MILE UNDER THE SEA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 8, 11 January 1927, Page 8

MILE UNDER THE SEA.

TO FILM OCEAN MONSTERS. (From Our Special Correspondent > NEW YORK, November 26. l'ians for going deeper down into the sea than man has ever gone before, and at least to the depth of one mile, are being made by Dr. William Beebe, Director of Tropical Research, New York Zoological Society. Hie purpose is to study the ocean depths in ttoe vicinity of the Equator. This he hopes to do by means of a steel diving tank now being constructed to withstand the pressure, exceeding a ton to the square inch. which he will encounter 5000 feet below the surface. The tank cylindrical in shape, is 7ft high, a foot and a-half in diameter, and is litted with glass windows, through which he will be able to take photographs. The apparatus will contain a tank of liquid air. which will be released as needed, and other chemicals to absorb the carbon dioxide from hip breathing. Provision for light will be unnecessarv 011 the first trip, he says. The ocean bottom at the depth of a mile is highly illuminated by the luminous organs of the fish there. During the voyage last year of the schooner Areturus, in which he set nu; to explore, among other things, the life inhabiting the elusive Sargasso Sea. his party brought up from a great depth by special devicos fish that lighted brightly a dark room. Later the scientist plans to take down a searchlight for use in making motion pictures of the strange creatures to be seen on the ocean's floor.