( OVv

VOLUME n NO.H

SUMMER 1954

Published by

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
WOODS HOLE , MASSACHUSETTS

EDITOR: JAN HAHN

Published seml-annually and distributed to the
Associates of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
and others Interested in Oceanography.

Composed and printed by the reproduction deportment*

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
WOODS HOLE , MASSACHUSETTS

Henry B. Bigelom

- Chairman of the Board of Trustees —

Ed*ard H. Smith

— Director —

Arnoud C. Harts
— President of the Corporation -

Alfred C. Redfitld

— AtlOCiOt* Director-

Columbus O'D. I set in

— Senior Oceanographer —

SHIP'S BLOCKS! WHAT MEMORIES YOU RECALL:

The furious whistling of gale winds, through
rigging held taut.

The gentle, rhythmic, creaking and slatting -
heard by the watch below in quiet anchorages
or while yawing on a heavy swell.

SHIP'S BLOCKS! FOR MUCH YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE:

The strength of your material saved ships,
while its weaknesses lost them - thus bring-
ing gladness or havoc to many shores.

The furious cannonades of grapeshot, whining
through the figging, brought you tumbling
down - maimine and killine on the splintered

decks below.

The ports from whence you came were enriched-
as you hoisted the whales, the burdened
fishing nets, the timber and the bales of
goods .

SHIP'S BLOCKS! NOT LONG WILL YOU REMAIN:

The smaller brethren on board yachts will
carry on,

The modern ship demands a block of thought-
less s tee I .

SHIP'S BLOCKS! YOU MUST NOT FEEL MALIGNED:

The shops will sell you to carry a lamp or
brace a shelf of books.

The form, the use , it natters not
The flavor of the sea is yours forevermore.
SHIP'S BLOCKS! HOLD TAUT.

EDITORIAL

With this issue OCEANUS will appear quarterly,
instead of bi-annually. Our director, Admiral Smith,
requested the purchase of a Vari-typer which should
improve the readability of the text.

In the next issue we hope to be able to report
on a most interesting and fantastic project for which
the Institution prepared the groundwork. Such hap-
penings give us a sense of adventure and discovery,
rarely equalled in any other modern occupation.

For instance, the possibilities of future long
range weather and climate forecasting are advancing
step by step, due to work at this Institution and by
other organizations. Dr. Joanne S. Malkus is studying
how cumulus clouds in the Trade Wind regions supply
the energy - easily large enough to drive the major
wind systems around the world - by carrying latent
heat in the form of water vapor from the sea surface
into the atmosphere.

Mr. L. Valentine Worthington has made observa-
tions to sustain his theory that severe, temporary
climate variations may cool and sink large masses of
surface water into intermediate depths and that the
last such occurrence was in about 1810.

These and other matters we hope to discuss in
future issues of OCEANUS, to give our Associates and
other friends a sense of partnership in developments
which may open a brighter future for mankind.

DEDICATION OF THE
LABORATORY OF OCEANOGRAPHY

Ruffled by a blustery seawind the new building
was dedicated on Monday, June 21st. The music of a
Navy Band, the cries of seagulls and the whistles of
departing boats gave the ceremony an appropriately
nautical flavor.

About 800 persons were present on the parking
lot in the rear of the new building, where a platform
and seats had been erected. ^Chief of Naval Research
Rear Admiral F.R. Furth, U.S.N., acted as Master of
Ceremonies and introduced the principal speakers:
Dr. Detlev W. Bronk, President of the National Academy
of Sciences and long a Trustee of our Institution and
the Honorable James H. Smith Jr., Assistant Secretary
of the Navy for Air.

Dr. Bronk cited the scientific climate of Woods
Hole as a unique and wonderful place for the past and
future growth of marine research. He also read a
message from Admiral Robert B. Carney, Chief of Naval
Operations stating: 'Oceanography is part of the
lifeblood of the Navy.' During his speech, Dr.
Bronk requested that l)r . Henry B. Bigelow stand up
and 'take a bow' and called him The Father of
American Oceanography. '

Mr. Smith pointed out the Navy's interest in
oceanographic research. Mentioning the nuclear-powered
'true' submarines, the Assistant Secretary, said
that they will need a vast amount of oceanographic
knowledge, not only on underwater sound problems but
also for navigation purposes. Mr. Smith finished by
stating: 'I know that our laboratory will assist
the development of professional oceanographers , and
encourage more young men and women to enter this
young science, which is so important to the military
defense of the United States and which holds such a
promise for peaceful exploitation in the future.'

The key to the new building changed hands sever-
al times during the ceremony and finally was handed
to our Director, Rear Admiral Edward H. Smith, who
accepted the technicial and scientific operatiqnof
the building by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu-
tion. Ownership of the building remains in the hands
of the Office of Naval Research, U.S. Navy. Follow-
ing Dr. Bronk' s example, Admiral Smith requested that
Dr. C.O 'D. Iselin stand up to be recognized forhis
great part in the development of our Institution and
oceanography.

After the ceremony the new building was open to
inspection and a large number of people took the op-
portunity to see the exhibits set up by various de-
?artments, and to inspect the research vessels 'At-
antis'' and ''Bear'' at the docks.

1*1

Convocat i on

Following the dedication a three day scientific
convocation was held in the auditorium which the Ma-
rine Biological Laboratory had graciously placed at
our disposal. Planned under the auspices of the
National Academy of Sciences-National Research Coun-
cil, the convocation was attended by almost all the
foremost oce anographers of the western world. The
scientific discussions, covering physical, chemical
and biological oceanography, marine meteorology, geol-
ogy and geophysics will be published in a volume by
the National Research Council. Dr. Alfred C. Redfield
is the editor of the volume.

Not the least important part of the convocation
were the informal discussions and contacts between the
visiting scientists and our staff members. Oceanogra-
phy, in effect, took a look backward at its accom-
plishments during the past 25 years and a look forward;
through informal discussions of general problems which
will guide us in the years to come.

ASSOCIATES NEWS

The second annual Summer Cruise will take place
on August 7th. Associates will have been informed of
the event by letter.

The Institution's meteorological group refuses to
make a weather prediction for tnat day beyond their
favorite reply: 'It's going to moderate.1

Funds from the Associates were applied to invite
Dr. Jule G. Charney of the Institute for Advanced
Study in Princeton, N.J., as the Woods Hole Ocean-
ographic Associates Lecturer for 1954. Dr. Charney
gave a series of six lectures on modern developments
in meteorology. This is a tangible, worthy, educa-
tional project made possible by the Associates, and
the Institution desires to express its congratulations
to them.

CORPORATE ASSOCIATES

In the winter issue of OCEANUS, we mentioned that
General Foods Corporation had become the first Corpo-
rate Associate. We are pleased to announce that the
following organizations have joined during recent
months:

Edo Corporation, New York

The International Nickel Co., Inc., New York

Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co., Minneapolis,

Minnesota

Raytheon Manufacturing Co., Waltham, Mass.

Shell Development Co., Houston, Texas

Standard Oil Development Co., New York

Union Carbide And Carbon Research Lab's Inc., N.Y,

Our brochure, "YOUR STAKE IN THE LAST FRONTIER,'
is available to Associates for further distribution to
potential Corporate Associates.,

WHICH WAY AHEAD

by

Alfred C. Red fie Id

Senior Oceanographer

The purpose of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti-
tution, as set forth in its charter, is to prosecute
the study of oceanography in all its branches. This
gives us wide scope, since almost everything which
happens on earth seems to be related in one way or an-
other to events in the sea. It imposes no practical
objectives, or political boundaries to our work. But
with changing times and growing opportunities, new
pressures inevitably arise which may deflect us from
the wisest course.

I am presently participating in a commission to advise the
educational authorities of the states bordering the Gulf of
Mexico on what they should do to develop adequately the marine
sciences in that area. This commission met recently with a
gentleman influential in the preparation of the budget of one
of these states' legislature. He opened the interview by say-
ing, 'You may wish to know why the legislature is ready to
support the development of marine science.' Then followed the
best pep talk for practical oceanography I have ever heard—its
relation to oil production, the chemical industry, fisheries,
climate and rainfall, and all the rest. We were assured that
any well-supported proposals we might make would be well re-
ceived.

In the questioning which followed, he was asked what the
legislature was prepared to do for the development of the
fundamental science on which the practical benefits mentioned
must rest. 'I understand your point'1, he replied, 'but that
will have to be worked in indirectly. The legislators are
unprepared to buy basic research at present.'

It seems to me that people who are prepared to support
research for practical ends should understand better what they
are buying. Applied science presupposes a science to be ap-
plied. This is supplied by so-called basic research.

An institution enjoying philanthropic support must be
concerned with human needs. But such needs are very varied,
and are not limited to material things. One of the strongest
human cravings is the satisfaction of curiosity—as anyone who
has reared a child must know. Astronomy is justified by practi-
cal applications in surveying, navigation, and the measurement
of time. Its support is due, however, to the mysteries it
unfolds about the nature of the universe and the immensity of
space and time. Many benefactions to astronomy, I am told, are
due to some connection in the minds of the donors between
heaven and the heavens.

I am sure that most of us are more affected by the unfath-
omed mystery of the sea, and a spiritual reaction to its
strength and beauty, than by concern about where tomorrow's kip-
pered herring is coming from. This is something we should be
honest about.

If curiosity does not justify free scientific endeavor,
the whole history of human progress shows that it pays. It has
recently been stated that public moneys should not be spent for
the benefit of a limited minority of intellectuals. No state-
ment could show more ignorance of history. It denies the public
value of the work of Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Faraday, and
the host of other scholars whose curiosity about the nature of
things laid the groundwork for the technology on which civili-
zation now depends. Such expenditures may be inexpedient
politically, but practically they are more than justified.

Our Institution for the study of the ocean is unique in its
independence of state or nation. It is not controlled even by
the policies of any university. It is private enterprise at its
freest. This is our most precious endowment.

What policies and practices should guide us in developing
its future?

Exploring the unknown

When you set out to explore the unknown, it is impossible
to know where you are going. Scientific advance depends on the
ripeness of time. One discovery suggests the next promising
inquiry. A new technique creates the possibility of advances,
frequently in very unexpected directions. These are the reasons
that important discoveries are often made simultaneously but

independently by different people. A long-range plan is almost
sure to lead to a cul-de-sac where further progress is un-
profitable.

The best one can do is to look for promising openings into
the unknown-- to select fields of inquiry where new knowledge,
new techniques, or bold hunches suggest that progress can be
made- -and to find men with impelling curiosity and prepared
minds to explore these fields. The discovery of such men is the
crux of the problem of administering research in fundamental
science.

Dr. Revelle, the Director of the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, who arranged for much of the work in oceanography
done for the Navy during the war, once told me that the only
people who really accomplished anything were those who worked on
problems they had themselves conceived. This is a lesson we
should always remember. The men with the character to carry
sustained scientific inquiry to an original conclusion are
driven by a personal devil which will take little advice and
stand no interference. Men without this devil may be useful to
others, but they are incapable of leading expeditions very far
into the unknown.

This is why our Institution must allow its staff to follow
their own noses in conducting their inquiries- -must insist that
research be free of limiting direction.

The first years

To demonstrate that a staff chosen on the principles I
have suggested- -of basic research and free research- -can pave
the way toward practical ends, I will recall the conditions
under which we started, in 1930. At that time there were prac-
tically no oceanographers in this country. Dr. Bigelow, our

Which way

first Director, was compelled to select his staff wherever he
could find competent scientists who had shown any interest in
the sea, or who were willing to develop such interest. Only
three of them had ever been to sea on a research vessel. The
others were university teachers; a chemist, a bacteriologist,, a
meteorologist, and the like, all of whom saw interest and prom-
ise in the opportunity at Woods Hole. We came to Woods Hole in
June, bringing our students with us; we took short trips on the
ATLANTIS learning the ropes; and we returned to our colleges in
the fall. Our scientific output was not unimpressive — but
appeared to be utterly useless.

The War years

After ten years came the war. Somewhat to our surprise we
discovered that we had developed a group of men who were unique
in their experience in conducting scientific work at sea.
Around this core were assembled the research groups which
crowded our laboratory and brought the Institution distinction
for its work in the war effort.

A detailed case shows directly how fortuitous knowledge
gained in the interest of pure science was combined for the
most practical purposes. All oceanographers are intrigued by
the motion of the great ocean currents, even though there has
been little practical demand for their study since the develop-
ment of the steamship. Dr. Iselin made the study of the Gulf
Stream his speciality and was thoroughly familiar with the
detailed distribution of temperature and salinity in the ocean,
since at that time these were the chief data from which ocean
currents were deduced. Dr. Ewing came to Woods Hole during the
prewar years to study the structure of the ocean floor, for
which purpose he employed sound waves to probe the depths of the
water and the underlying rocks. This combination of knowledge,
of the temperature and salinity of ocean water and of the phys-
ics of sound transmission, was just what was needed when it was
discovered that the ranges at which ships could be detected by
echo-ranging instruments were greatly affected by the physical
condition of the sea. Even before Pearl Harbor, the basic
theory for the prediction of sound ranges under varied sea con-
ditions had been developed by Iselin and Ewing and the Insti-
tution was launched on a practical program of research for the
Navy.

Culls, air currents and smoke screens

Another case will illustrate the values which may come from
a policy of freedom in the direction of research and perhaps
from luck in finding a man with an exceptional bump of curiosity.

6

"

When the Institution was established a young man was working
on a farm, having just given up his first year of college for
lack of funds. He wanted a job on the ATLANTIS and became ship's
technician. His task was to read the thermometers and measure
the salt in the samples of water wherever the ship went. Be-
tween stations he liked to watch the sea and the sea birds, as
who does not. But this was a curious and a thinking fellow' who
made something of what he saw. First he noticed that gulls are
lazy fliers who take to the air only when they can soar on as-
cending air currents, next that this occurs only when the air is
clear and cool. Gulls do not go far to sea in summer. Next
followed measurements of sea and air temperature and the differ-
ence in these temperatures. When the observations were coupled
with the behavior of the gulls, relations appeared between wind
velocity, air and water temperature, the occurrence of ascending
air currents, and their angle. This was new knowledge about the
behavior of air over the sea.

When war spread to the Pacific, smoke screens refused to
obey the manual. Official doctrine had been developed from
tests conducted over land, where the air sometimes behaves quite
differently than at sea. The casual wonderin? of this tech-
nician on the ATLANTIS explained the trouble and led to the
development of better rules for an important tactical operation.

This is but one of several bright ideas which this man has
developed. His formal education would not qualify him to teach
in a country high school, yet left to himself he has become a
scientist of international repute and one of our proudest
possessions.

STAFF MEMBER HONORED

TYPICAL REFLECTION 'SHOT'
AT SEA

SCplMENT .'.'••'.•''••'''••*.'• •''.•' •.''.'•'••'• • '•''•'•''.''•'.''•.' '•

Diagram of a seismic technique to estimate the
thickness of sediment on the ocean floor.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists ' Award
for the best paper in 1953, was presented on April
13th to Dr. Charles B. Officer Jr., geophysicist on
our staff. The ceremony was held at a joint meeting
of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists,
the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the
Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists,
held at St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Officer's paper was entitled: ''The Refrac-
tion Arrival in Water Covered Areas,' and considered
the transmission of sound through the unconsolidated
layers of sediment on the seabottom. The paper also
described a new method to determine the character of
the materials below the bottom.

This work is of great interest to petroleum geol-
ogists, looking for oil deposits on the continental
shelf, and to geophysicists in general who are inter-
ested in learning more about the structure and char-
acter of our eartn.

Published in the October 1953 issue of Geophysics,
the paper carried contribution number 629 of the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Dr
where he

Officer returned recently from New Zealand
spent a year on a Fulbright Fellowship study-

ing

the crustal structure of the southwest Pacific.

10

OF WHALES, FUEL OIL AND AMBERGRIS

"If you ever, ever, ever
"tread upon a whale its tail,

"You will never, never, never
"Want to meet another whale."

Whales

We all know that whales are large but never rea-
lize how big they really are until one floats ashore
somewhere and immediately becomes a problem to the
local Town Fathers.

Three very dead whales beached in our area dur-
ing recent months. One followed the example of the
Pilgrims and landed on some rocks at Plymouth, an-
other beached on the south shore of Nantucket and a
third, having heard of the attractions of Martha's
Vineyard, visited near Edgartown.

11

Whales

The Plymouth whale arrived in late December to
the dismay of local officials.

They called the U.S. Coast Guard, who said:
'Not our problem, it's on the beach.'

They called the Police Department which said:
'Not our problem, it's not disturbing the peace.'

So, they called the Public Health Department
which only had to open a window to realize it was
their problem.

The Public Health Department called the Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institution. After hearing their
tale of woe, we felt like saying: 'Not our problem,'
but true to our policy of being helpful to all in-
quirers suggested that the leviathan be towed to deep
water .

' 'Impossible, ' it was high on the beach, the
water was so shallow that no boat could come anywhere
near, the beast had no tail and it was too dead to
hold a hook in its body. 'Cut it up and bury it
then.'' Again, impossible. The beach consisted of
large rocks, it was at the base of high inaccessible
bluffs and besides: 'How does one cut up a sixty
ton, fifty foot whale?'

For a moment our thoughts wandered to the col-
lection of old New Bedford cutting spades hanging on
our study wall, and to the enticing possibility once
more to put them to their task. 'All right, douse
it with fuel oil and burn it then.'

F ue I oil

And burn it they did. It was not easy. For a
while all that burned was the oil, to the delightof
the company supplying the fuel. The incoming tide

?u t an end to t n e operation which was resumed the
ollowing day by directing the fuel under pressure
from a Fire Department truck.

The entire procedure took 4,265 gallons of fuel
oil, equal to the winter consumption for three well
heated homes and costirg about $500.00, Not a high
price to pay for the removal of the unwanted guest.
The big cremation was gleefully described in the
Orange Disc, a shareholders magazine of the Gulf
Companies .

Later in the spring the Nantucket Visitor ar-
rived. William E. Schevill, our whale expert who
loves to take whales apart, planned to fly Nantucket-
ward but bad weather interfered. No more was heard
from the island, so that we presume the stormy weather
took the carcass back to sea. It may well be the
same mammal which arrived last month in an unhappy
condition at the south beach near Edtrartown.

12

Ambergr i s

On the Vineyard, the old whaling spirit is not
dead, possibly since it is kept alive so well by the
editors of the Vineyard Gazette. Ambergris! was the
cry, echo-ing through the quiet off-season streets of
the town. Armed with old whaling tools, spades and
axes, citizens took the whale apart, thus relieving
the Selectmen of the usual worry.

Sample after sample of the most smelly material
arrived at the Institution for analysis. Now, we
first must tell you that we have two annual ambergris
seasons, so that we have become fairly expert at
identification. What is more, Mr. William C. Schroe-
der owns a small piece of ambergris, which has a faint
but penetrating and lasting sweet smell and has the
texture of beeswax.

Every spring when people start walking the
beaches and every autumn when sunbathing and swimming
no longer is comfortable, the samples arrive. Some-
times it is sticky scrapings from the inside of an
old paint can, sometimes old margarine, sometimes
part of a dead fish or other decaying organic matter,
sometimes it is green cheese, or even a jellyfish,
but always it has an extremely bad odor, as Biologist
Hal Turner, our un-official 'ambergris tester' can
testify. This would not be so discouraging, if once
in a while someone di^d_ find ambergris. This has not
happened in the history of the Institution.

13

Whales

None of the Edgartown samples were ambergris,
nor. were chemical tests necessary. The reason became
apparent when our Mr. Gerrit Buys who lives on the
Vineyard, obtained some photographs of the remains of
the whale which clearly showed it to be a baleen
whale. Ambergris is found only in sperm whales.

We understand that disappointment was great in
Edgartown and dreams of wealth were rudely shattered.
As a matter of fact, we do not even know if the re-
puted value of ambergris still exists. There is a
buyer in London, but although admittedly we have not
tried hard, we do not know of anyone in this country
who would buy the stuff if it were found. As far as
wealth is concerned, when visiting the Azores on board
the Albatross several years ago we were shown a hunk
of ambergris about twice the site of a man's head.
The shoeless owner of the hunk -who like many Azoreans
was dressed in shirts and trousers patched so often
that none of the original material remained - admitted
that the sample shown was small compared to others he
had found.

Frankly, the Edgartown whale could bring a decent
price if someone haa been foresighted enougn to col-
lect and clean the bones and vertebrae, since many
summer visitors would pay a good price for the souve-
nirs, to be used as doorstops or garden ornaments.

Well, let us hope for more beached whales next
season. Mr. Schevill hopes to find a species uncom-
mon to our shores, or perhaps the mysterious Atlantic
gray whale which reputedly existed many years ago.
Mr. Turner hopes to see a real piece of ambergris
brought in, if only as a reward for his insulted nose;
while we hope to obtain some jaw bones to be used as a
garden gate.

LIFE IN THE SEA

Worms Grabs ' ^rr=

Diagrammatic representation of the components of the production eycle in a marine area. (After
Clarke, from "Science from Shipboard," Science Service, 1943.)

How much life the ocean can produce, i.e. the
productivity of ocean water, is one of the central
points of interest in marine biology today. This
summer three distinguished scientists are visiting the
Institution to study some basic problems connected
with the productivity of the sea.

Working independently on related problems are:
Professor E. Steeman Nielsen of the Danmarks Farma-
ceutiske Hojskole at Copenhagen; Professor John E.G.
Raymont of the University of Southampton, England;
and Professor Mary-Alys Plunkett of Vassar College.

Professor Nielsen has made valuable studies of
plant production in tropical seas with the aid of
radio-active isotopes. He took part in the cir-
cumnavigating cruise of the Danish research vessel
Galathea during 1950 and 1951.

Professor Raymont has made most interesting
studies of the fertilization of marine areas. In one
fertilized Loch on the coast of Scotland he was able
to grow flounders to a five year old size in a two
year period. Professor Plunkett has contributed to
our knowledge of the dissolved organic content in
seawater .

15

NEW INSTRUMENTS

AN INSTRUMENT BUOY RETURNS LIKE A FAITHFUL DOG WHEN
CALLED AND BARKS TO SHOW ITS PRESENCE.

"The nicest radio program in the world,1 ex-
claimed David H. Frantz Jr., recently on board the
research vessel ATLANTIS when he heard the 'Bleep-
Bleep, ' of a radio buoy surfacing about one mile from
the ship.

With this deathless quote, a new era in oceano-
graphic research has started. Until recently we
worked almost entirely with spot observations. The
size of our vessels makes work in the North Atlantic
difficult during the winter months so that a situa-
tion exists which is somewhat parallel to the making
of detailed weather observations in Massachusetts
during the summer, in North Carolina in the fall and
in Florida during the winter time.

16

To fill the large gaps in our knowledge, the
Institution has worked for several years on the de-
velopment of instruments which may r>e moored at the
ocean bottom or at intermediate depths and may be
left for a considerable period to obtain a continuous
record of changes in temperature, current velocity,
etc. Several such instruments were developed by Mr.
L.A. Thayer. It is an easy task to throw the buoys
overboard but how to find them back turned out to r>e
a very narrow bottleneck indeed.

Consequently, David Frantz, research associate
in engineering, started to develop a buoy which, like
an obedient dog, would come to heel when called. He
developed a system whereby the shock waves from an
underwater explosion, set off in the neighborhood of
a buoy, activate a relay which releases the anchor so
that the floating buoy with its attached instruments
can return to the sea surface.

Sea trials

In March of 1953 we went to Bermuda with the
first pilot models of the buoy. They were rather
clumsy affairs, consisting of ten foot lo n g steel
pipes, about 4 inches in diameter, while the floating
mechanism consisted of a large wooden barrel, filled
with paraffin.

Bermuda was chosen as an ideal locality. Deep
water may be reached there within a few hours sailing
and the weather presumably would be ideal. Unfortu-
nately, the permanent Bermuda- Azores High pressure
system was displaced for once, so that the weather
was none too good.

On the first trial, the buoy was lowered on a
cable from the research vessel Caryn, just to make
sure that it would come back. Photograpns were also
taken. This is an excellent idea before a new in-
strument is lowered since there may never be another
chance to do so. Frantz and the writer were lowered
in a dory, containing four 100 Ib. aerial bombs and
a quantity of TNT blocks.

17

Instruments'

It is surprising how different the sea looks the
minute you step into a small boat. Within a few min-
utes rowing we could not see the Caryn, except when
we rode over a large wave. After Frantz determined
that we were far enough from the Caryn, we struggled
to prepare the bombs. For this, it was necessary to
unscrew the detonator in each bomb, pull it out and
lash four % pound blocks of TNT around the lethal
monster. Finally a pressure detonator was inserted
which would go off at a depth of one mile, igniting
the TNT blocks which in turn would set off the bomb.

It was no easy task to lift the 100 pounder over
the side of the heaving dory. Both of us, being used
to the steadier motion of the Caryn were not feeling
our best. The lifting exertion and the thought of-
the splash the bomb might make if it dropped back in
the dory also kept us quite warm in the cool weather.

Over it went! The dory righted itself with the
released weight and Frantz started to count. We won-
dered a little if the explosion, even one mile down,
would heave the dory out of the water and decided
there was little sense in rowing away from the spot.

Nothing happened. Another charge and then an-
other with subsequently shallower depth detonators.
No explosion. Finally, we were bright enough to rea-
lize that the wind and the sea had driven the dory
up the steep underwater slope of Bermuda, so that the
bombs were on the bottom in shallower water than that
for which the detonators were set.

We give you this description only as an example
of the many unexpected things that can go wrong in
oceanograpnic research and that the development of
new ideas does not happen overnight.

Exce Is i or!

Since last year, Frantz and Sloat F. Hodgson
have made extensive improvements which culminated
early in June with the successful recovery of a buoy.
The instrument consists now of a light pole about 20
feet long, fitted with three aluminum balls which act
as floaters and contain the releasing mechanism as
well as a radio set.

A simple 2 pound charge of TNT is capable of
calling the buoy within a radius of six miles. As
soon as the tripping mechanism is released, the buoy
begins to send out a radiosignal which can be heard at
a distance of 20 miles and on which the ship can
'home' It was the long 'Bleeeep' of this signal
which gave us our opening quote.

18

In the not too distant future a series of un-
attended instruments will be set at carefully located
spots in the Atlantic Ocean. The net effect will be
a great expansion of our fleet, since each buoy with
its instrument may be compared to an anchored vessel
making continuous observations.

-"

is,

Close-up of releasing mechanism, and setting buoy
from a small craft.

GIFTS AND GRANTS

The Institution has granted fifteen fellowships
to visiting scientists and graduate students. This
program which has been in existence since 1930 has
Been one of the most successful means of recruiting
oceanographers and disseminating interest in the
science .

The National Research Council granted the sum of
$8,000 to Dr. Francis A. Richards, chemical oceanog-
rapher on our staff, to aid research in the signifi-
cance of Chlorophyll C.

This
be much

in the carbon economy
believed. The studies
tant, Grace I. Creitz

mportant
the sea.

green pigment in microscopic seaplants may
more abundant, and therefore more important,

of the world than was formerly
of Dr. Richards and his assis-
may lift the veil of another

problem connected with the productivity of

19

CURRENTS AND TIDES

Our Gulf Stream advice
to the participants of
the Bermuda ocean race
was ''incredibly ac-
curate'', according to
the n a v i ga tors of the
yachts. The July issue
of ' 'Yachting' ' will
carry an account of the
race in Alf Loomis*
'Under the Lee of the
Longboat''. The Insti-
tution feels pleased and
flattered to have re-
ceived so much goodwill.

jler, recent-
l as research
in geo logy ,

John W. Zei
ly appointe
associate

received his doctorate
degree from Harvard Uni-
versity on June 17th.
Dr. Zeiglei^ thesis was
entitled: 'Geology of
the Blacktail area,
Be aver head County,
Montana.

Is North Dakota in-
habited? During the
§ast seven years about
0,000 people from all
other states and many
foreign countries have
signed the guest regis-
ter at our summer ex-
hibits. Not one came
from North Dakota.

A handsome diorama of
the buildings, docks and
ships will DC exhibited
in the lobby of the
Laboratory 01 Oceanog-
raphy. The display was
built by Mr. Hugh Price
of the Boston Museum of
Science .

'Scientific Carpenter
Shop' was the sign on
Stanley Eldredge's door
for the 'Open House'
after the Dedication
ceremonies. Mr. El-
dredge is proud of the
fact that he has built
hundreds of items to be
used in scientific re-
search.

Our Senior Biologist Dr.
Alfred C. Redfield and
Administrator N.T. Allen
journeyed to Bermuda in
June to attend an execu-
tive meeting at the Ber-
muda Biological Station.
Dr. Redfield is a Trus-
tee of the Station while
Mr. Allen has been the
treasurer for a number
of years.

The future of a possible
New England fishery will
soon be decided. Early
in June the Atlantis
brought in a few bushels
of the red deep sea crabs,
discovered by Mr. Wil-
liam C. Schroeder. Kept
on ice, the crabs were
shipped to Boston where
the feasibility of pro-
cessing the meat for
canning will be studied.

If the process gives
satisfactory results a
new fishing industry
will be possible. Large
landings of lobsters al-
ready are being made
from the offshore areas
discovered by Mr. Schroe-
der during recent years.

20

LIBRARY

UH 17YK P

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

of the
WOODS HOLE OCEANOCRAPHIC ASSOCIATES

GERARD SWOPE, JR., President
JOHN A. CIFFORD, Secretary

WINSLOW CARLTON
RACHEL L. CARSON
GEORGE F. JEWETT
HENRY S. MORGAN

EDWARD A. NORMAN

MALCOLM S. PARK

THOMAS J. WATSON, JR.

JAMES H. WICKERSHAM

WILLIAM D. WINTER

Chairman

NOEL B. MCLEAN

Committee of Corporate Associates

EX OFFICIO: OFFICERS

of the
WOODS HOLE OCEANOCRAPHIC INSTITUTION

ARNAUD C MARTS, President

EDWARD H. SMITH, Director

EDWIN D. BROOKS, JR., Treasurer