Evening star., 1948-11-05

sstdlc SuI1SSSs IL WaS 1Ouuu !nlQOS-
rsible to pump the gasoline from the
float back aboard this freighter
without needlessly endangering lives
Since it was not possible to haul
ss-the craft back aboard without
gemptying 1t, 1t was decided to empty
the gasoline into the sea.
z The expedition being now, there
fore, at an end, we are putting about
for Dakar, French West Africa. on
the first leg Of our return trip. We
sshould reach Dakar tomorrow.
sjdeo Of Project 40 Years Old; j;
Poinstokine Work Wasted
NEW YORK, Nov. S (NANA)
Prof. Picard had been working
almost ceaselessly at preparations
for this expedition since the end Of
the war. The idea, however, dates
hack 10 years when this physicist
who had already interested himself
30 closely in aerial balloons had the
original thought that the principle
Sof the balloon could rs easily apply
TO submarine navigation.
Prof. Piccard's theory was that il q
sheavier-than-air gondola floats in
the sky when the pulling gravity In
1eounterbalanced by . bag Of lighter.
9than-air gas, 80 steel gondola would
sdoat similarly in water If balanced
by q float containing liquid lighter
than water. The heights at which
the contraption hoated would be
governed by the amount Of ballast
carried or dropped, just ~ with an
aerial balloon.
Prof. Picard did little more than
play around with the idea I'm his
mind-busy as he was with itrato-
sphere exploration and astrophysics
until few years before the war.
preliminary experimentation then
demonstrated that the idea was
workable. The war held up further
work. however.
:. After World War II was ever,
prof. Picard and his associate In
sstSatosphere work, Prof. Cosyns, BE-
Ran experiments with scale models
and eventually worked out q suit
able design. Financed primarily by
Tths Belgian National Foundation for
Scientific Research, work began on
the revolutionary bathyseaphs In
! 1916. It was planned to dive In
September Of 1s47.
GsvsFnment Offsfs Ersightsr. -
The Belgian sovernmsnt, mean
while, had agreed 10 lend NE
fy,sAohfar Gao tdis "a ~>~-,r A. .-~~
dition. But the jinx which has kept
puny man from the vast unknow
that is the ocean bottom was al
ready At work. First, the Scaldis
was held up by q stevedorss' strike
In Scandinavia, then 1t had one side
{. STAYED in by q rock.
. This effectively put OF the whole
undertaking, because BY the time
the Scaldis could be RENTED, the
bad weather season had set In over
the Gulf of Guinea, on the west
coast Of Africa. where the dives were
10 take place.
: During the year which followed,
: Profs. Picard and Cosyns kept busy
perfecting their brain child. In
edeed, 30 much second-guess work
-ivas put in on it that they were not
ready about July, 1s4s, when it had
been planned to set out. Last-min-
ute details further delayed the un-
~dertaking, and it was not until Sep
tember 1s-already close to the sea-
ION Of bad weather-that the Seal
TGis finally set sail from Antwerp.
: But the jinx had only begun. In
.srder TO cut down on the costs of
me undertaking, it WAS decided that
7 the Scaldis would take on cargo at
/ Dunkerque for Dakar, where the
: vessel was anyway due to call At
Dunkerque, 64-year- old Prof. Pic
: card badly sprained his right wrist
!. In q fan.
: Delayed by Accident.
: Delayed In Dunkerque by this ne.
Z ssdsnt and slow loading, the scaldis
: was able to sail for Dakar On aep.
Z tsmber Al. But ut Dakar Prot.
Cosyns became sick and kept the
ship there for 10 days. Bad weather
was closer. Here the first return
blow was struck at the jinx-Prof.
fiecard decided to use the delay to
sive the bathyscaphe its first full
TRIAL In the shallow water outside
Dakar Harbor. The test was sue
sessful.
On October 10, the sealdis sailed
from Dskar for the Cap Verde Is
land group, where early dives were
planned. The first dive carrying oc.
cupants was set for October 23, But.
despite feverish activity during the
voyage from Dakar, the bsthyscaphe
was not ready. The dive therefore
vas scheduled for the next day.
The bathyscaphe was being
brought into launching position
when the great 1,300-poung battery
dxed to the outside OF the cabin
suddenly crashed to the deck. No
one was hurt, but the battery was
ruined. An automatic emergency
ballast release had functioned un-
sxpectedly, the alarm" lever having
been set by mistake.
10 the first dive was put off until
ruesday-the accident having hap
pened on . Sunday. On Tuesday
the first dive was made success =,
fully. 1t was to q depth Of only
u feet and lasted exactly 10 min
Htes, although II hours Of work
went into this dive.
Deeper Dive Planned.
Prof. Picard proved conciusively
that his idea worked. The ship,
therefore, sailed for deeper waters,
where q real dive to considerable
depth could be made. But already
the bad weather was beginning and
the Scaldis pitched and rolled badly
as she neared Fogo Island, where
the ocean bottom is some 10000 feet
down.
An immediate dive of Fogo was