Introduction 



THIS book is not a manual: it is not my intention to explain to 

 engineers how one must go about constructing a bathyscaphe. 

 If that were my object, this work would contain many more technical 

 details and the m.ajority of its readers would find it trying: that is why 

 I have avoided, as far as possible, formulae and figures.^ 



This work likewise does not attempt to keep its readers breathless : 

 the deep-sea dives effected with the Trieste conformed too closely to 

 our forecasts to be dramatic. If, when we were on the sea-floor, we 

 had had any trouble about releasing ballast and if we had barely 

 managed to rise again after twenty-four hours, I could easily have 

 dramatized this account. But, to me, a book of such a nature would 

 have no reason for existence : on the contrary, I wish to show that the 

 bathyscaphe is a dependable device, in which the father of a family 

 may trust himself without anxiety. 



The construction of an abyssal submarine is certainly not child's 

 play: it requires the solution of an infinity of problems. But, in the end, 

 there is no insurmountable difficulty : that is what I wanted to prove. 



I have tried to express myself in such a way that anyone, even if he 

 never had to deal with technical problems, may understand me. In 

 particular, I have had in mind young people who do not yet possess 

 the scientific equipment they will acquire later on, but who are already 

 passionately interested in the achievements of science and modern 

 industry. 



But while getting a better grasp of the difficulties they will, I hope, 

 share with me the joy felt in overcoming them. 



People have often asked me why, after the stratospheric balloon, I 

 wanted to build the bathyscaphe, a submarine designed for great 

 depths. We will see in the next few chapters that the analogies between 

 the two machines are striking, although they are intended for dia- 

 metrically opposed purposes. It is probable that destiny wished to make 

 these analogies fruitful by entrusting the same physicist with the 

 working out of both types of apparatus. And how can we set ourselves 

 against our destiny, especially when the end in view is so fine ; when 



1 Certain technical details will be found in the Appendices at the end. 



[xi] 



