1939-07-21 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 21, 1989.

Page

REMARKABLE EXPERIMENTS BY PROFESSOR HALDANE Conditions Aboard Doomed Thetis Reproduced

Experience In

Airtight Steel

Chamber

London, To-day.

NEW RULES FOR SICILIAN

SUBMARINES

ON TRIAL

London, To-day.

After 14 days of searching enquiry, the Thetis tri-liamentary Secretary to the Ad- Mr. Geoffrey Shakespeare, Par- bunal adjourned yesterday and will meet for- miralty, replied in the House of maily on July 27 to fix a date for renewal of the Commons yesterday afternoon to hearing.

At this hearing the evidence of salvage divers will be heard, and it will be known whether efforts to raise the submarine are successful. Professor J. B. S. Haldane, the famous scientist, ex- pressed the opinion at yesterday's hearing that air conditions in submarines might be improv- ed by carrying soda lime to absorb poisoned air in an emergency.

Professor Haldane also thought | hours in an airtight steel chamber that if the men had breathed oxygen with foul air to see how difficult it three-quarters of an hour before was to use the Davis escape ap- going into the escape chamber, they paratus after such a period in such would have experienced no trouble conditions. in escaping.

After his period in the airtight Professor Haldane, after des-chamber, Professor Haldane des- cribing an experiment in which he cribed how he put on the Davis reproduced conditions such as pro- breathing apparatus and for a few bably prevailed in the doomed sub-moments breathed quite happily marine, told of another experiment but was afterwards seized with he had carried out.

vomiting and headache, thus sug- gesting, in his opinion, the plausi. ble hypothesis that men attempt- ing to escape from Thetis under- went similar symptoms and that one of them may have vomited and torn off the mouthpiece of his apparatus for that reason.

FOUR FRIENDS ** He said he got four friends who were former members of the In- ternational Brigade fighting in Spain to go into the air-tight steel chamber in which he had subjected himself to the conditions prevailing in the Thetis.

5

He did this in order to see whe- ther other people reacted similarly

to himself.

Conditions in the chamber cor- responded to atmospheric condi- tions in Thetis a little before 10 o'clock on the morning of the second day.

"VERY BAD"

Professor Haldane said: "One man was sitting on the floor, head in hands, panting and saying he was feeling very bad.

"He was prepared to go on longer. but I did not want to make him ill. "People find it quite difficult even to stand under these conditions.

"There is a certain lack of con- trol of language, and one writes things down in a rather stupid

manner....

"One cannot think a problem out at all, and there is a very marked effect on the mental faculties.”

NO ACUTE PAIN

the

The proceedings of the inquiry were finally adjourned for one week. On Thursday next judge will sit to consider fixing a date for resumption of the inquiry.

British Wireless.---'-

NAVAL VISIT TO INSTANBUL

London, To-day,

An official announcement last. evening stated that units of the Mediterranean Fleet will visit Istanbul on August 20.

The Commander-in-chief Mediter- ranean, Admiral Sir, Andrew Cun-

question on submarines,

a

Mr. Shakespeare said that in future only a minimum number of contractors' employees would be diving trials. carried in a submarine engaged on

The captain of the submarine that only a minimum number of would be responsible for seeing persons above the submarine's complement remained on board for such trials. Reuter..

M

JAP. PLANES ON H.K. BORDER

"Invasion" of British terri- tory, across the Shumchun border, by three Japanese planes flying in formation, oc- curred this morning between 8.30 am. and 9 a.m., accord- ing to a report reaching the “China Mail" from a usually reliable source

It is stated that the machines flew low enough to be readily identifiable, into British terri- tory as far as Ta Ka Loung, circled round and then flew back across the border.

From Sheungshui Police Station, the China Mail" was informed that three Japanese planes were reported to be fly- ing along the border in Chinese territory at the time mention- ed, but no report had been re- ceived of the machines cross- ing the border.

CHILD ALLEGED ABANDONED IN FIELD

Before Mr. E. Himaworth at

ningham, will go to Istanbul on the Kowloon this morning, Inspect

battleship Warspite and will travel Describing the last sensations of to Ankara to pay his respects to the doomed men, Professor Hal- the Turkish Government Trans- dane said they would be somewhat Ocean, akin to feelings after strenuous

physical exercise,

The men would gradually become less and less sensible.

He had never seen anybody suf fering from the effects of the same type of poisoning, having convul- sions, throwing themselves about or anything of that sort.

It was not a sensation accom- panied by acute pain. Router. IN BOR 11 HOURS"- London, To-da Evidence in the Thetis. enquiry was heard yesterd

the distinguis Bofentiat, Profes

sor JBS. Haldane, who

ed how he locked himself for 143⁄4!

BATHING SHED ROBBERIES

Mrs. F. E. Booker, of Taipo, has reported tha between Sunday and yesterday, some person broke into her bathing shed at Middle Beach and stole gramophonia

ords and $2410- 14046 was No. 86

The

H.. E. Rogers prosecuted a couple, Leung Fuk, 30, and his wife, Yeung Yip, 22, for being the parents of an unnained" "female child about 7 days old, they did abandon or expose the said childs whereby the life and health of the

child was endangered or likely to

LAND DIVISION PROGRAMME

Rome, To-day.

The intention of the Italian Gov-

an❤

ernment to partition_large_Sicilian estates into small farms, was solini, addressing Party leaders

nounced yesterday by Signor Mus-

from Sicily in the Palazzo Venezia. Sicily will be able to sustain twice as many people as at the present time.

His announcement that work on this project is beginning was greet- ed by loud applause.

of Agriculture revealed details of the partitioning plan, according to which 250,000 acres of estate land will be divided during the next ten years. into 20,000 farms. }

Following the Duce, the Minister

The first 2,000 peasant villages will be inaugurated by the Duce on

October 28, 1940-Trans-Ocean,

TO MATCH PEN AGAINST SWORD

Shanghai, To-day.

A group of 15 Chinese men and women, consisting of playwrights, poets, novelists and artista, have just left for Japanese-occupied ter- ritory in North China to match the pen against the sword.

Known as the "pen guerrillas,” they will visit every important cen- tre of Chinese resistance behind the Japanese lines in the provinces of Hopei, Shanai, Chahar and Sul- yuan. They plan to "collect ma- terial to show future generations. the entire panorama of Chinene

resista ainst the Japanese in-

· vasion; report to unoccupied China the f sweep and extent of Chinese activity on the other side of the line, and to produce both a collective novel - and 2 collective poem."

In addition, at least 12 volumen of survey reports will be published by the group on its return at the close of the year tó unoccupied ter- ritory-Reuter.

DAILY EXPRESS CRITICAL

London, To-day.

The “Daily Express" this mom-

be permanently injured, in a fielding criticises the granting of credits at the function of Levern Road to Poland, which, the paper alleges, and Argyle Street on Wednesday.

At the request of the prosecut would throw out of gear the Bri- ing officer, the couple were re-tish rearmament programme. manded for further enquiries, police custody.

Mra. E. G. Brooks, of No. 106. The Peak, was fined $2 by Mr. R. Edwards this morning, for parking overtime in Pedder Street, on July

Poland," says the paper, would spend the money not only in Bri- tain but in other

includ Ing the Un

The

land

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