THE BATHYSPHERE OFI934 239 



ranging down to 46 degrees, and made us fairly certain 

 that unequal contraction of metal and rubber would not 

 be a factor in a faulty joint. 



Wooden Base: Three or four sets of wooden skids have 

 been used on the sphere since it was built. Landing two and 

 three-quarter tons on a deck and transporting the sphere 

 have caused constant attrition and occasional smashes in 

 these supports. 



Atmospheric System: Inside the bathysphere the appa- 

 ratus for supplying the divers with suitable air has been 

 considerably altered. The old system consisted of two 

 oxygen tanks and a single valve, two trays for hold- 

 ing the chemicals and palm-leaf fans to keep the air in 

 motion. 



It may be mentioned here that the system upon which 

 the bathysphere's atmosphere is based is as follows: After 

 entrance into the bathysphere and the sealing of the door, 

 the divers turn on their oxygen valve and supply oxygen to 

 replace the amount that they are extracting from the air 

 originally in the sphere when the door was closed. At the 

 same time they turn on the chemical blower which cir- 

 culates air through and over chemicals that remove and 

 retain the carbon dioxide that is exhaled and the moisture 

 that is evaporated from their bodies. No attention is paid 

 to the nitrogen or other gases that are in the atmos- 

 phere. 



If it were possible to gauge exactly the amount of oxy- 



