MIKOLA GUZIK’S LETTER
In several days Volkov, Konobeev and Vanyushka met on in advance agreed place on the seashore.
– There is a business on a harmony! – Vanyushka exclaimed. – I wrote to Guzik to Leningrad. It, you understand, from shock crew it is sent in addition in higher education institution. Brainy small. And my friend. At one time we together worked with it, there and made friends.
– However nothing will leave this business – Konobeev unexpectedly told, moving with moustaches and dense eyebrows. – I spoke with our collective manager. I ask it: that supposedly if to begin to part cabbage as Japanese whether it is possible on it money from artel to receive or from Dalsoyuz. And the manager speaks, as there is nothing to think. To plant cabbage, speaks, there is nothing; one surf, speaks, casts thousands of tons ashore, and perishes, to neither itself, nor people. Evona, how many! – and Konobeev pointed to heaps of the decaying seaweed cast by waves ashore.
– And look! It that? – Vanyushka exclaimed, pointing to the boat in which two already famous Japanese sat. They continued to plant bamboo bushes. – Show to our manager.
– That case tenth, however – Konobeev objected. – Japanese at themselves pull out all sea cabbage to the last bush, one may say, language lick a bottom, and at us what? Хы! Dog in the manger.
– And you what told earlier? – Vanyushka flared up.
– Said that it is quite good.
– Semyon Alekseevich! What is it? – Vanyushka who reddened for nervousness and disappointment asked. – Same labor desertion. Disbelief!.
– I think that Makar Ivanovich is not right – Volkov answered. – Does not follow at all from the fact that we badly use the natural wealth that we also should not use them. On the contrary, it is necessary to use what the ocean casts ashore that is still stored in its waters, and what can be created the hands. I guided some references. Now we extract seaweed over eight thousand tons, and in one thousand eight hundred eighty fifth more than ten thousand were extracted! – Vanyushka whistled. – Then we sold cabbage to China as foodstuff. Makar Ivanovich is right – now we get less, than earlier. Listen further. The chemical researches made not so long ago showed that the sea cabbage really contains many nutrients and is suitable also for food of the person, and for a cattle forage. It contains from six to thirty percent of protein also a little fat – about a percent one and a half-two. Thus, in cabbage there are all substances, necessary for food. The Japanese cabbage of “amanora” is rich with a protein [55] and is very good nutrient. Japanese great masters to make various foods from an amanora. They put the dried-up cabbage in seasonings or eat it separately prepared. Amanora canned food with bean soy turns out especially tasty.
– Heard? – asked Vanyushk Konobeev, significantly nodding.
– However I heard all this when still you did not exist – the old man responded.
– We could send cabbage both on internal and on external the markets. But a sea cabbage – Volkov continued – it can be used not only as nutrient. From its ashes very valuable fertilizers as in it there are potassium salts turn out. America gets these salts from seaweed for many million dollars annually. At last, in seaweed there are a lot of salts, iodine, bromine and even arsenic. In 1916—1917 there was here a plant which gave up to one thousand kilograms of iodine a year. “The Lyaminaria of a digitat” contains three percent of iodine and to twenty five Percent of carbonic potassium. Are most often eaten “ulva” from green seaweed, “porphyry” and “redimeni” – from red, “alyaria” and “lyaminariya”.
– And how much it is possible to get seaweed? – Vanyushka asked.
– One American calculated that in the Pacific Ocean only one species of seaweed – “macrocisyew” – can give sixty thousand tons of an annual harvest. And stocks of all species of seaweed cannot now even be considered.
– Evona, however? – Konobeev told, having run widely a hand from the North on the South. – On coast of all Strait of Tartary to a bay Plastun, on coast of Sakhalin and for the midday even to Korea. It is incalculable as sand sea!
The new emergency meeting was convened by Vanyushka when he received the answer from Mikola Guzik.
“You, Vanyushka, ask me about diving suits. The best of them – Japanese. It is the device which Closes a nose and eyes (glasses). In the Japanese suits it is possible to plunge about 80 m. It is deeper it is difficult to fall in such devices (water pressure: immersion on each 10 m increases pressure approximately by one atmosphere). For deeper immersion there are rigid devices In which it is possible to fall by depth of 200 m. In such device pressure of water is absorbed by walls. Average immersion in the soft device – 40 m. But also at rigid and at the soft device the diver is connected with the base (air supply). Release of the diver from base (relative) can be reached by supply of the device with compressed air. But this “release” as I told, relative. The diver cannot gain full independence of base already because in water it is difficult to be guided (at a depth of 8 m in daylight it is possible to see in the horizontal direction not further 2—4 m).
So the situation with the existing devices is. But…”
Vanyushka interrupted reading and, having raised a hand forefinger up, told:
– There is a most interesting further!
“… but the invention our laboratory of the new compact accumulator opens the big horizons in the most numerous scopes of electric energy including in diving business. Imagine a small box – like match. And here this box which you can easily put in a waistcoat pocket (if you already got a vest) contains the electricity reserve sufficient in order that throughout several days to move the car with speed limit. “Power plant” in several honeycombs of horsepowers is hidden in your waistcoat pocket. You can be lit, be heated by this energy week, can rotate it mill millstones, set machines, tractors in motion. I decided to use the accumulator to diving business. You gave me the idea! I will create absolutely new type of the diving device.
You probably know that the oxygen necessary for breath, in the nature more than is enough. In the atmosphere of its 23%, in crust – 47,2%, and in the seas and oceans – 85,8%, that is are more, than in air and crust, combined. This oxygen should be extracted only from water. And it is possible to take it by means of electrolysis. By means of the accumulator the diver will receive air from sea water, decomposing water electricity. All “laboratory” for getting of oxygen will be located behind the back in a box with size no more marching satchel. But it is not enough. The same accumulator will give current and for a strong lamp in one thousand and more candles. The lamp will be located over the head of the diver and to light to him underwater vicinities on several tens of meters. At last one more. In the satchel you can have not one, but two, three, ten accumulators. You “will soak up” electricity of the whole power plant in accumulators. You will become walking power plant. And you will be able to use electric current in one direction: for rotation of the small screw which will allow you to float with big speed. You understand what prospects of an ego opens? You will become the real sea inhabitant, you will float tens and hundreds of kilometers under water. You will not need to have any base with which you would be connected. If you want, you will be able even to lodge under water. Your plan about underwater agriculture interested my many friends scientists. They consider this plan quite feasible and promising. Now I conduct experiments, I design the new diving device. When everything is ready, I will write to you. Report how there are at you affairs with the organization of underwater plantations. This thought so interested me that, perhaps, I will not keep and I will arrive to you to try my diving suit.
M. Guzik”.
Vanyushka lowered the letter on knees and looked at listeners. On them the letter, probably, made a great impression, especially