The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-09-24
BONUM DERELICTUM.

Ocean depths have been conquered by sea divers. Until few years ago, 100 feet or so beneath the surface of water were the limit of human effort. Now close to 400 feet have been attained in sal vaging operations on the Canadian steamship Islander lost 29 years ago within a few miles of Juneau and on the British steamship Egypt wrecked off Brest in 1922 Even these distances achieved daily in practical work are slight compared with records made occasionally in scientific experiments. Recently more than 1920 feet were accomplished by Beebe and Barton, and any figure at all is possible, as demonstrated by them.
 For many years, there has been diving equip ment capable of wthstanding water pressure. Suits, bells spheres and chambers have been invented that could be lowered to virtually any depth, but no creature could endure the high inside air pressure necessary to resist the outside water pressure Late contrvances obviate the air pressure difficulty. The fundamental principle is a dramatically closed contaner of chnkless construction and unusual wall strength It is supplied with air at ordinary pres sure and keeps out water just as it is kept out of corked and sealed bottle. Inside the device, the diver can operate hooks and tools outside.
 With the Islander. wreck, electric light globes afforded unexpected demonstration of the hermet- ically sealed principle Specially manufactured globes designed to offset great water pressure had been provided to light the submerged ship Their thick glass allowed only dim illumination and they frequently became defective. t1nally as an eXperl- ment, ordinary, fragile household electric globe was sealed in socket and sent below It proved servceabe 38O feet, where water pressure is 380 pounds to the square inch. Now, no other kind of globe is used
 With the depth danger overcome, the chief trouble experienced in deep diving is impaired visibility. The thick glass that serves as window in diving equipment and the turbd water on the bottom limits view on a direct line to few feet-about three the Islander-and not much more in area. Electric lights attached to wreck can be seen only obscurely in dense fog. Better vsibility-t may be obtained through glass changes in diving apparatus and high powered illum- mating effects-s the sorely needed improvement wanted by deep water workers Of course in some places tempestuous strong ground currents may make operations utterly impossible, as with the Islander during winter
 For 30 centuries fabulous tolls have been taken by the oceans. The Islanders gold garnered from gravels of the Klondike, variously estimated from S300o00 to $500O000 and in the almanac of marine disasters figured at s3000oO0 Of the ships riches only few thousand dollars worth has been brought to the surface. The monetary wealth on the Egypt is known to be $6Ooo0o0 with all of it nearly in grasp In abandoned crafts, charted and in many instances located, in waters under the earth, the aggregate of precious metal far exceeds the tents of guarded vaults the surface of the globe.
 For ages, bonum derelictum-good derelict--the Roman legal phrase for treasure lost at sea, has beckoned to floors. Only now, has adventure obtained in science guide that knows the way.