SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
March 11, 1953 
Dear Dr. Schmitt: 
Your two air mail letters from Panama arrived today, as did 
also those for Miss Rathbun and Mr. Bryant. ?fe were awfully glad to 
hear from you. Mr. Bryant remarked a few days ago that he was going 
to scalp you, or something, for not sending more radiograms. I guess 
Mrs. Schmitt got worried once or twice. 
I got Mrs. Cheverlange' s address from Miss Cochran. When 
she is with her mother her '.address is 14713 W. Erwin St., Van Nuys, 
Calif. She also spends part of her time with a friend in Los Angeles, 
whose address is 469 Park Front Way. Mr. Cheverlange is of course 
still with Dr. Bartsch. 
I*m glad that you are so near home again. I don't know 
whether I told you that I finished all the cataloging (can you imagine 
all the cataloging done?) and have been working on filing the cards. 
That job doesn't always go so smoothly, and I am leaving some of it 
to ask you about. Haven't done anytning to ii^y worms yet, except to 
get out the photographs and look them over. Right now will be a very 
diplomatic time to get Mrs. Awl to retouch thou. Some time ago Dr. 
Stejneger sent us a memoi'andum to the effect that Mrs. Awl isn't very 
busy these days and now while P.B. is gone vsrould be a good time to 
get some work from her. We v/rote him that we had nothing at present, 
but that Miss Rathbun was working on her new bulletin and would have 
work for the artist later. Dr. Stejneger sent the memorandum back with 
the following pencilled note: "The chances of getting Mrs. Awl's 
services are better now than later ‘after Dr. Bartsch' s retui*n.’' 
A great story appeared in the papers two or three weeks ago 
about hov/ Dr. Bartsch's party had discovered a heretofore unknovm 
depth in the Atlantic — 9 miles deep. Later, it turned out to be 4,400 
fathoms instead of 44,000 feet as reported to the papers. I heard a 
rumor that Bartsch himself had cabled the originsil story to the papers. 
I don't see how he could have done it. The implication was that he 
deliberately stretched the facts, but I can't believe that he would 
be so d\imb as to do that, icnowing how easily he could be checked up. 
He's been mighty quiet lately, however; there has been nothing more 
in the papers since the 9-mile story. 
I did ask the Washington Academy for 100 reprints of your 
