Océanographie expeditions which lower nets to great depths always 

 carry an ample reserve of these appliances. It is well known, in fact, 

 that they run great risks of losing them by the cables breaking. All 

 this demonstrates clearly, I believe, that the bathysphere, that is to say, 

 the sphere suspended by a cable, is a very dangerous device if we wish 

 to pursue our exploration of the oceans to their great deeps. The longer 

 the cables the greater their weight. It is, of course, possible to use 

 cables whose resistance to stress increases with the increase of the 

 weight they must bear, but that is not sufficient to eliminate all risk 

 of breakage. No doubt the safety of the bathyspheres could be in- 

 creased by using nylon ropes. Nylon would have the advantage of 

 having practically no weight in the water: besides, its considerable 

 elasticity would absorb the effects of shocks. But are we certain that 

 no spoilsport would take it into his head to sharpen his teeth on it.'* 

 Apart from the danger of the cable breaking, the bathysphere has 

 another disadvantage. The surface vessel being always more or less 

 rocked by the billows, the sphere can never be completely motion- 

 less in the water. This motion is disagreeable to certain fish which 

 prefer to move away and thus escape all observation. Finally, let us 

 note that, according to the accounts of Professor Beebe, his bathy- 

 sphere never approached the sea-bottom : he evidently considers that 

 contact with the sea-bottom is dangerous for a cabin which shares 

 the movement of a surface vessel. It is not to be forgotten, however, 

 that immense credit is due to Professor Beebe for having built, with 

 Engineer Barton, the first submarine cabin able to resist high pressures. 

 It is no exaggeration to say that it is he who opened the doors of the 

 abyss to man. 



BATHYSPHERE AND BATHYSCAPHE 



Briefly, the bathysphere shows many analogies with the captive 

 balloon. Like the latter, the bathysphere is jarred if it moves in relation 

 to the surrounding medium. In both cases there is the danger of the 

 cable breaking, with the difference, however, that the aeronaut, rocked 

 in his car by the tempest, cannot help wishing: 'If only this rope 

 would break, what a fine trip in a free balloon we should have.' Very 

 much to the contrary, the oceanographer, shut up in his tight cabin, 

 is haunted by the terrifying idea that the cable may break. 



But can we do without the cable ? We now arrive at the idea of an 

 appliance which would be to the bathysphere what the free balloon 



[^5] 



