# What event was I watching in this old b/w newsreel (water gushing out of a diving sphere)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104 "2010-03-20T03:22:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/1 "2010-03-20T03:22:48Z")
Years and years ago I saw some old black and white newsreel footage showing a bathysphere which, I suppose, had suffered some sort of mishap and filled with water while it was submerged. The footage showed the big diving ball on a pier or the deck of a ship while some guys popped open a small window or hatch. Water shot out of the opening like a fire hose! What the heck was I seeing, and what were the circumstances and date of the incident? Anybody know? Thanks all, in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/2 "2010-03-20T03:34:43Z")
It was the testing of the first deep sea diving “bell” and it leaked. It filled with water under pressure so when it was brought up and the bolts around the window removed the water shot out like a cannon. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/3 "2010-03-20T03:39:14Z")
I remember such footage, but cannot find it [The Official William Beebe Web Site](http://sites.google.com/site/cwilliambeebe/Home/bathysphere)contains this improbable factoid about Bathysphere failures: > [@](#): > > Should the Bathysphere fail, the human occupants would be crushed to death in a nano second or less. Light only travels at about 11.8 inches per nanosecond. Water, even under pressure, is probably slower. Also, here’s a nice song about a [bathysphere](http://vodpod.com/watch/3223269-smog-bathysphere). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/4 "2010-03-20T05:10:20Z")
Wasn’t a bathysphere used to explore the Mariana Trench? ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/5 "2010-03-20T06:21:02Z")
Yes. [The Trieste.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste)Once, in 1969 for twenty minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/6 "2010-03-20T07:57:53Z")
The Trieste was a [bathyscaphe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe), though. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/7 "2010-03-20T13:51:55Z")
And it was in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/8 "2010-03-20T16:59:10Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Yes. [The Trieste.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste)Once, in 1969 for twenty minutes. 1969 was the first Moon landing. \*Trieste \*on the moon; now that’s an image the Moon-hoaxers would go crazy over. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-event-was-i-watching-in-this-old-b-w-newsreel-water-gushing-out-of-a-diving-sphere/533104/9 "2010-03-22T13:59:50Z")
Still looking for an answer here, so I’m giving this thread a Monday morning bump.