More on Harry Vetter...Probably the last...
Charlie made masks for about 40 people including Harry Vetter and I ---Soooo many years ago
Harry and Charlie were charter members of the "Southern California Skin diving club" which had a lobster as a as the club logo/patch, I associated with SCSD later when the club was taking it's last breath but we still socialized and often dove together.
I brokered the sale of Harry's "late model" Sturgil Oval Mask, which is older than the majority of the readers of this post to Alex Pierce about 15 years ago. At that time it was thought that most of the masks were still around. After the sale I questioned a number of the owners of Sturgil masks -- all were gone, lost tossed and forgotten.. Only three remained, Alex's Laura's (Charlie's Widow) which were oval and mine which was round.. A very very rare mask, possibly the most rare mask ever made...
I published
the following article some time ago in my dedicated column "
The Way it was...." that appeared monthly in
the now defunct San Diego based national dive magazine "Discover Diving," and also in the articles section of the Legends of diving.
Since Harry Vetter, NAUI #4 owned and dove a Sturgil Mask I thougt it might possibly be of interest to some of you
'
The Mask,
One of
the great pioneer divers of all times was
the late Charlie Sturgil. "
The Old Walrus," as he was affectionately known, started his diving career in 1929 in
the frigid waters off Northern California where he hunted for abalone by a method he described as "feeling for abalone." He would dive on a reef, feel until he found an abalone and pry it off, without
the use of
mask, fins, snorkel or thermal protection.
Charlie began diving with a
mask using a Japanese
mask in
the late 1930s which was loaned to him by his good friend Bill O'Conner. A few years later after
the end of WW 11, Charlie, a master tool and die maker and an inventor of sorts, developed
the necessary tooling to produce masks on a semi-custom basis for himself and a few close friends. I consider myself very fortunate to have been included in
the latter category.
In early years during
the genesis of recreational diving
the masks were either too large, too small, too stiff or after a few dives, would rapidly deteriorate into a gummy, sticky mess. This did not make for comfortable diving! After using a number of
the masks of that era,
the Japanese imports, and
the American made Sea Net, I decided it was time to contact Charlie to ask him if he could make one of his custom masks for me.
After checking my meager finances, found I could possibly afford one of Charlie's masks, so I gave him a call. "Sure, Sammy, I'd be happy to make a
mask for you, come on over", Charlie replied to my request. Within moments I was off to
the temple of Southern California diving, Charlie Sturgil's garage.
I was met by this jovial hunk of a man with his infectious, ever-present smile. "Hey ya, Sammy" was always his cordial greeting. Alter a few moments of catching up on
the diving scene it, was time to get to work. "Sammy, I'm now making two masks;
the original for $6.00 and a new oval model for $8.00", Charlie explained. After considerable soul searching and penny counting, I opted for what I felt I could afford,
the original round
mask for $6.00.
Now, Charlie's garage was something to behold. It appeared to be in total disarray, and
the best way to describe it would be
the day after a big sale in a bargain basement. Diving equipment in various stages of repairs, pieces of metal, lengths of stainless rods scattered about... Omnipresent was
the huge metal turret lathe and miscellaneous metal working machines. But to Charlie, it was his arena, it was where he excelled in turning these seemingly scrap pieces of metal into custom spear points, spear shafts, yes, even masks.
Charlie knew
the location, size, shape and type of everything in his garage. His storage system was logical and certainly workable, but it still defies
the imagination how he managed to find anything, let alone make anything, but he did.
Charlie went to work with
the speed and skill of a emergency room surgeon. He immediately uncovered a length of 5 inch O.D. soft rubber World War 11, surplus firehose, from which he cut a 4 inch piece. He placed
the piece of rubber hose in
the wooden mold and proceeded to his trusty
bench grinder where he slowly cut a 1/8 inch wide, 3/32 deep groove all around
the edge for
the glass. This was followed by
the rough contouring for
the forehead, cheeks, and upper lip. He then went to his metal rack and withdrew a piece of 3/4 x 16 inch 22 gauge stainless steel, which he placed in his specially constructed mold and carefully, yet skillfully, forced
the stainless steel around
the mold forming it into a familiar round
mask shape. His next step was to form
the band evenly and smoothly around
the mold creating
the lip for
the compression hand with light rapid laps of a hammer. Using silver solder,
the welding process of
the era, he soldered
the tabs for
the strap and
the compression screw tabs to complete
the band. A piece of pre-cut 1/3 inch glass,
the same kind used for window glass, was taken from
the shelf and fit into
the groove;
the compression band placed around
the mask and
the compression screw tightened.
At last,
the mask was assembled. My own custom Sturgil
mask! Charlie proceeded to take some cursory measurements of my then youthful face, and returned to
the grinding wheel, skillfully grinding a little here, a little there, another trial fit, a little more grinding. Finally, a perfect fit. A final hand finish with fine sandpaper, attaching of
the strap, cut from a truck inner tube, and I was
the proud possessor of a real genuine Charlie Sturgil Original Style Diving
Mask.
This occurred many years ago when diving as well as life was much simpler, a time when pride in workmanship and ownership were at a premium. Charlie made almost 40 of these one of a kind custom dive masks, however only three are known to have survived
the rigors of our disposable society, mine, Alex Pierce's of Toronto, Canada and Charlie's widow's Laura's
mask which now on loan and rests in a Southern California museum. And indeed they are museum pieces...
the three remaining masks are all almost sixty years old and represent an era which was experienced by only a precious few which will never be experienced again upon this earth.
Charlie has reverend position in
the fraternity of diving pioneers; he won
the world's Spearfishing contest in 1950 with a pole spear, was a LA County Underwater Instructor and serendipity developed much of
the spearfishing and SCUBA equipment which has become mainstream in todays diving.
I will never forget Charlie, nor will anyone who ever knew him.... nor will there ever be another
mask like a Sturgil
Mask.
Dr Samuel
Miller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
post script;
Charlie passed on November 15 1984, His devoted wife Laura passed on a few years ago at
the age of 90.
About 15 years ago at
the last "Fathers of Spearfishing" gathering at Seatec/inflatable systems in Corona California I organized a "Tribute to Charlie." Nothing formal, we just stood around and told stories about our experiences with Charlie--and what stories were told...The experiences we had!
If Charlie knew you and liked you he always addressed you in
the familar; Ie Sammy, Bobbie, Jimmie,--Those he didn't have great admiration or didn't know well it was formal Sam, Bob or Jim.
His daugher Laura Lee was married to Billy Meistral, one of
the twin brothers who founded Dive and Surf and
the very sucessful Body glove. Billy also passed on several years ago.
A SoCal spearfishing club
The Fathomiers has been presenting
the Charlie Sturgil spearfishing meet for about 30 years...It came full circle when Charlie's grand daughter, Laura Lee Gonta won
the meet several years ago using one of Charlie's legendary pole spears.
I still have a number of items custom made for me by Charlie;
the mask, points, stringers, dive float frame etc. All are as good as they were when he made them so many years ago, no longer is use they are religated to places of honor in my garage, a silent testimony to days and dives of
the past.
So now you know...Just a small part of
the rest of
the story of recreational diving
SDM
