AT THE END OF THE SPECTRUM 1 69 



to 2150 feet I saw relatively few illumined organisms, but 

 later, at 2200 feet, the lights were bewildering. 



At 2100 feet the bathysphere was rolling badly, con- 

 siderable of the chemicals spilling off the racks and falling 

 down on our heads. The remaining chemicals had to be 

 constantly redistributed so that more surface could be ex- 

 posed and their function of absorbing carbon dioxide and 

 humidity could continue. 



At 3:23 I gave the order to lower us and three minutes 

 later word came down that we were swinging at a depth 

 of 2200 feet. Our temperature was seventy degrees, thanks 

 to the heat of our bodies, but the steel felt clammy cold 

 to the touch and the glass window chilled the tip of my 

 nose. The quartz surface required constant rubbing to 

 keep it free from condensation from my breath. Outside 

 it was about fifty-four degrees. 



Pteropods were close at hand and a host of unidentifiable 

 organisms. I would focus on some one creature and just as 

 its outlines began to be distinct on my retina, some bril- 

 liant, animated comet or constellation would rush across 

 the small arc of my submarine heaven and every sense 

 would be distracted, and my eyes would involuntarily 

 shift to this new wonder. It is a marvel now to me that I 

 was able to disentangle any definite facts on this first visit. 

 I watched one gorgeous light as big as a ten-cent piece 

 coming steadily toward me, until, without the slightest 

 warning, it seemed to explode, so that I jerked my head 

 backward away from the window. What happened was 



