I cannot here give the whole story of the construction. However, 

 I should like to describe one incident. It happened at the moment 

 when the building of the car was nearly finished. The cabin possessed 

 two manholes, closed by means of hatches to be put into place from 

 inside : the pressure prevailing in the cabin forces the hatches against 

 the joints. This principle is employed in all pressure chambers: the 

 hatch naturally has a diameter greater than that of the opening. 

 However, in order to be able to introduce the manhole cover usually 

 the manhole is made oval : the cover is inserted by first putting in the 

 small end and then by rotating it, bringing it into place. On the con- 

 trary, I had asked that the manholes in my cabin should be circular: 

 for one thing, this system guaranteed better airtightness, and for 

 another, the round shape better suited the spherical form of the cabin. 

 In such a case, when the cabin is finished, there is no longer any 

 possibility of getting in the hatches. I had therefore remarked that the 

 covers should be placed in the cabin before they welded the last sheet 

 of aluminium. When- giving the order I had once more insisted upon 

 it : of course, the directors of the factory were of my opinion, but not 

 the worker responsible. Better than anyone else, he knew how to 

 manage it : it was not the first pressure chamber that he had built and 

 he had always seen the manhole cover put in last of all. (I even suspect 

 him of never having understood why the manholes were oval.) For 

 him, a man of action, only practical experience counted. He was wary 

 of theory and was not going to let anyone impose upon him: still 

 less a university professor whose reasonings were abstract. The car 

 was welded then, but — without hatches. 



I was invited to examine the finished effect. My first glance went 

 to the inside of the cabin. 



* But you've forgotten the hatches ! ' 



*No, they're there.' And I was shown the hatches nearby. 

 'But you know that they should be inside. Now you won't be able 

 to get them in.' 



* But I don't see why not,' he replied, convinced that his experience 

 was as good as that of ten university professors. 



He took up a hatch and turned it about in every direction, like a 

 child trying to push a saucepan lid into the saucepan. Then, when I 

 returned to the factory, the two covers were inside the cabin. I paid 

 tribute to the dexterity of the workers: and I am still wondering 

 whether they had cut open the walls again or if they had cut through 



[8] 



