Science: Beebe

Days passed without word from the good ship Arc turns, bearing Scientist William Beebe and 48 companions on an exploration of the deep sea (TIME, Feb. 16, Mar. 9, 16, 30). The Arcturus had traversed the Caribbean, threaded the Panama Canal, headed down for the Humboldt Current off the coast of Ecuador. A week passed, ten days, eleven. On the twelfth day, the U. S. Naval Commandant at Balboa, Panama, notified the Navy Department at Washington that two unnamed ships had relayed to him by air some intelligence from the Arcturus. Next day, the ship reported direct to Washington, stating she was off the Galapagos Islands (730 miles west from Ecuador). Heavy static at the equator had interfered with Beebe’s wireless.