246 THE BATHYSPHERE OF 1 934 



switches, a 500 watt bulb, one electric inlet and two out- 

 lets. Current from the generator entered this box by the 

 inlet, and under normal circumstances passed through one 

 switch and the upper of the two outlets directly to the 

 lamp in the sphere. If the telephones failed, the electric 

 line to the bathysphere is placed in the lower of the two 

 outlets. This arrangement places the bulb in the box in 

 series with the lamp in the searchlight below, and, by means 

 of the switches on the box and below, signaling can be 

 effected by a prearranged code. 



Cable: No changes have been made in the main support- 

 ing cable or in the clevis by which it is attached to the 

 bathysphere. The cable's length is 3500 feet, its diameter 

 Ys of an inch, and it is of a non-spinning type, alternate 

 strands being wound in opposite directions to counteract 

 twisting. 



However, non-spinning is a relative term as the cable 

 does twist about somewhat on every dive. On one of the 

 first 1930 test dives with an empty sphere, the communica- 

 tion hose came to the surface wound many times about 

 the steel supporting cable, at one time as many as forty- 

 five turns being found in 2000 feet. These twists had in- 

 sinuated themselves into the cable as it was wound from 

 the original factory reel on to the winch, and these turns, 

 as they untwisted in the water, caused the electric line to 

 wind itself up. The twisting, however, is easily corrected 

 by sending the bathysphere down on a test dive without 



