Evening star., 1947-08-11
Belgian Ship 10 Garry
Piccard Bathyscaphe
To Scene Of Descent
By Prof. Aueuste Piecord
(Lust OF a series.)
Copyright. i947. by North American
Newspaper AIIiones, Inc.

4uc belgian government there
fore lent us the Scaldis, a 4,000-ton
frcighter. 1t was quite new, was in
deed still being built when it was
selected for our use. AS a result we
were able to modify it's detail to
make 1t most useful for our pur-
poses.
The ship Is steamer and there
fore much more useful than a motor
ship for the delicate maneuvers
necessary during the launching OF
the Bathyscaphe.
The Scaldis will pick up our Bathy-
scaphe at Antwerp, stow It safely in
the great forward hold and then,
with all our personnel and equip
ment, sail for the Gulf of Guinea,
close to latitude and longitude 0, off
the west coast of Africa.
Even Climate Needed.
Why this particular spot? It was
the only one which met our primary
requirements: An even climate, so
that a storm isn't likely to blow up
suddenly while we are below, and
depths up to AZ miles, so that our
empty test dive can have the neces-
6ary safety margin of one-and-one-
half times the depths we are plan
ming on.
Prof. Max Cosyns and I will go
down for the first few dives; later,
various specialists will go down with
q pilot operating the craft.
While the cabin rests on board
two men will get in, the entry
port will be clamped tight and
winches will take hold and swing
the Bathyscaphe over the side. Our
dive will have begun. But it's not
really as easy as all that. The sea
Is rarely completely smooth, and
lowering the craft into the waves
will be a delicate matter.
When 1t Is floating on the sur
face-the float will at that time be
filled by a noncombuStible gas
gasoline will be run in. Ballast will
be added to give the Bathyscaphe
the very slightest overbalance, so
that when released by the cable
still holding it, it will float very
gently to the bottom.
Lowering to Be Slow.
When the ballasting operation is
done the Bathyscaphe, still held by
a cable, will be lowered some 100 or
$50 feet. This is important. If
the crafts weight increases per-
ceptibly 1t will mean that there
was air in the float and that water
had entered under pressure, up
setting the balance. If we dived
with any proportion of air in the
float this would be compressed to
almost nothing at our depths, and
there would be no upward pull. We
would be stuck at the bottom.
Not until after this last check,
therefore, will the order be given
to cast off.
A delicate instrument fixed be-
low the keel of the Scaldis will i'm
mediately begin to register the
supersonic signals given out by
the Bathyscaphe. This contact will
continue throughout our dive so
that the crew of the mother ship
can follow our precise position from
moment to moment.
Now we float gently down. We
can choose our own speed, from an
inch or two to a yard or more a
second. Anyway, since the gasoline
Is oompressible, our speed will in
crease as we go down; water under
pressure forcing space for itself in
the gasoline containers.
Speed to Be Regulated.
In order not to waste lifting power
by allowing gasoline to escape for
a faster dive, we shall start very
slowly, gathering speed as we go
down. AS soon as we start going
too fast we shall throw off some
ballast. BY throwing off enough
ballast we could stop quite still at
any point on our dive. And if we
threw of too much and started
to rise 1t would only be necessary
to let go a little gasoline and we
would come to a gentle, balanced
standstill.
II we do stop halfway what hap
pens then? While we observe ma
rine life around us at that depth
the gasoline is cooling in the colder
water and contracts it. So water,
heavier than gasoline, takes its
place. The balance is disturbed;
we start down again. We could pre-
vent this by dropping some more
ballast, but we want to get to the
bottom.
AS we reach the bottom, we drop
ballast to stabilize, allowing the rope
to trail on the ocean bed just as If
we were floating in air. The rope,
as we have explained, acts as
stabilizer as we drift in the currents
over submarine hills and wales. And
If we find dead calm, or wish to
travel against the current, we turn
on our two motors. whose propellers
make dirigible of our free-f1oating
balloon.
Thus we can travel about the bed
Of the seas for hours on end.
When we want to float toward the
surface again, We cut the motors,
demagnetize some Of our ballast, and
we start to rise. As pressure be-
comes less, the gasoline increases in
volume, displacing more water,
gaining SIedOeT upward pun. Our
ascent becomes faster and faster.
If we want to slow down, we let
some Of the gasoline escape. If we
don't, an hour or two should see us
on the surface once more.
Rockets to Be Carried.
If our instruments have functioned
properly, the Scaldis will have no
trouble finding us. Certainly a tele-
scope will easily pick up the aerial
on top of our float, or the flag at
tached to the funnel-like gasoline
escape tube. If we are too far away
or the weather Is misty, our con-
ventional radio signals will attract
the motor ship.
And if all these means should fail
which is hardly likely-we can set
of powerful rockets and surface
flares or smoke pots from inside the
cabin. We also have container
of fiuorescine, q coloring matter
which spreads over the water to at
tract any plane which might be sent
after lis