Evening star., 1948-10-28
Piccard Plans Changes
In Bathyscaphe After
Dive Of 18 Minutes
By Henry GhysseIs
North American Newspaper AlIianes

sCALDIs, OFF CAP VERDE IS
LANDS, Oct. 2S.-In the fiat glare
of Navy searchlights on black water,
the bathyscaphe heaved dripping
from the depths at 1918 Tuesday
night to complete the first man
carrying dive of the strange under
water balloon. -.
"The bathyscaphe is not yet in
perfect shape" said Prof. Picard,
who experimental with three diff
ferent types of stratosphere balloons
before hitting on the one which car
ried him $1,000 feet into the upper
atmosphere in the early sos. "The
apparatus will have to undergo a
major overhaul" he said after this
first 18-minute dive to a depth Of
SO feet, and it will need certain
simpliflcations as well before 1t is
absolutely right"
Work was begun Immediately on
the changes suggested by this first
dive. The Belgian government has
advised Prof. Picard that it is ex-
tending the loan of the Scaldis to
enable him to make the subsequent
dives to depths of possibly 21a miles
as originally planned.
Prepare for Dive.
Work began early on Tuesday
morning in preparation for the dive.
At 2:45 pm, Prof. Picard entered
the small cabin. He then reached
out to receive sandwiches and a
flask of hot coffee. He asked also
for the old sweater he wore when he
first conquered the stratosphere.
The African sun was bright and hot;
the sweater was going along Just to
bring luck, not warmth. zoologist
Theodore Monod, in shorts, followed
Prof. Picard into the cabin.
Twenty minutes later the last
bolts were being frightened from
the outside, sealing the two men
into the 6-foot-wide steel sphere
At. $3.50 pm. the bathyscaphe was
lifted gradually out Of the ships
hold. At'4 pm. the underpart o1
the cabin touched the waves and
settled slightly in the water.
Hoses are coupled to the great
float, to carry gasoline to the con.
tainers inside. Soon the pumps
are rlmbling and the cabin Is
under water followed by the orange
hull Of the float.
Diver Carries Camera.
A French Navy diver goes over
board with a submarine movie
camera to follow the action from
below. A message Is scrawled on 9
board and passed down to him tc
be held up in front Of the cabins
port for Prof. Picard and his COM
panion to read. Everything is going
well above" the message says, "how
is it with you?" Prof. Picard and
Mr.. Monod nod that they're fine.
It's now GAS pm, and the pump
ing job is over. A man goes over
board to stand on the top Of the
float, now awash, to fix the
'breather" Is one-way valve
allowing fresh air into the
bathyscaphe's cabin when 1t re-
turns to the surface. 49,.
/, The diver comes up to report that
Prof Picard and Mr.. Monod are
unconcerned: They're deep in
game Of chess.
Now begins the final loading Of
loose ballast. Sailors in rubber RATS
with bags of tiny steel pellets, 5000
pounds of them in all, which are
poured into down-pointing conicka
containers whose vent Is electrically
controlled from inside the cabin. y
49,, Job Takes . Hours.
The Job takes two hours because
we've never before been able tc
weigh the bathyscaphe precisely ir
counterbalance with water displace-
ment. But q careful check Is kept by
one Of the French Navy officers OF
the exact weight Of loose ballast used
so 1t won't take as long next time
A seaman in bathing trunks gets
atop the orange float, up to his
ankles in water to open the breath
er" valve-and quickly dives away
into the sea as the bathyscaphe sinks
rapidly under his weight. Then,
relieved of his weight. the craft hulks
briefly out of the water, to sink back
again more gradually toward the
shallow bottom. The time Is exactly
10 pm.
After exactly IS minutes under
water the top of the bathyscaphe