom pressure .
BOTTON PRESSURE ~ D r .445 (D equals depth in feet)
The pressure to be carri~d will vary with different divers and must be de termined by trial.
(e) The belt and llfeline are placed on t'he diver.
The supply hose lsstopped tothe rear of the belt sothat any strain on the hose will not be put onthe breathing valve.
{f) The dlver enters the water and descends.
(g) If waterenters themask thediver pushes the water release button and blows the wa ter out of the mask •
• • NOTES ON OPERATION
1 . It has been found that one oxyQen b o ttle will supplY onedlver forabout tWQ (2) hours at rifty feet with an ample factar cf safety,
The amount of oxygen or compressed aIr used w1 11 vary greatly wlth different divers. Thls time will be Increased at lesser depths.
2 . Do not use the shallow water pump at depths in excess of 36 feet.
3. Do not attempt to dive wlth the equlpment descrlbed to depths beyond 100 feet.
4. Ir the airor oxygen supplyshould fail instruct the dlver toremove his mask and belt and swim slowly ta the surface - EXHALING - on the way up.
Ir he should hold his breath on the ascent air embollsm andperhaps death will result. Of course no dangerexists If the ascent 1s made wearing t.he mask
( 10) and breathing normally.
5. Decompression of the diver on the ascent will be required.
If oxygen i8 used for supply no de compression will be needed. The maz_ imum safe depth attained inthis case will be 50 feet.
When breathin~ air decompression tab_ les should be followed. (See table on pa~es 6 and 7.)
TRE FACT IIUST BE KEPT IN IIIND TRAT NOTUTRSTANDING TRE SIKPLICITY AND UNIVERSAL APPLICATION OF TRIS KETROD OF DIVING IN ~ARK ~ATER AT DEPTRS UP TQ 100 FEET - A VERY REAL RAZARD EI ISTS TO TRE' KAN UNFAKILIAR UTH TRE IIETRODS AND TRE BASIC PRfSIOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF DEEP SEA DIVING.
IN VIEf OF TRIS IT IS CONSIDERED TRAT NO DIVING SROULD BE ATTEKPTED UNLESS TUE OPERATION IS ~UPERVISED Bf AN OF FICER OR ENLISTED IIANTRAINED IN THIS FIELD. (11 ) • •
T~. O'io Rubber COMp." VilloUi~b1, Oblo AprU 1942
Nov.24, 1942. V. BERGE 2,303,155 DIVIN(Z MASK AND "APPARATU . Filed March 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .L5i:J7.f.
\\\\
INVENTOR V'CTOR BER GE . SV . C ~~~ , · .. ·tlu1 ATTORN.EYS Nov. 24, 1942. V. BERGE 2,303,155
DIV!NG MASK AND A~PARATUS
Fi l e~ March 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2
I l. r, /
INVENT OR Ylc roR BUUiE SY 1"1 ...... ,.i~ A~ORNEYS Patezatecl Nov. 24; 1942 2,303,155
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE z,s'3,U5 . DIVING lIIAIIlt AN]) A1'1'AJI.&'r1JS VIeler 1Ierp, Pape.1e, TaIdII AppUea.üoll March •• lKl, SerfAJ No. 381.'U 4 ClaIms. (CL 1211-141) The present invention relates to eqUipment for lDafter clescribed in detail in connection witb tbe use in protecting persons trom the tnJurtous accompa.nyblg drawings. chief cf whlch res1de in e1fecta to which tbe surrounding atmosphere a COIlStruCt1on by means of whic,h the mask may mtght otherwise subJect them, and embocUes. be appliecl to tbe face of the wea.rer to 'exclude more sJ)eCißcally, an improved mechanism by G , the external atmosphere or water in submersion, means of which the wearer of the mecha,nliun at the same time being rela.tively light and easy -ma.y be protecte