Des Allemands - population 2,500 - known for the water, wildlife and catfish but now new light is shining on another notable feature in town. The idea came from one of oldest area residents and businesses owners nearly 80 years ago.
“I’ll tell you what. I don’t lie and I don’t exaggerate so that’s how I can tell this same story all these years,” said Spahr, speaking to WWL-TV’s Paul Dudley.
In 1940, Bill Spahr was 13 years old.
He wanted badly to spear fish underwater in Lake Pontchartrain.
“I used to get aggravated because I couldn’t stay under more than a minute, minute and half then I’d have to pop up again,” said Spahr, now 91.
So he rigged up a self-contained diving helmet using an old water heater and an air tank, sometimes he used just a bike pump, he says. The device allowed Spahr to stay under water for at least 20 minutes at a depth of 33 feet.
“It worked so good. I stayed there and I stayed there and every time the water would come up around my mouth I would open the valve and push the water down and I’d stay a little longer,” said Spahr.
Eventually the gear ended up in storage until Spahr’s kids hung it in Spahr's restaurant in Des Allemands, attracting curious minds with many questions. One of those curious minds was diving enthusiast, Bob Mcmillan.
“He needs to be in the history books,” said McMillan. “It’s a volume tank and this predates the aqua lung.”
The aqua lung changed diving for ever and it was created by none other than the world famous Jacques-Cousteau and Emile Gagnan in 1943, three years after Spahr’s.
McMillan has been talking to the Diving & R.O.V. Historical Preservation Museum of South Louisiana. The hope is they will be able to hang the helmet in the museum that way everyone can know the story of the equipment and its creator. McMillan thinks other museums might also be interested in the exhibit.
“I would like to see this museum have it for more awhile and then maybe the Smithsonian have it for a little while and just make the circuit,” said McMillan.
For Spahr, it’s all pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jacques-Cousteau but he’d be just as happy having it on display at the restaurant. His real joy is just in the story.
“It’s something to create conversation,” said Spahr. “People are curious. When I explain to them they get a kick out it to think that I did that.”
This story was first reported by the St. Charles Herald. You can read that story by clicking here.