Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-02
sci SAILS TODAY
TO MAP SEA FLOOR
Dr.. Meinesz, Dutch Scientist,
Begins Two Months Trip
on u. S. Boat.

The submarine U. S. S. Sal is SAIL
ing this afternoon from the Washing
ton Navy Yard, bearing the famous
Dutch scientist DR.. F. A. Vening
Meinesz, on the first lap of an expedi-
ton to study the contour of the ocean
floor. In this work will be utilized the
doctors famous pendulum apparatus,
which involves mirrors and photo
graphic recording, and two Eagle boats,
the Nos. 35 and So, will be part OF the
expedition. and these will join the S-2l
at Hampton Roads.
The two months expedition will take
the noted scientist to Key West and
Galveston via the Sigsbee Deep. Guam
tanamo via Cape Maysi, st. Thomas
via the Mares Deep, the southern part
of Porto Rico and back to Hampton
Roads on November 30. Lieut.. James
L. Fisher is in command OF the U. 5.
S. S-2l.
In his studies for determining the
force of gravity in those areas, DR..
Melnesz will have the aid of DR.. Fred
erick e. Wright of the Carnegie Insti-
tuition of Washington and Principal
Scientist Elmer B. Collins of the Naval
Hydrographic Office. The submarine
will enable them to have steady float
ing laboratory when it submerges.
Yesterday afternoon Secretary Wilbur,
accompanied by Admiral Charles F.
Hughes, chief of naval operations, and
Rear Admiral Richard H. Leigh, chief
of the Bureau of Navigation, went
aboard the U. S. S. S2l and was shown
the special apparatus by DR.. Meinesz.
Has Three Pendulums.
DR.. Meinesz, who is professor OF
geodesy at the University of Utrecht,
speaks English and has Travelled eA-
tenslvely. His latest apparatus contains
three pendulums and the present eA-
nedition will enable him to pursue tur-
Their his quest of knowing more about
the earth's crust, not only in a general
way but in detailed one.
The expedition has been placed by
Secretary Wilbur under the auspices OF
the Naval Observatory, and DR.. MeneSz
will study particularly the great ocean
trouehs. such as the Mares Deep, winch
lies lust north of and parallel to the
island of Porto Rico, and the Bartlett
Deep. which runs southwestWard from
the eastern end of Cuba. and the Slgs-
bee Deep, in the center OF the Gull
of Mexico.
Observations will be made just off
the Mississippi Delta, which should test
the equilibrium of the crust under that
area and indicate whether the great
load of sediments deposited by the Mis-
sissippi River is held up by the strength
of the earth's crust or whether it
weighs down and depresses the crust to
restore the equilibrium, Capt. Charles
S. Freeman, superintendent OF the
Naval Observatory, explains.
West Indies Thought Young.
"It is expected that the weighing of
the imaginary earth blocks during the
voyage of the S-21 will throw much
light on the conditions existing under
the Caribbean Sea, the Gull of Mexico
and the waters off the southeast At
lantic Coast" said Capt. Freeman.
THE region to be traversed is one
of the most interesting of the earth
from a geophysical and geological
standpoint. It is believed that the
islands of the West Indies are COM
paratively young, geologically speaking
The ocean waters surged over the
places now occupied by those islands in
not distant past. What caused these
uplifts of the islands and what caused
the great ocean deeps that lie among
them? These are problems on which
we nave been able TO speculate only,
for we have not had the necessary
fundamental data on which to build
theories and to give logical explana-
tons"
Capt. Freeman explained that 1t is the
hope of scientists that in the next dec
AIDE or two the biologists and geo.
physicists will have ample gravity data
for studying the vast ocean areas and
learning the secrets Of the crust be-
meath them.