Evening star., 1934-03-08
DR.. Beebe Plans to Descend
Nearly Half Mile Into Sea
National Geographic So.
ciety Viii Back Study
of Ocean Life. !
Noted Naturalist Will
USE 'Bathysphere" of
Coast of Bermuda.

A grant Of funds by the board of
trustees of the National Geographic
Society, to make possible the resump-
tion Of deep sea investigations during
the coming Summer by DR.. William
Beebe, noted oceanographic naturalist,
was announced today by DR.. Gilbert
Grosvenor, president Of the society.
The project, to be carried on of the
coast of Bermuda, will be known as
the National Geographic Society
William Beebe Expedition.
In the investigations. DR.. Beebe.
who is director of the department Of
scientific research Of the New York
geological Society, accompanied by an
assistant. plans to descend to a depth
of nearly half mile below the surface
Of the sea inside the heavy steel ball
(the "Bathysphere'D in which DR..
Beebe has previously made the record
descent for a living man-2,200 feet.
Exhibited at Fair.
The unique diving ball is familiar
to millions Of Americans who saw it
last Summer and Fall when it was on
exhibit IN the central room of the
Hall Of Science at the Century Of
Progress Exposition in Chicago. 1t
is thiCk-shelled sphere four-and nd-a-
half feet in diameter and weighing
two tons. 1t has windows of fused
quartz fashioned to withstand the
many tons of pressure to which it is
subjected by the sea water. Through
the windows beams of light are sent
out into the water and strange
creatures OF the ocean depths are
observed. A steel cable lowers the
sphere from a barge, and rubber in
closed wires afford telephone COM
munication and electric light.
Furnishing air from the surface to
the great depths reached by bathy-
sphere is impracticable. The observ-
ers are sealed into the ball and an
automatic valve steadily releases a
supply. OF oxygen. Chemicals ex-
posed in racks absorb moisture and
carbon dioXide. At the end of this
dive the observers are living in an
atmosphere of slightly compressed air.
New Discoveries Made.
During DR.. Beebe's descents In
1880 and 1882 number Of forms of
sea life not known before were dis
covered. Many Of the strange crea-
lures were found to possess glowing
and flashing light organs which help
them in their battle for life in the
weird blue-black depths. DR.. Beebe
expects to add many new discoveries
this year, and with the aid of addi-
tional and new apparatus it is hoped
TO prolong the dives to four and even
flve hours in order that detailed OBJ
serVations can be made on the wholly
unknown activities and habits of deep
sea creatures.
AS to the possibilities for pushing
farther into the sea depths, he has
written: Next to going to Mars,
there seems nothing more exciting or
lnpredictable." f..
In the past, the deep-sea diving
Investigations have been carried on
from Laboratories made available by
the British government On tiny Nom
such Island. of the Bermudas. This
islet has recently been set aside for
a government school, but this develop
ment will not in any way hamper the
new expedition. 1t will make its
headquarters on the mainland near
Nonsuch at DR.. Beebes new. perfect
ly equipped laboratory near the Ber-
muda Biological Station, and will
carry on its underwater investiga-
tions in the same area used in past
years. The work will start early in
July.