| Show Girl Walks l On Floor of Sea A wed J By Splendors of Deep tl Woman roman Spends 5 Minutes l o of Ecstasy in Strange Realm With Inventor Who Has Found Way to j Gather U-B U Boats U-Boats' oats oats' Toll o C By Ruth Ruthc Byers universal Service S Special Corn Corre- t. t BRIDGEPORT RIDGEPORT Conn Ang Aug 2 I 1 I IJ Iam J BRIDGEPORT am tho first girl who ver Ter walked on tho floor loor of or tho the sex see without a divers divers' suit Down on the bottom of or Long LanS' Island sound the Incredible thing happened to toda to- to da day In my bare feet reet with a 3 pair of or r rolled up to my knees I Mopped out o of a salvaging submarine submarine rine with that wizard of or the under under- S seas Simon Lake Lak Its inventor and sauntered tit t will over oer the smooth cool bed of or the tho sea It Il was just noon when hen we started start start- ed down beneath the waves s. s Tho entrance way yawned black and forbidding as I started to descend Mr ur Ir Lake L. showed me how to catch a a. foothold In the tho opening opening- of the tha tube which swung in between two jutting sides of tho the mother ship head rl down Fritzle Fritzie Keep your our bo boy someone aan sang Bang out as I II I dropped down out of 61 eight ht get gel an awful bump if ir you ou dont don't But I was too excited to notice A cold damp dump wave of or air all hit me n and suddenly looking over o my shoulder 1 saw tho stairway slipping slip slip- slipping ping back from rom the Iho place where I Ii i stood dark and cool right cool right Into tho sea ea Above my m head tho the hot sun poured a blaze of or light hl that stopped abruptly just tho the tube dro dropped ped into tho the ocean better beller back down don those stales Mr Ir Lakes Lake's voice was re reI re- re I assuring Tho The men were right about keeping your our head donIts down n Its It's low here Slowly my hand slipped along thc the railing on either side as I 1 crept into the tho darkness back of or me mc No r one spoke for a few ew min min- utes I think just at first It camo came cameto tto to us who went do down n In the submarine submarine submarine sub sub- marine that this thing that wo we were were doing was an m epoch malting event c Here in our re regular ular work day cl clothes thes we were literally climbing down don to the tho floor loor of tho the sea as nonchalantly as we would climb down from a n hayloft The railing stopped abruptly abruptly- and ribbings steadied our clutching clutching clutch clutch- ing Ins fingers The stairs sloped steeply now and the metal as we touched it was waS' cold damp and clammy to the tho touch An electric light hidden awa away at Intervals ro ro- ro great drops of water covering covering covering cover cover- ing everything Now you ou are down Mr Lake called out unexpectedly Stop Slop a a. minute and look A round hole holo jn just big enough to admit a 1 mans man's body opened out of ot the sides of the stairway just where it ended abruptly against the wall of or the submarine On therl the tho rl right ht a little room was filled with machinery On the left ert Mr Ir Lako Lake crouched on his heels laughing at atm m my amazement This is the entrance to the div div- diving diving In ing chamber ho said Bald Como in Down a narrow passageway passa ewa through h a door of cast casl Iron or steel down a few steps beyond that and and I 1 I'S was S 'S actually in the diving compartment We could feel tho the waves surge us as a n. boat passed over tr our heads A tiny f electric light showed still more machinery machinery but but but that did not interest Interest Inter Inter- est est me mo Only one thing cau caught ht nd held me breathless It Il was tho the sea ita It was around me over o me mc me und under under un un- d der r me me everywhere The Tho beauty and m of or it brought brouth t mystery something something some somo- thing thins closely akin to profound quietness and peace Out through a a. narrow slit of or glass about a foot from the floor I could see seo tho the waves cs green gray ceaselessly l moving two Twenty feet under the tho surface surface sur- sur face o of the tea It sea it was so perfectly perfect perfect- fc ly normal I forgot ot to be afraid Sud Suddenly enl a door banged hanged Somo- Somo one hammered it Into place Be Before Before Bet Be- Be t fore tore I was fully aware that wea we wo a were ero shut U tight ht In tho the diving com com- a shrill rush of ct air nil donen deafened deafened deaf don en ened cd me Compressed air filled the tho narrow chamber L Louder uder and shriller it screamed In my cars while everything everything everything every every- thing around mo me grew Indistinct with a fo fog fob that choked me and beat against my m eardrums until they ached Great drops of or water stood out on my forehead Swallow then It wont won't hurt your ears ears Mr Lako Lake cautioned One of JC the en engineers leaped to the telephone and ordered the submarine submarine submarino sub sub- marine marino lowered two feet Tho The shrilling blast of or air all stopped Another Another An An- other engineer stooped raised the tho bottom of or one half the ln dl diving compartment floor and floor and thero was tho the ocean I No water came in We Wo were two twenty feet under tho the sea half haIr tho the diving floor Joor was opened out into tho the sound and not a drop camo came In The pressure of or air absolutely absolutely absolutely ab ab- ab- ab balanced the pressure of or ortho tho the water outside Mr Lake a fishing spear In his hand han leaned over the opening Lo ok k was all ho said And there before us unrolled the magic pageant of oC the tho sea As we passed slowly over the bed bcd of oC tho ocean only a foot toot above tho sands wo we saw a new nets world slip past our bewildered eyes There were crabs down there thoro huddled in sleepy sleep little mounds Tiny oysters clinging to tc larger shells long since sinco empty and useless useless use use- less and scraggly razorback shells everywhere here Wo we 0 saw something dart past the water rolled roiled and antl was still These flounders stay on the bottom hidden in sand Mr Lake explained That ono one was too quick for me Ill I'll get the next one And he dl did There was waG a a. short sharp struggle straggle A wee wco mound of or sand suddenly scattered itself Itsel Inthe in fn inthe the wa waves was s and Mr rr Lako Lake triumphantly triumphantly triumphantly triumph triumph- antly held up a wriggling flopping flapping fish Fishing new Fishing new style tyle I ventured Just slip up on tho the fish snatch them by tho the tails taUs and take them home homo for tor dinner Mr Lake grinned back tho the wa way he assented Nice way to get crabs too Watch me get that thet fellow Up ho he came camo fighting with all his claws la ws struggling desperately to get away There Thero were other fish we didn't catch Co this Is a true stor story and always al alwa's always al- al ways was back of ot everything there was tho the wonder o of tho the clean gloaming s sands Rands It looked as it If thoy they had been swept and garnished for tor our coming Holding to the tho sides Ides of or tho the boat we wo walked over o their shining coolness cool- cool ness for blocks No human foot had ever er stepped on those tiny shells bedded loosely loosely- In the tho firm clean ocean bed bed The man man behind me mc walking along with me me t said ai l nothing of ot all this this but but I listened to him with wonder not unmixed with awe Ho had hid conquered tho sea in such a n. simple wa way Down through tho the centuries men have dreamed as Simon Lake Lako dreamed years cars ago or of of recovering treasures hidden under the waves The They tried and failed The ocean kept its secrets gUl guarded well Down there today tor we walked along alon- easily enough The pressure of or the air was forg forgotten when we really stepped into Inter the water And then It was that we suddenly know that this ono one man o of all who had trl tried tl down through the years carlS had caught and made mado practical tho the dream Jules Verne know knew some somo day would como come true Simon Lakes Lake's submarine can bring back the materials sunk during during dur dur- ing tho the war Steel iron and cotton cot cot- ton ton these these things can be reclaimed It was a staggering thought that t walked those thosa came to la J mo me as I blocks of smooth sand on tho the ocean bed bed bed bed- tons of or cargoes cargoes cargoes car car- goes and ships went down from the great war They represented more than and now they could be tho be tho telephone rang They want you ou to come back You have ha been down 55 56 minutes The engineer broke the spell that held me I didn't want to go back but I knew the time lime had come Scrambling onto the tho floor of or the diving chamber I hurried Into the entrance way Tho The great door swung into place Once again fog tg filled the tho air and anel my cars ears hurt terribly Wo We were getting back to normal Then a second door opened and we were on the tho stairs climbIng climbing climb climb- Ing back to the sunlight |
