MILE UNDER THE SEA

New Zealand Times, Volume LIV, Issue 12660, 21 January 1927, Page 9

MILE UNDER THE SEA

DIVE IN STEEL TANK SCIENTIST TO MAKE FILMS. Plans for going deeper down into the sea than mail has even gone belore, and at least to the depth of one mile, are being made by Dr. William Beebe, Director oi Tropical Research, New York Zoological Society. His purpose is to study the ocean depths in the vicinity oi the equator. Dr. Beber nopes to do this by means of a steel divmg tank now being constructed to withstand the pressure, exceeding a ton to the square inch, which he will encounter 5000 ft. be\,ow the surface. 4

'i'll© tank, * cylindrical in shape, is 7tt high, IStu. iu diameter, and is fitted wah glass windows, through which he will be able to /take photographs. The apparatus will contain a tank of liquid air, which will be released aa needed, and other chemicals to absorb the carbon dioxide from his breathing. Provision for light will be unnecessary on the first trip, says Dr. Beebe, as the ocean bottom at a depth of a mile is highly illuminated by the luminous organs of the fish there. During the voyage last year of the schooner Arcturus, in which he set out

to explore, among other things, life inhabiting th« Sargasso Sea, his party brought up from a great depth by special devices fish that lighted brightly a dark room. Cater 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.