New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-06
Topographic Map Made
OF Bottom of the Sea by
a Sounding Device ON
the Destroyer Stewart
Plotting Will Be
RevoIutionized
Submarine Mountains of
1000 Feet Are Found
ON Cruise to Gibraltar

from 1he Irfbure'S Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, July 5.-The bottom
OF the ocean from Newport, r. L., to
Gibraltar has been charted by the
use OF new radio sounding device
installed on the destroyer Stewart, Act
ing Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt
announced to-day. BY means Of this
new device, which is expected to revo-
lutionize plotting and navigation, the
floor of the seven seas can be minutely
explored and topographic map made
Of the ocean bottom.
The sounding apparatus was de-
signed principally by Harvey c. Hayes,
physicist Of the United States naval
engineering experiment station at An
napolis, Md. DR.. Hayes made the trip
to Gibraltar on the Stewart and di
rected the operation Of the sounding
device. He is now on his way to An
napolis to make detailed report to
the Navy Department OF his explora-
tions of the oceans floor.
BY means of DR.. Hayes's invention a
minute description of the bottom of the
ocean is possible, Secretary Roosevelt
believes, just as Photographic record
of the topography of land is possible
by means of aerial cameras With high
ranking naval officers Secretary Roose.
velt believes that the sounding device
can be of great value to commercial
vessels in defining their course, and
the data on formation at sea can be
utilized to great advantage in the
laying of future cable lines.
Useful in Locating Wrecks
The device may also be useful in To-
eating sunken vessels. 1t gives imme-
diate measurements of the depths of
water and obviates the use of lead
weight through which soundings were
previously made. The sound transmit
ter, which is called an oscillator, is
installed in the after part of the ship
1t develops high frequency vibra-
tion in diaphragm which is in contact
with sea water. This sound is received
by highly sensitive ears, called a mi.
crophone receiver, which is located in
the bow of the boat and away from the
noise Of the propellers. The depth Of
the ocean is Indicated by the time il
takes for the sound to travel to the
bottom and returned as reflected
echo.
The Stewart is the first vessel to be
equipped so that continual line of
soundings can be run throughout a
cruise. During her trip to Gibraltar
exhaustive tests of the sounding de-
vice were carried on and daily reports
were made by radio to the Navy De-
partment.
"These radio reports" Secretary
Roosevelt said, "show that during the
whole of the cruise the apparatus
worked without apparent error. The
machine secured correct and rapid
soundings with ease. The Stewart
made the cruise from Newport to Glib
raltar in nine days, and during this
time over 900 soundings were taken at
frequencies varying between twenty
and two minutes. The ships move-
ments, while steaming steadily at Is
kr lots, were not interfered with except
for two-hour interval. During this
cessful soundings can be taken at in
tervals of one minute in the deepest
writer.
Submarine Mountains 1000 Feet High
"The outline of the bottom of the
sea over the course was minutely re-
corded between Josephine and Tysburg
DdHhS. lie sea UOLIOIH lneTC was IOuNQ
to consist of an extensive plane bor-
dered by mountain and tablelands, some
of which rose 1000 feet above the
plane. Several deep depressions, none
of which are shown on charts, were
also discovered. Pt sitive depth data
was secured where charts show only
negative data in the vicinity of the
Azores Islands.
at is believed the outline of the
trade routes should give any number
of such landmarks for use in finding
a ships position. The exploration Of
all the sea floor is possible by the use
of this new device, which bids fair TO
revolutionize plotting and navigation.
"The sound transmitter used in con-
nection with DR.. Hayes's device de-
velops a high pitched note which car
ries a great many miles. The sound
receiver is capable of receiving sound
transmitter signals over great dis
tances. The value of this receiving
apparatus in locating light vessels and
buoys equipped with sound transmit
ters is already known to the maritime me
world, though it has never before been
used in connection with sounding the
bottom of the sea-"