The “Historic Dive Helmets” article from the Second Quarter 2024 issue of Alert Diver triggered memories of my father, Burton Stewart, and his best friend Leno Prestini. In 1935 they crafted their own dive gear from a water heater, milk can, garden hoses, and Goodyear balloon material for the suits. They did many self-taught dives in northeast Washington lakes from 1935 to 1936, using their suits with a homemade air pumping system and a two-way phone, often diving to 90 feet.
Leno and my dad planned and executed all sorts of adventures while working at a terra-cotta brick plant, inventing or constructing whatever they needed. Their escapades included making a raft for a trip down Z Canyon, climbing the 110-foot smokestack at the brickyard where they worked, building and using a ski jump, and even setting up a river gold-mining operation. Their adventures are documented in records and publications by the Loon Lake, Clayton, and Deer Park historical societies in Washington.
“My dad left me a legacy of always looking for adventure, especially underwater. Years ago I did a 100-foot dive in the Titan missile silo near Royal City, Washington. I have no doubt my dad and Leno would have done this too if they had access to a water-filled missile silo in their day.”
Leno, who went on to become a well-known artist, commemorated their rafting adventure in a painting. The Stevens County Historical Society in Colville, Washington, has most of his paintings now.
After my dad married in 1946, he and Leno remained good friends while living in Clayton, Washington. When I was born in 1947, my dad became a family man, and Leno continued his artistic career with a local studio, but they would still dive occasionally. My dad had his dive helmet hanging on a limb in our front yard until his death. That helmet and shoes he made are now in the Loon Lake Historical Society’s Old Schoolhouse.
My dad could create, construct, and do about almost anything, and now I realize that watching and working with him influenced my decision to become a mechanical engineer. Growing up surrounded by their stories, pictures, and artifacts, I got my sense of adventure from him and Leno. My dad was a mild-mannered, patient man who never boasted of his experiences; he conveyed his sense of adventure by his actions.
After graduating college and getting a job, I became a private pilot and learned whitewater rafting and scuba diving. My dad was always interested in my activities. When I completed my flight instructor rating, he took flight lessons with me, despite being in his 70s. In his 80s, he skied downhill and rafted the Salmon River in Idaho with my wife, sister, and me.
My dad left me a legacy of always looking for adventure, especially underwater. Years ago I did a 100-foot dive in the Titan missile silo near Royal City, Washington. I have no doubt my dad and Leno would have done this too if they had access to a water-filled missile silo in their day.
© Alert Diver – Q1 2025