Science: Claude's Third Try

Men long ago learned to lay great lengths of pipe overland to transport water, petroleum, natural gas, sewage. Georges Claude of France is the prophet and pioneer of laying great lengths of pipe on an ocean floor, to conduct seawater from the cold bottom to a shore station. Professor Claude believes that power can be generated at unheard-of cheapness by utilizing the temperature differential between the cold bottom-water and water from the ocean's surface warmed by a tropic sun. Twice he has tried and failed at Matanzas Bay, Cuba, to lower a mile-long pipe six feet in diameter into water nearly one-half mile deep. Both times, subsurface currents and pressures defeated him, sweeping away his costly apparatus (TIME, July 7 et ante). Last week, with 6,000 ft. of experimental pipe, he tried again at Matanzas, this time succeeded. Divers followed the pipe down offshore as far as they could, reported it safely in place. His patience thus rewarded, Professor Claude announced he would soon try again to lower a larger pipe, but not at Matanzas.