WONDERS OF THE DEEP 17 



but it answered very well for the purpose in hand. 

 The canvas tube protected the occupant from the 

 furious waves which dashed against the vessel, and 

 the sleeves secured freedom for his arms, and 

 enabled him to carry out the caulking of the 

 seams, and thus save his vessel from otherwise 

 certain disaster. 



It seems truly remarkable that the simple and 

 unique contrivance which had been utilised for 

 caulking the gaping sides of the storm-tossed vessel 

 should have suggested a method of developing 

 that invention still further, and should have led 

 ultimately to the adoption of the principle for the 

 exploration of the bottom of the ocean. From this 

 crude and temporary canvas bag, then, was evolved 

 the Williamson deep-sea tube that has made 

 possible an exhaustive examination of submarine 

 life, and the production of a remarkable film that 

 is not only instructive and interesting to the 

 general public, but that has also proved of the 

 greatest value to the biologist and the zoologist. 



The Williamson deep-sea tube, of which a 

 more detailed description will be given later, pos- 

 sesses three essential characteristics : namely, it is 

 sufficiently large to enable a man to pass up or 

 down inside it; it is strong enough to resist the 

 pressure of the water at a considerable depth ; and 

 it has the merit of being thoroughly pliable and 

 flexible. 



As it hangs beneath a supporting vessel, the 

 present Williamson model reminds the onlooker of 



