TIME CAPSULE — PENDRAY 539 



indefinitely. Wlien arclieologists of the future open the Time 

 Capsule they ^Yill probably find the film, fabrics, metals and other 

 materials as fresh and "new" as the day they were put in. 



The final step in the preparation of the Capsule was the insertion 

 of the glass inner crypt into the outer Cupaloy shell. Before this was 

 done, the Pyrex envelope was wrapped with several layers of glass 

 tape to increase its strength. Both the Cupaloy outer shell and the 

 packed crypt were then gently warmed in electric ovens to encourage 

 the flow and penetration of the waterproof wax. After the inner 

 crypt was in place, the Capsule was raised upright, and the wax 

 poured in around the glass. "Shrink-fitting" the final Cupaloy joint 

 was then accomplished by chilling the heavy cap to several degrees 

 below zero with dry ice, then turning it into place on tapered threads. 

 When permitted to warm up to the same temperature as the rest of 

 the Capsule, the natural expansion of the metal caused the tlireads 

 to seize so tightly as to form an air-and- water-tight joint. 



DEPOSITING THE CAPSULE FOR THE FUTURE 



The Time Capsule is preserved for posterity at the site of the New 

 York World's Fair 1939 ; chosen because New York will certainly be 

 an attractive place for arclieologists 5,000 years from now, as are the 

 sites of ancient Athens, Rome, and Troy in our own time. 



It was lowered 50 feet into the earth on the site of the Westinghouse 

 Building at the grounds of the World's Fair at high noon on Septem- 

 ber 23, 1938, the precise moment of the autumnal equinox. While a 

 Chinese gong tolled solemnly, A. W. Robertson, chairman of the 

 board of the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., committed 

 the Time Capsule to posterity with these words : "May the Time Cap- 

 sule sleep well. When it is awakened 5,000 years from now, may its 

 contents be found a suitable gift to our far-off descendants." 



The Capsule made its descent into the earth through a steel pipe 10 

 inches in diameter, and came to rest upon a block of waterproof 

 cement. Before this well is finally closed, the Capsule will be entombed 

 in pitch and an additional layer of concrete, after which the steel pipe 

 will be cut off and withdrawn. The land where it lies will become 

 a city park after the fair, and the site of the Time Capsule may be 

 marked with a shaft or boulder. During the fair a replica of the 

 Capsule, and duplicates of all the objects, books, and other items it 

 contains, will be on view at the Westinghouse Building. 



SAFE FROM VANDALISM AND SINKING 



Many questions are asked about the Time Capsule project, the prin- 

 cipal one being, how will it be protected from thieves or persons whose 

 curiosity is greater than their sense of obligation to the future ? 



