This is an 1880s diving helmet. This was used for the costruction of the Esquimalt Dry Dock, now known as the Naden Dry Dock, constructed in 1887. This helmet features 3 lights, what we call the windows. This helmet was constructed by a man named John Date, who was the only producer of diving equipment in Canada at the time. He lived in Montreal, and during the construction of the Victoria bridge, he was a copper and bronze smith and he was tasked with repairing the British Siebe Gorman equipment. After repairing enough equipment, he learned to design his own. As we see with other helmets of this era, it was supplied with an air pump and hose that led to the surface. Air was pumped by hand to a valve at the back of the helmet. This job–diving–was not for the faint of heart!
Diving Helmet
