William Beebe - a dazzling legend Part 2 By Michael Kranzler Continued from TH 13 Failures and problems In the spring of 1932, Beebe fell ill and had to stay in bed. He had been plagued by sinus infections for some time. On the recommendation of his doctors, he tries to cure himself in the hot, dry climate of the Mojave Desert. When a rich benefactor invites him to join a Caribbean cruise on his yacht, he gratefully accepts. Will and Gloria spend 6 weeks there studying the fish of the shore zone. This effort suits him better than the passivity in the desert. His book "Nonsuch, Land of Water" is published.1 Besides helmet diving, he describes fish, sea snails, crabs and birds, but also the geology, natural history and weather of the island. In the Sargassum kelp they find tiny, as yet unidentified eggs. Will is able to prove that they are the eggs of flying fish by persistently teasing them until he can count the fin rays.2 Because of the Depression, there is no money for extensive oceanographic ventures. That's why Will's only plan for this year is to dive down half a mile with the bathysphere in August. The >Freedom<, on which the mast and cargo boom of the >Ready< have been mounted, and the repaired winch now serve as the mother ship. When Barton also arrives, the two men are again unable to deal with each other impartially. In order to be able to film the creatures of the deep sea, Otis replaces the steel plug in the third window "unprofessionally", as he says himself, with quartz glass.3 The radio station NBC has arrived with a recording team to broadcast the new record live for its listeners. Beebe, however, is not only interested in greater depth than ever before. Above all, he needs scientific discoveries to silence doubters and malicious tongues. For the new director of the Bermuda Station and some other scientists would prefer to get rid of the "explorer and conqueror" along with his team from the Biological Station.4 But a hurricane delays the project. For the next test, Will has all the fixtures removed from the bathysphere and lowers it to over 900 metres. The winch and derrick groan alarmingly as they are raised. When the sphere is finally on deck, a sharp hiss is heard and a fine jet of water shoots out of the surround of the new window. The bullet has filled up. If the two of them had been on board.... But Will quickly overcomes the horror. He measures the temperature of the water remaining after the opening and concludes that most of it must have penetrated at a depth of about 600 metres. It is difficult to assess why Will does not name the perpetrator of the damage later in his book. He only writes: "One of us... "5 Is this concentrated disdain or considerate sparing? Probably the latter, because Will tends to write euphemistically about people, even when he has had heated arguments with them. On the way back to the harbour, he dictates a report to be cabled immediately to New York. There, the media pounce on it, increasing the expectant tension for the coming radio broadcast. For Otis, however, the loss of the third window means a fiasco. His hopes of extensive filming in the depths are destroyed. The steel plug has to be reinserted, and only after two more attempts in bad weather does he succeed in sealing it securely. Voices from the depths The last possible day for the radio broadcast was 22 September 1932, after which the radio team had to return home. Despite rough seas, the record attempt had to go ahead. The programme is broadcast by 41 radio stations in the USA and transmitted to Great Britain and France via the transatlantic cable.6 For the first half hour, a reporter describes preparations, equipment and departure. In the second part of the broadcast, Will reports directly from the depths about his observations. He is absolutely seaworthy, Otis' stomach, on the other hand, is sensitive. The lurching and rocking of the ship makes the sphere swing wildly and dance up and down while still in the air. The occupants are tossed to and fro. Soon Otis gets seasick, and although he fights it bravely, he throws up. Gloria up on deck suddenly hears Will shouting in horror over the telephone, "Oh God, Otis, not now! "7 Worse still, because of Will's unexpectedly loud exclamation, Gloria holds the receiver away from her ear and the crew listens in. So the phrase becomes a mocking catchphrase on board. For the moment, however, Beebe refrains from any further comment. Even in his later publications, he discreetly passes over this stressful incident. Otis, on the other hand, openly admits that he "distinguishes himself by being the first man ever to become seasick on a deep-sea dive".8 Yet neither of them wants to abandon the attempt, even though they are already bruised and scraped and constantly tossed about, a foul-smelling broth at their feet. Moreover, the soda lime thrown out of the shells reacts with the "bilge water". Despite these unfortunate circumstances, they reach a good 670 m, a new record. Beebe is always amazed at the great depths at which they encounter so-called "surface fish". Photo01: With each new record, the two pioneers conquer depths that no living person has ever reached before. From: Modern Mechanix and Inventions No.7 of July 1934, p.56 In this first live broadcast from outside the USA, the audience is right there. From the depths, Will says goodbye with the words: "Otis Barton and I bid you farewell from a depth of 2,200 ft below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off Bermuda. "9 Back on deck, Otis is met with little sympathy. He alone must clean the inside of the sphere, and Jocelyn lends him a bottle of perfume, which he rubs on the inside wall.10 Later on land, Will cables the NBC radio station and the New York Zoological Society (henceforth: NYZS) and concludes modestly: "This venture of the NYZS may be called a success. "11 The great publicity benefits his Department of Tropical Research (henceforth: DTR) enormously. The New York Times headlines the next day: "Beebe Dives Nearly Half a Mile in Ocean; Radio Broadcast on Strange Connection from Bathysphere. "12 Once again, there is no mention of Barton in the headline. But this is not Will's fault. On the contrary, his subsequent text even names his companion first: "Otis Barton and I have just climbed out of the bathysphere, ... " Will's handwritten manuscript for the broadcaster also has Barton's name several times, but the commentator simply omits it. Likewise, Will takes pains in his books to put Otis in perspective: "Before the end of 1929, Otis Barton had conceived and also built a steel sphere... "13 But all these recommendations are of little use; the name Beebe dominates the reports. The engineer at his side is mentioned at most in passing by the media. An example from a technology magazine:14 The painted cover for the article shows the bathysphere with oversized windows through which both men look at passing deep-sea fish. The caption reads, "The two-tonne steel chamber [...] where William Beebe and Otis Barton, his assistant, descended 435m below the surface of the sea." This remains the only reference to Otis. Will, on the other hand, and even Gloria are depicted individually in hand-coloured photographs. But it gets worse: another photo shows the bathysphere on deck, with Will, John and Gloria standing next to it. Their "creator" is missing. Such reporting gnaws at Barton. A few more descents to shallower depths follow until the end of October, in which John and Gloria are also allowed to participate, while Otis remains on deck filming the bathysphere being lowered into the water. His scenes shot so far in the eternal night of the deep sea are the first ever, but they show - nothing, except a few flashes of light. So he is no closer to his goal of capturing spectacular footage from the realm of the eternal night, even in the summer of 1932. In the following year, no diving expedition took place due to lack of money. The NYZS even has to cut the salaries, which are not generous anyway. Will proposes to reduce his to half. Some of the staff can only stay because they are supported from elsewhere. The Bathysphere is shown at the "Century of Progress" exhibition in Chicago from May to December 1933. Almost prophetically, the balloon in which Auguste Piccard ascended more than 15 km into the stratosphere hangs there directly above the deep-sea globe. The same Piccard who later developed the "Trieste", with which his son Jacques would reach the deepest part of the oceans in 1960.15 Because he urgently needed new financial backers, Will turned to the National Geographic Society (henceforth NGS). Although a supplicant, he by no means wants to give up the reins. He writes: "I am eager to repeat the dives [with the bathysphere], to extend their duration from 3 to 4 hours, and expect to add many new discoveries to those of 1932. As a result of the risk and the constant danger, I must insist on retaining absolute authority and that whoever they send me as a photographer is under my command "16. The company agrees on the condition that the expedition proceeds under the name of the NGS. Beebe, who can only raise about $2,000 himself, expects to need a further $10,000. In return, he is supposed to deliver two extensive articles with numerous photos and colourful paintings for the magazine. Selling something that hasn't even been written yet goes against Will's grain, but he complies and starts the preparations. Although he is angry with Otis for complaining about Beebe's addiction to fame in letters to editors, he sticks to the earlier agreement and invites Otis back in the spring of 1934. After initial hesitation, Barton agrees; he does not want to leave the new world record to Beebe alone. Where no ray of sunlight penetrates The bathysphere is refurbished: two new windows and the steel plug are installed, everything is fitted with improved seals and the ventilation system is automated. Otis procures an adjustable generator for the spotlight. The full power of 1,500 W is to be used for filming and photography. Picture02: Although the equipment is shown quite imaginatively, this cut clearly shows how little space the inside of the sphere offers the two tall men. Picture: Modern Mechanix, like picture 1 For observing, 250 W is enough to prevent the lamp from heating up too much. The motto of the season is. "Three hours and a half a mile" and so sounds the final toast at the St George Hotel every evening. But the testy tension between Beebe and Barton weighs on the whole team. Otis is annoyed that Will is constantly hogging the spotlight when he so desperately needs it for his film. Will tries to defuse the hostile atmosphere. Alone with Otis, he talks things out, noting in his diary in the evening: "I had a clash with Otis over his silly letters about my hunt for publicity, after which he was quite acceptable." Both are aware that they need each other. But they will never overcome the gulf between them. Barton describes an episode during the preparations that was exciting for him. Because bad weather is expected on 7 August 1934, Beebe cancels the planned test the night before. Otis wants to use this break to install the film equipment in the bathysphere together with the cameraman he brought along. But at dawn Beebe calls that the weather is fine, the tug is just pulling the Ready out to sea and Otis should be at the quay at eight and follow on the launch with the whole team. Otis realises immediately that he won't have time for the assembly on the >Ready<. Without further ado, he kicks the cameraman out of bed, everyone grabs some of the equipment and both run to the quay as they are. There they jump into a canoe and row frantically after the lighter, which takes the two early birds on board. In feverish haste, the two install the camera. No sooner are they done than the rest of the team climbs aboard. All impeccably dressed, they look in amazement at two strange figures in oil-smeared and sweaty pyjamas. Will's expression clearly shows disapproval, but he suppresses a comment as Otis sheepishly explains the situation. If Will takes offence at their shabby outfits, he may like the fact that Barton has acted decisively this time. Later he will write, dissenting from Otis, that he had already decided to dive that night.20 He completely overlooks the two's unpresentable get-up, especially since Barton's frantic effort proves futile. The pictures taken by the 16 mm Bolex camera, triggered by a timer at a depth of around 900 m, are all out of focus and show "smudgy smears of dirt".21 The distance was set incorrectly. Nevertheless, Otis is the only one to recognise a bonito-shaped fish on his developed film, which appears in the beam of the spotlight, turns and then disappears into the darkness. Photographs taken with a flash also fail. Will holds the camera up to one of the two windows. As soon as he sees something, he shouts "Now" and opens the shutter while Otis triggers the flash, which is directed out through the other window. But none of the photos are sharp enough. Otis seems superstitious; he won't crawl into the steel ball without his grubby "lucky cap". So at one point the entire staff has to feverishly search the deck for the dented hat before it finally finds itself: Otis sat on it by mistake. On 11 August 1934, the two reach a depth of 765 metres. They stayed there for almost half an hour. Will observes, Otis films. After a good three hours back on deck, they climbed stiffly out of the narrow sphere. The New York Times announces the new world record the very next day: "Dr. Beebe dives 765 metres into the ocean". Another headline that Otis finds humiliating. For the paper only mentions him in the subtitle.23 The attached photos are already two years old, but in the text Will describes his new impressions of life in the deep sea full of euphoria. He blocks the question why he did not try to complete the half mile. For him, the observations at different depths were more important than reaching a certain depth. The decisive factor for the team was that the bathysphere worked perfectly, especially the new ventilation system. Another attempt may be made next week. Will uses the following days for dives with the helmet and fishing trips with the net. He places these carefully in the area of the last record descent, because he hopes that one of the new species sighted there will go into the net. But none of them are found in the meshes, although they land a good catch. Beebe is surprised that there are not more wriggling in the nets after seeing what rich life pulsates in the depths. While Beebe dominates the headlines, Barton is devastated. The footage from the camera he operates himself again reveals nothing. On top of that, he is not invited to the dives in the helmet, although he is quite proficient in this technique. He seriously considers giving up. But that means leaving all the glory to Beebe alone, for he would go on in any case. What might be going on in the two men's minds every time they squeeze through the narrow entrance into the sphere? Fear of unknown dangers? Hope of unique encounters in the depths? Do they only have the goal in mind or are they aware of the impending risks? Is the dislike of being crammed together for hours with someone you basically can't stand, or who doesn't respect you and thus constantly offends you, even more important? Nevertheless, on 15 August 1934, Otis climbs back into the bathysphere with them, settling in roughly the same place as on their last descent. They sink deeper and deeper without any problems; the stuffing box, hatch and window hold tight. Image03: The exciting moment of immersion. In 1934, the National Geographic Society financially supports the record descents. From: Read with No. 16 from 29.7.1952 At a depth of 426 m Will sees an unknown fish, describes it to the surface and has his account confirmed by Otis. He actually prefers to film. Then Gloria reports down: 3,000 feet. Captain Sylvester refuses to lower the Batysphere any lower than 3028 ft. because there are only a few turns of the hawser left on the drum. When Beebe asks for half an hour for observations, the captain gives him only five minutes because of the swell, which Will uses intensively. No sooner are they pulled higher than a hard, metallic bang booms through the telephone and the sphere trembles and sways. They both freeze; abruptly they realise again that only a few inches of steel and glass will save them from a sudden death. But fortunately only one guide rope for the thick steel cable is broken. Photo04: After crouching for hours in the narrow sphere, it is a struggle to climb over the sharp-edged threaded bolts into the open. From: London Illustrated News v. 19.7.1930 After three hours and three minutes, they wriggle out of their tight protective shell, happy about the new record, which can only be beaten after a long time. This exhausts the possibilities of the bathysphere; even deeper descents would require entirely new equipment. To wife Elswyth, Beebe telegraphs, "Deep dive over, 3,028 ft. today, new world, gigantic fish. Love, Will. "24 The photos of the sensational success go around the world. Picture05: Even if the Bathysphere does not bring any pictures from the depths themselves, the "above water" photos of the new world record are sensation enough. Illustrated London News v. 1.9.1934 Beebe does not mention the following, less spectacular descents in his book.25 That same afternoon, Barton and Gloria lowered themselves to almost 370 metres. A greater depth will only be reached by a woman decades later. On 27.8. Will and John dive over 460 m deep, and on 11.9. 1934 Beebe takes Jocelyn to 350 m. Afterwards, two more assistants are allowed about 170 m into the abyss. During these descents, too, all observations are carefully recorded. The very last descent with the bathysphere is made by Beebe and Barton at 458 metres. That same evening, the two world record holders say goodbye to each other - forever. They will never meet again. Picture06: Neither in the book nor in magazines does Beebe write the unvarnished truth about his deep-sea dives. In his book, Beebe truthfully describes Barton's supportive involvement. Although Otis is allowed this one time to collaborate on Beebe's publication and describe the 1930 bathysphere in a separate chapter of the appendix, Will nevertheless keeps him at a palpable distance. Tee-Van is allowed to describe the newly equipped sphere of 1934 and his dive into it. Otis is just not one of the Knights of the Round Table, the permanent staff of the DTR. Only Gloria, Jocelyn and John can stand alongside Will: "Seldom have four people pulled together like this, with a single goal in mind... "26 Otis does not belong to this illustrious circle. The foreword by the vice-president of the NYZS also only mentions Beebe and the three musketeers. Barton, on the other hand, is not even listed among the financial supporters.27 A slow farewell to the sea The following summer, Will's team fishes successfully again at Bermuda. From great depths they retrieve nets full of strange creatures. In 1936, the DTR again devotes itself to marine research. First, John, Jocelyn and Will sail for two months to the Lesser Antilles, where they primarily research the diet of black- and yellow-finned tuna, but also study other marine animals and seabirds. The locals wonder about the strangers, who ask for the guts of slaughtered fish at the fish market and pick up all kinds of strange things on the beach. Meanwhile, Gloria leads her own expedition in British Guiana on behalf of the NYZS. She uses a light aircraft and discovers the Kaieteur Waterfall, which is five times as high as Niagara. She sees herself as a detective on the trail of nature's secrets.28 After the war, she becomes successfully involved in the preservation of nature. She marries in 1941 and dies in Connecticut in 1988 at the age of 87. Hardly back from the Caribbean, the sworn group of the DTR sets off again. This time they travel to Baja California on the yacht >Zaca< owned by the millionaire Crocker. Image07: Even after his world record with the bathysphere, Beebe continues to do marine research with the diving helmet. For two months Will, Jocelyn and John again work diligently with helmet, impact and trawl nets to explore the ecology of this remote area. Fauna and flora on land and below the surface are surprisingly diverse, but in the deep sea the yield is rather sparse. One of the results of this expedition is a new book, see Fig07.29 At the beginning of 1937, Will's sinuses began to cause him problems again. When a severe case of pneumonia was added to this, he was laid up for a fortnight and remained ill and weak for a long time.30 This time, in order to recover, he went to Bermuda with Elswyth. Scientific activity in familiar surroundings and the mild climate allow him to regain his strength. But the constant social obligations are now so numerous that he cannot possibly fulfil them all. So he is glad when Crocker invites him to a new voyage on the >Zaca<. The five-month voyage takes him from San Diego down the coast to Colombia. The main areas of work for Will, Jocelyn, John and George Swanson as sketch artists are fishes, crabs and molluscs, starting from the tide pools to almost 1,000 m depth. Emphasis is not only on new species, but on their colouration, behaviour and ecology. Jocelyn specialises in the crabs. For the book "Wondrous Coastal Voyage "31 she writes the chapter "Dancing Winker" together with Will, who describes the enthusiastic researcher more empathetically than all his other assistants. Figure08: The second voyage with the schooner >Zaca< takes the Department of Tropical Research to the Pacific again. Will also devotes himself extensively to his old friends, the birds. The team spares no effort in their work. Defying nature fills Will with pride, even if he suffers bruises in the process. Will realises what a devastating impact civilisation can have on nature. The most frightening lesson in human error comes from the island of Guadeloupe. Only thirty years before the >Zaca<, the botanist Palmer discovered a paradise for birds and plants here.32 Now the team finds everything barren and dried up. Three decades had been enough for cats, mice and rats escaping from docking ships to wipe out all the birds and small mammals; abandoned goats had devoured the plants. Even the once numerous "elephants of the sea" have been so decimated, that Will feels ashamed "as a member of the human race".33 Beebe also critically reviews books by other authors, including the American edition of "Wir kommen aus dem Meer" by Hans Hass.34 Will's books had inspired the young Hass to build a diving helmet. On his journey home from the Caribbean, Hass visited Beebe in New York in 1940. Will inspires and encourages individual young authors, such as Rachel Carson, whose book "Silent Spring" kicked off the environmental debate in the USA. Her "Secrets of the Sea" can still be found in many a diver's library.35 Image09: Even for the documentary film on Rachel Carson's book, lurid publicity seems indispensable. Next to the monster shark, there is hardly any space left for the bathysphere. Where there is much light, there is also much shadow No, William Beebe was probably not an uncomplicated person. With his authoritative manner, he can quickly captivate the audience at readings, lectures, press conferences or parties. When tensions arise, he tries to find a balance. If the research team is in a bad mood, Will may announce that he wants to celebrate his birthday in a few days. The preparations for the party alone are a welcome change and ease the irritable mood. When a confidant quietly points out that it is not his birthday now, he smiles and replies that he does not want to celebrate his birthday when the calendar says it should be, but when he needs it.36 Will has high expectations of himself and others; he expects the flame of enthusiasm for nature to blaze in his employees as much as in himself. Everything he does, he does with all his might. He regards the realisation of how little work he can accomplish compared to the amount of work that would be possible to do as the greatest tragedy in his life.37 He hates mediocrity, idleness as well as insincerity and despises people who see making money as their preferred goal in life. He considers boredom immoral. When he encounters one of these evils, his gruff, intolerant side bursts out. When a young scientist applies to him on the grounds that he is bored and needs variety, Will dismisses him curtly; he certainly does not want bored people around him.38 It is not surprising that in his life, so rich in adventures, he does not only receive admiration and approval, especially from the scientific community. Figure 10: Although Will works hard from early in the morning until late in the evening, he still spends half the night in the laboratory afterwards to determine and describe the day's yield. Picture: Deutsche Illustrierte, 5.7.1938. This photo was kindly provided by Dieter Harfst. After all, what are "serious" scholars supposed to think of an ornithologist without any academic degree who goes to the remotest corners of the earth to hunt feathered creatures with a shotgun and a net? Who then suddenly thinks of chasing the scaled ones in their own habitat. Who takes it upon himself not only to write dry scientific articles about his research and the methods he uses for it in time-honoured journals, but also to write entertaining reports about his plans, journeys and adventures in newspapers and magazines, and whose extremely successful books reach a huge audience. He seriously advises his readers to steal a diving helmet if necessary in order to get to know the wonders of the seas. About whom the press writes that his wife divorced him because he was indifferent and cruel to her and who threatened to shoot himself with a revolver in his mouth just to scare her.39 A man who plays just as well on the tennis court as on the dance floors of jazz clubs. He likes to attend costume parties and organise them himself, and is not afraid to slip into women's clothes sometimes, even shaving off his beard. A party animal who, instead of dutifully counting dandruff or feathers, frequently and gladly allows himself to be invited to cocktail parties of high society and to tea in order to keep financially strong sponsors happy. No, such a "bird of paradise" cannot be taken seriously by strict science! Moreover, this adventurer rightly has the reputation of being a "womaniser", as attractive young women usually accompany him on his expeditions. At least Gould can prove his relationship with Gloria Hollister on the basis of Will's notes. While exploring Nonsuch together, the two seek shelter from rain showers in the numerous caves, and that's when it happens. In his diary, Will writes in his personal cipher: "I kissed her [not Gloria, as Gould mistakenly writes] and she loves me. "40 Their relationship remains secret for over a decade. She never lets on whether Elswyth knows. She has a modern marriage with Will and likes it when he is attractive to women. In any case, the two are often separated for long periods of time and seem closer intellectually than physically. From 1932 onwards, the passion between Gloria and Will seems to cool, although they continue to work together harmoniously. According to Gould, Will now takes more of a liking to the dapper Jocelyn, "who adored him and was eager to please him. "41 Elswyth is once again in London. She only becomes enraged much later when Will leaves her only half of his estate after his death; the other is given to Jocelyn.42 For she works with him even in his last years and looks after him when he falls ill. Will has described the new fish species he observed from the bathysphere as accurately as possible, has given them names. Of course he knows the rigorous rules of taxonomy. But under the extraordinary circumstances and trusting his reputation, he believes he can deviate from these strict principles here. Wrongly, as it turns out. Those who think they already know everything about envy and malicious jealousy between scientists and about finely dosed humiliation of a professional colleague should read how some recognised "greats" of science at the time discussed Beebe's books and enterprises. For example, how the famous ornithologist Frank M. Chapman treats him in his autobiography. Admittedly, he mentions Beebe, but only in passing and, above all, without mentioning him by name. He writes only of "a lanky fellow in breeches" whom he recommended to read extensively in science books. Following Chapman's advice, this lad "became a prominent ornithologist and eventually, through his gift of vivid exposition, an excellent 'popularizer' of zoology".43 Now the term "popularizer" is quite ambiguous. Interpreted positively, Beebe popularised zoology, i.e. made it widely known and popular. However, popularising can also mean that Beebe oversimplifies and poetically puffs up the science, that he reports his adventures entertainingly and successfully, but is no longer doing science with them. Most professional colleagues will probably have read out the second interpretation. Other adventurous marine explorers such as Hans Hass were later to suffer the same fate. When Beebe submitted a report on the recent record descent to the National Academy of Sciences in November 193244 , his physical data on light, temperature, etc. were received with interest. His observations of the creatures in the deep sea, on the other hand, are met with polite doubts and even smug slurs. The fishologist Hubbs praises the "magic pen" with which Beebe writes, but what Beebe claims to have seen "faintly or dully" in the light of the spotlight, Hubbs simply questions.45 For the quartz glass had been fogged up by Beebe's breath. Hubbs is not afraid to misquote Beebe and refer to National Geographic Magazine rather than the book Half Mile Down or the Bulletin of the New York Zoological Society.46 Nichols, an ichthyologist, suggests that Beebe was more dramatic than scrupulous when he wrote down what "image on his retina" he had just perceived.47 The pictures painted by Else Bostelmann, according to Will, are also harshly criticised; unforgiving colleagues describe them as amateurish, romantic and fantastic. Yet Will is well aware of how incomplete his observations and how flawed his descriptions must remain. To adequately portray what lives in the depths is, in his opinion, precisely equivalent to asking a stranger who has spent a few hours in New York: "What do you think of America? "48 But only the handful of people who have dived down into the bathysphere can know that. According to Welker, behind the attacks by colleagues is not only the "professional" concern that with Beebe a "fibbing intruder and bungler" is interfering in ichthyology. For Welker, they rather prove that leading heads of this science simply do not take the experiences and results with the bathysphere seriously.49 In short, some colleagues do not like Beebe because he is not academic enough for them, and they reject his results because the methods used seem too adventurous to them. Probably never brave enough themselves to dive half a mile into the ocean in a narrow steel sphere, they simply cannot understand that it is not only fame-seeking that pushes this researcher into the public eye, but hard economic necessity. For every lecture given, every book published, even every mention in the press helps to advance Will's work. And that is his priority, although he is not impervious to criticism. Will is quite realistic about his relationship with his professional colleagues. He describes himself as a natural scientist whom the scientists just tolerate.50 His popularity also earned him all kinds of bizarre requests. For example, an admirer asks him to take an envelope sent to the DTR into the deep and sign it there with the date, time, depth, etc. He then asks him to send the envelope to the DTR. He then asks him to return the envelope to the sender. Beebe politely but firmly refuses. It would be irresponsible to focus his attention in depth on this instead of on the company itself. The petitioner added that he would have liked to contribute something to the financing of the expedition, but unfortunately could not. How would Will respond if the request was accompanied by a fat cheque? Beebe and Barton are a striking example of how very different characters can only work together successfully as long as they pursue a common goal. Their successful record descent has cost more than estimated. When Will therefore asks the NGS for support, it refuses, saying that he should turn to Barton. Beebe replies that he does not wish to be indebted to Barton in any way.51 Figure 11: A telling image: the bathysphere connects the two men and at the same time stands between them. While Otis puts his arm on her as if to say "she is mine", Will turns away. As is so often the case, the original picture text leaves the name of the actual creator of the diving chamber unmentioned: "Dr. William Beebe and an assistant next to the 2 t steel ball...". From: Modern Mechanix, as image 1 Although the two adversaries continue to appear together in press reports, their rift gradually leaks out to the public. For Otis continues to complain to the editors because he does not feel sufficiently appreciated in their reports. This, in turn, annoys Will immensely, because in his opinion Barton's letters are full of exaggerations and errors, which in turn is grist to the mill of Beebe's critics. Thus, after the descent at 923 m, Will writes to the reporter of the NGM: "Barton, as we all now realise, is not a scoundrel but a dangerous fool. By the grace of Providence, we have just neutralised one of his letters to the [New York] Times in which he misnamed all the fish ... which would have made a terrible mess. "52 For such a thing would be a ready meal for the already hypercritical ichthyologists. Otis gives up trying to improve his image and throws himself fully into his pet project, UW-Film. Even in the extended breaks between expeditions with the bathysphere, he roams the seabed in a diving helmet or complete helmet diving equipment. Now he wants to finish producing this expedition film, which will show not only the creatures of the deep sea but also the inhabitants of the coral reefs. To do this, he is filming in Panama and has hired an excellent swimmer as a UW model. One of the best photos should show the encounter between the model and a manta ray. That would be long before Lotte's "Adventure in the Red Sea".53 Titans of the Deep" is made. The film distributor pushes lurid advertising: "Beautiful mermaids in realistic combat with murderous sea monsters! Terrors of the sea depths! Hair-raising adventures with the great unknown!" Otis is very disappointed because the advertisements do not say a word about the beauty and wonder of the underwater world.54 The film also shows brief clips of the bathysphere being lowered into the sea. This encourages the distributor to brazenly print not only Beebe's name but also those of his three assistants John Tee-Van, Gloria Hollister and Jocelyn Crane on the posters. Will watches the film and writes to several editors that same night to make it clear that neither he nor any member of his staff or the NYZS had anything to do with it. As advanced as Beebe is as a researcher, he also remains a child of his time. "Under the challenge of extreme danger to myself or mine, I have always valued a human life less than nothing. But to shoot down a savage charging at you is one thing. To skewer with deliberation a fish you have been watching, swimming utterly fearlessly close to your face and hands, is quite another. “ Will would certainly phrase the right to self-defence differently today. In the Far East, he marvels at how unquestioningly the locals accept "white supremacy". He first has to get used to treating the servants harshly and, if necessary, throwing objects at them, because otherwise they think you are a weak fool.57 Such prejudices, however, do not prevent him from sharply criticising the behaviour of states and peoples who call themselves civilised: "In war, men do everything in their power to maim or kill one another. If, however, wounded enemies are captured, then [...] one heals [them] if possible, exchanges them for other healed prisoners and then fires at them anew. [...] There are probably airmen who would hesitate to run a sabre through the body of a woman or a baby, but who will drop bombs on them without further ado if they are disguised as 'civilians'." As if it were written today! Will likes to watch the starry sky with a telescope at night. Deeply impressed, even moved by the infinite universe, he is sure that at this sight everyone must realise the insignificance of the tiny human beings. Exuberantly, he believes that if every prison and every church had an observatory on the roof, there would be far fewer people in the prisons and considerably more in the churches.59 Coming full circle Will's life has some disruptions such as leaving university without a degree or getting divorced. These include never again attempting to dive to great depths or reunite with Otis after the record drop. But his vita is also marked by continuity: his lifelong enjoyment of nature and its exploration as well as his zeal for work that lasted into old age. But gradual change also characterises him: from ornithologist to ecologist, ichthyologist and oceanographer, and then he returns to the jungle. Barton, the privatising engineer, does not let go of the deep sea any time soon. His plans for a stronger sphere cannot be realised at first because the companies are overloaded with war contracts. So Otis experiments with a diving suit for the navy that is independent of the surface. After the war, the NYZS would be willing to give him the bathysphere for further descents. But because the Navy used the sphere for tests during the war to study the effects of UW explosions, Otis does not take up this offer. He goes on the road again, filming and fishing off Hawai, Mexico and Peru. In Dutch New Guinea, he was fascinated by the giant butterflies in the treetops of the rainforest. In 1947, he travels to the Great Barrier Reef for eight months, dives and shoots thousands of metres of film. According to his own account, he also examined the giant clams more closely, five years before Hans Hass.60 He had a new deep diving device built - funded by the Allan Hancock Foundation - which, however, remained true to the principle of the attached sphere and called it Benthoscope. Its interior is again about one and a half metres in diameter and the 5-cm-thick wall made of chrome-nickel steel should allow a diving depth of one mile. Unlike the Bathysphere, the new design has two external spotlights and one of the two windows leads downwards at an angle so that observations can also be made there. The lid of the access hatch is curved, which makes it much thinner and thus lighter. A sledge built onto the sphere to enable it to be pulled over the seabed does not prove at all successful and is dismantled again. Picture 12: Based on Barton's Benthoscope, a smaller brother is developed with the help of the Hancock Foundation: the Benthographe. This unmanned, hollow steel sphere (diameter 85 cm, wall thickness 4 cm) also hangs from a steel cable and is supposed to reach depths of up to 5,000 m (in 1950 it reached 1350 m). The camera sits behind the upper window, the electron flash shines through the lower window. On 12 August 1949, Otis lowered the device unmanned to over 1,800 m in the Santa Cruz Basin off Santa Barbara. Everything inside remains dry; only the film in the automatic camera shows nothing again. Then problems with the electrical system occur. Nevertheless, four days later Barton succeeds in setting a new record: although without light, but otherwise in good condition, he reaches over 1,370 m, leaving Beebe behind.61 Besides their love of the sea, the two men, who are so different, share another passion: the jungle. Like Beebe, Barton turns to the rainforest after his diving success. He constructed a kind of lift to be able to film animals in the treetops of the tropical jungle.62 When two years later Life Magazine offered Barton $10,000 for the exclusive rights to new diving attempts with the benthoscope, he undertook three more descents in late September 1952, which were complicated by ever new problems. On the first one, an emergency ascent has to be made from a depth of over 600 m, because oxygen was flowing uncontrollably from a valve. The second attempt is aborted at 426 m because the lights go out. The third descent ends particularly dramatically. From a depth of 1,053 m they suddenly hear Barton calling through the telephone: "Oh, Dr. Nelles, Dr. Nelles!"63 Then the line is dead. Sheer horror! The immediately initiated emergency ascent is delayed because the electric cable has become so entangled around the hawser that it has to be cut. So 40 minutes pass before the diving vehicle is back on deck. Probably no one can hope to rescue Otis alive. But when the hatch is finally opened, Barton's head appears and - he yawns. For when the light unexpectedly went out, he rolled himself into a blanket and fell asleep peacefully. Only the hammer blows when the hatch was opened woke him up. Such a reaction would have been unthinkable with Beebe; he would have stared through the windows every second to register and memorise every little thing, even in the darkness. Otis Barton did not remain the "king of the deep" for long. As early as August 1953, the French navy reached a depth of 2,100 m with Piccard's converted submersible FNRS 3.64 As with the following >Trieste<, its steel sphere is not suspended from a steel hawser, but under a float, with the help of which the bathyscaphe can sink and rise freely. Barton's book about his adventures in the sea and on land is not exactly a bestseller, although he hires a co-author especially for it. So it remains: Otis, who would have liked to be like Will, can never even come close to his popularity. Even his ultra-light airship, which he tinkered with until he was very old so that he could film animals in the treetops of the jungle giants in Africa, was hardly noticed by the public. At the age of over 80, he marries for the third time. As his nephew James points out, Otis almost "idealised" William Beebe in his later life.65 Beebe, on the other hand, the celebrated and equally criticised scientist, does not leave the sea behind altogether, but at least his enriching experiences with the diving sphere. It almost seems that he has, if not forgotten, at least repressed the bathysphere. Beebe drew repeatedly and extensively on earlier experiences, for example during the pheasant expeditions in Asia or on the Western Front in World War 1, in his books, both those published before the depth record and those after. His impressive record descents off Bermuda, on the other hand, he mentions remarkably rarely and only briefly, as Welker notes.66 Two of these few exceptions are found in the "Zaca Adventure".67 Especially the second voyage on the >Zaca< turns out to be increasingly difficult. Templeton Crocker, the multimillionaire, drinks frequently and heavily. It doesn't help that he is appointed an amateur specialist in mussels. Like Barton, he feels marginalised by the scientists. Whenever the >Zaca< meets another ship or is in a harbour, Will is the shining centre of attention. This in turn increases Crocker's outbursts. In the end, he is in such bad shape that the doctor accompanying him fears a complete breakdown. Image13: Especially on the second voyage with the >Zaca<, the relationship between the scientists and the owner Crocker was very tense. Although the ship is perfectly set up as a laboratory, the working atmosphere becomes unbearable. After Jocelyn recovers from a fever, the team disembarks in Panama and heads home. Despite everything, Will dedicates the book about this expedition to Templeton Crocker, who "in his position as honorary chief generally took a lively interest in all branches of our work".69 And he goes on to paraphrase the situation: "The very best thing during the whole voyage was the consciousness that we had all gone out with the ambition of contributing our mite to the treasure of knowledge and science. Templeton Crocker was a very wise man to spend at least part of his life in this way",70 when he was already wasting the rest, one might almost add. Will, however, will never again undertake an expedition on a ship provided. Those who call for less state funding and more private sponsorship for research and science in our country today should consider such cautionary examples. It is also questionable when men like Beebe have to advertise air rifles and even Barton for cigarettes.71 After the war, Will returns to his beginnings and no longer explores the oceans, but again roams the jungles of Venezuela and establishes Rancho Grande there. In 1950 he founded the Simla research station on Trinidad, which Jocelyn Crane continued to run from 1952. In the last years of his life he was plagued by a painful illness; in the end he could hardly move. During his lifetime, not one specimen of the deep-sea fish he sighted could be caught. Only such proof could invalidate once and for all the accusation that he had falsified science. These accusations haunt him to the end. Sensing his end coming, he returned to Trinidad, where he died and found his final resting place on 4 June 1962. Hillary Hauser says Beebe achieved a unique view of life on land through his frequent stays underwater. "His comparisons [of the two worlds] sometimes go deep enough to lead us to re-examine our habits and values - and this proves that Beebe's works go beyond science into the realm of art and philosophy." But it would be wrong to reduce Will's life's work to his diving ventures alone, even though in probably no other field did his pioneering deeds have such a significant influence on further developments as in diving. William Beebe was deeply convinced that everyone should be like him: "Anyone who has once marvelled at the wonders of a tropical coral reef is always drawn back down. Should someone still remain unaffected by this or even be disappointed, he will only have a longer or shorter period of time on earth to wait for death. For him, continuing to live can have little value. "73 We divers know how right he is about that. Further articles: Norbert Gierschner: Beebe, Barton, und die Piccards - In tiefste Tiefen, TGS 4/2015 p. 15 ff. Norbert Gierschner: Data and Works: William Beebe, TGS 5/2015, p.41 ff. Annotation: At the time, National Geographic Magazine published numerous b/w photos and colour images of Beebe's diving descents. The author therefore asked this magazine to be allowed to reprint some of these illustrations in TauchHistorie free of charge, with the express reference that our magazine is a non-profit project of the Historical Diving Society of Germany. Unfortunately, National Geographic Magazine did not allow the free reprint of the almost century-old photos. 1 Beebe, W.: Nonsuch, Land of Water, New York 1932.... 2 Beebe: FN 1, p.69 3 Barton, Otis: Adventure on land and under the sea, London 1954, p.10 4 "Beebe's innate arrogance, his immense popularity, and his lack of genuinely academic writings on oceanography moved Wheeler, Earle, Bigelow, Mark, and others to exclude him." In: Matsen, Bred: Descent, The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, New York 2005, p.15. Author's translation. 5 Beebe: 923 metres under the sea, Leipzig 1935, p.123 6 Matsen: FN 4, p.134 7 Matsen: FN 4, p.144 and 257. Gould also describes the incident, but assigns it to a different descent. See: Gould, Carol G.: The remarkable Life of William Beebe, Explorer and Naturalist. Washington 2004, p.295 8 Barton: FN 3, p.29. Translation by the author. 9 Matsen: FN 4, p.148. Translation by the author 10 Barton: FN 3, p.30 11 Matsen: FN 4, p.151. Translation by the author 12 "Beebe Descends Nearly Half-Mile in Ocean; Broadcasts on Weird Ride in Bathysphere" in: New York Times v. 23 Sep. 1932, p.1 and 3. Translation by the author. 13 Beebe: Auf Entdeckungsfahrt mit Beebe, Leipzig 1936, p.175 14 "Three Hundred Fathoms Beneath the Sea" in: Popular Mechanics No.10, Oct. 1930, p.577-585 15 On 23.1.1960, the >Trieste< dives to a depth of 10 916 m in the Challenger Deep off Guam on behalf of the US Navy. See also: Piccard Jacques: 11 000 metres below sea level, Wiesbaden 1961. 16 Matsen: FN 4, p.183. Translation by the author. 17 Matsen: FN 4, p.197 18 Beebe spoke privately with Barton for about 10 minutes at the bow of the tug. See Matsen, FN 4, p.197 and p.261. Author's translation. 19 Barton: FN 3, p.49 ff. 20 Beebe: FN 5, p.153 21 Matsen: FN 4, p.204 22 Barton: FN 3, p.51 23 "Dr. Beebe descends 2510 feet in ocean" in: New York Times, 12.8.1934. The subtitle reads: 'Scientist surpasses old bathyspheres record off Bermuda with Otis Barton'. Likewise in the Chicago Sunday Tribune: "Dives 2510 ft. Under Ocean, Beebe Has New Record". 24 Gould: FN 7, p.323. Translation by author. According to Gould, the correspondence between Will and Elswyth was always friendly, humorous and tender, even during long separations. 25 They are listed in: Matsen, FN 4, p.226. 26 Beebe: FN 5, p.6. In the English edition ("Half Mile Down", London 1935) this passage is on p.230. 27 Cross, W. Redmond: Preface in: Beebe FN 26, London 1935, p.IX (no page number). This preface is missing in the German edition. 28 Obituary in the New York Times v. 24.2.1988 29 Beebe: Zaca Venture, New York 1938. German edition: Das Zaca-Abenteuer, Forscherfahrt in die Fischgründe des Pazifik. Leipzig 1939 30 Gould: FN 7, P.334 31 Beebe: Book of Bays, New York 1942. German edition: Wundersame Küstenfahrt, Wiesbaden 1951. 32 Gould: FN 7, P.337 33 Beebe: FN 31, Wiesbaden 1951, p.33 34 "We come from the Sea" in: Science v. 15.1.1960, p.153 35 Carson, Rachel: The Sea Around Us, New York 1950. German edition: Geheimnisse des Meeres, Munich 1952. Carson's books about the sea have also been published in German: Unter dem Meerwind, Zurich 1947 and: Am Saum der Gezeiten, Munich 1957. 36 Osborn, Fairfield Jr.: "My most unforgettable Character" in: Reader's Digest, July 1968, pp.126-131. In German in: Das Beste No.10, Oct.1968, pp.164-178, here p.172. Osborn Jr, the son of Henry Fairfield Osborn Sr, was like his father a friend of Will's and wrote a very personal obituary here. He was a research associate of the NYZS from 1922 and its president from 1940-1968. 37 Shaw, Charles G.: "A Personal Sketch" in: Bookman, Feb. 1928, pp.635-637. reprinted in: Berra, Tim M.: William Beebe, An Annotated Bibliography, Hamden 1977, pp.133-137, here p.135. 38 Osborn: FN 36, p.170 39 "Naturalist was cruel" in: New York Times v. 30.8. 1930 40 Gould: FN 7, p.280. translation and insertion by the author. 41 Gould: FN 7, p.313. Translation by the author. 42 The official William Beebe website at: t1p.de/5g8y This is not without error, for example the wall thickness of the bathysphere is given as 1.5 ft. which would be a good 45 cm! 43 Chapman, Frank M.: Autobiography of a Bird-Lover, New York 1933, p.71. Quoted from: Welker, Robert H.: Natural Man, The Life of William Beebe, Bloomington 1975, p.138. Translation by the author. Beebe had already used the term "Bird-Lover" in the title of his first book: Two Bird-Lovers in Mexico, Boston and New York 1905. By the time Chapman's autobiography appeared, Beebe had already published six books dealing wholly or mainly with ornithology, including his monumental work on pheasants. See Berra: FN 37, p.109. 44 Beebe: "A Preliminary Account of Deep Sea Dives in the Bathysphere with Esspecial Reference to one of 2,200 Feet". 45 Hubbs, Carl L.: Review of 'Half Mile Down' in: Copeia v. July 1935. See Matsen: FN 4, p.163. 46 Hubbs, Carl L.: Reviews and Comments in: Copeia v. 16.7.1935, p.105. See Welker: FN 43, p.139. 47 Nichols, John T. in: Natural History, January 1935, p.88 f. Cf: Welker: FN 43, p.140 48 Beebe: FN 26, London 1935, p.196. Translation by the author. 49 Welker: FN 43, p.140 50 "About 1000 m below sea level" in: Lies mit, No. 16 v. 29.7.1952, p.21 51 We are talking about just under $3,000. See Matsen: FN 4, p.228 52 Quoted from Matsen: FN 4, p227f. Translation and insertion by the author. 53 Barton: FN 3, p.74. Otis, however, cites no evidence for this photograph. 54 Barton, p.87 55 To the New York Times and Science, among others. See Matsen, FN 4, p.229 and 265. 56 Beebe: The Arcturus Adventure, New York 1926, p.87f. Translation by the author. 57 Gould: FN 7, p.161f. 58 Beebe: FN 31, Wiesbaden 1951, p.219. Omissions and insertion by the author. 59 Beebe: FN 1, p.165 60 Barton: FN 3, p.130. Hass later reports that he was told about Barton's diving and filming attempts in Cooktown in January 1953. In: Hass, Hans: Wir kommen aus dem Meer, Berlin 1957, p.105 61 "Barton Sets Record in Ocean Dive; Descends 4,500 Feet Off California" in: New York Times v. 17.8.1949 62 Beebe is also interested in the animals in the treetops of the rainforest: "The High World oft he Rain Forest" in: National Geographic Magazine, Vol CXIII, No.6, June 1958, pp.838-855. 63 Dr Maurice Nelles was a biologist at the University of Southern California and represented the Allan Hancock Foundation, which was interested in working with Barton. See Matsen: FN 4, p.234 64 See Houot,G./Willm, P.: 4000 m tief, Wiesbaden 1955. Also: Vaisseau, Cap/Hout, G.: 20 ans de bathyscaphe, Paris 1971. Parallel to the Bathyscaphe, the Aquarius submersibles were also developed in France, see Tailliez, Philippe: Aquarius, London 1964. 65 Matsen: FN 4, p.253f. 66 Welker: FN 43, p.140. The German edition "Auf Entdeckungsfahrt mit Beebe", Leipzig 1936, contains the chapter "923 m unter dem Meeresspiegel", which could not have appeared in the original "Exploring with Beebe", New York and London 1932. 67 Beebe: FN 29, Leipzig 1039, p.59 and p.74. Will also mentions the bathysphere twice in his "Wundersame[n] Küstenfahrt" (FN 31): p.191 and p.204. 68 Gould: FN 7, P.340 69 Beebe: FN 31. p.10 70 Beebe: FN 31, p.208 71 Beebe advertises Daisy Air Rifles in Country Gentleman Magazine (Oct. 1928, p.150) (illustrated, among other things, with a man in a diving helmet apparently firing an air rifle underwater), and Barton praises the rich, ripe taste of Camel cigarettes (official W. Beebe web site). 72 Hauser, Hillary: The Adventurous Aquanaut. San Pedro 1990, p.188. Translation and insertion by the author. 73 Beebe: "A Wonderer Under Sea" in: National Geographic Magazine, Vol.LXII, No.4, Oct. 1932, pp.740-758, here p.741.