SUBMARINE LIFE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26349, 2 January 1947, Page 4

SUBMARINE LIFE

AMERICAN NATURALISTS’ EXPLOITS “ BATHYSPHERE ” BUILDER (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Jan. 1. A photographer and naturalist who descended 3028 feet into the sea off the coast of Bermuda in August, 1934, with Dr William Beebe, the noted American explorer, Otis Barton, of Boston, Massachusetts, arrived in Auckland on the clipper East Indian on Tuesday. Mr Barton, who, in the past two years was employed at the New York Museum as a naturalist studying Pacific marine life, is on his way to Australia to study the coral and fish life abounding on the Great Barrier reef. An engineer by profession, Mr Barton built the “ bathysphere ” globular cabin in which the descent into the ocean was made, on condition that he should be allowed to accompany Dr Beebe. The sphere was about six feet in diameter and with four windows, and provision was made for supplies of oxygen, and for heating the interior. At the first attempt in 1930. a depth of 800 feet was reached and two years later, after a number of improvements had been made, they descended to 2437 feet. In a dive lasting 2 hours 46 minutes, the two naturalists reached a depth of 3028 feet—over half a mile beneath the sea. The sphere was. equipped with a searchlight and myriads of dazzling phosphorescent fish were seen. In order to make sure v their observations would not be lost to science in case they did not come back alive, the two men dictated them to the surface and Mr Barton made a coloured motion picture to record what they saw beneath the sea. Since his descent at Bermuda. Mr Barton has been engaged in underwater photograohy. During the war he was attached to the United States NaVy as a photographer and scent six months’ service in the Fhillipines carrtoaign He was invalided home, but during his service there made a small colliection of coral fish life. He was appointed to' the New York Museum on jus release from service. i /