The stone of the city, if it is stone, is icy cold. It is like nothing any of us have ever seen before. It looks absolutely new and there is no algae encrustation whatever. Moreover, there is no sea life around it at all. This area should be teeming with fish, but there are none. Perhaps the coldness of the water here has driven them off. But what causes the cold? Atlantis will keep the world's scientist busy for decades. It is the colossus of all time.

We were ready to call it a day when Stuart found a way in. There is a crack in the roof at the northeast corner where one wall seems to have slipped just slightly. It is several hundred feet long and five feet wide at its widest. There is a complete inky blackness inside that seems to absorb our search beams. We could see nothing.

I decided that there was time enough tomorrow to explore the inside of the city to our depth limits. We have had a hard day and this deserves a little celebration.

Unfortunately, the radio is completely out now. Nothing at all but static. We couldn't report this find even if we wanted to. But even this bit of bad news can't distract from our exaltation.

We are sitting on top of the world.


5/3 2200 hours The crew is still celebrating. They are already counting how many Porsches they want and how many interviews they are going to do with Barbara Walters and People magazine. Except for Lyndon, who wants a Rolls Royce for each day of the week but can't decide on the right colors. And Ramon, who wants a Penthouse girl for each day of the week. Oh, well, they deserve some fun. It will do them good to blow off a little steam. But I told them lights out in half an hour.

This discovery will rank with those of Columbus, Captain Cook, and Howard Carter. Carter opened the tomb of only one man, Tutankhamen; we are going to open the tomb of an entire alien civilization.

Sharlene seems to be getting worse. She is very pale and complains of a splitting headache. If she does not improve tomorrow, we will head in to port. There is no sense taking any chances.

Besides, I want to stake the claims to this find as soon as possible.

The sea is calm. The barometer is rising.

Wish this damn fog would lift.


5/4 We are in trouble.

Around 0130 a woman's scream rang through the ship. I was up at once and running towards Sharlene's cabin. She was all alone in the room, sitting up in bed, screaming insanely. She would not talk to me, nor even recognize me even though I shook her. She just sat there, staring at the floor, screaming as if the world were coming to an end. It was eerie. With the rest of the crew there, I finally knocked her out. She is burning up with fever. She keeps tossing and turning violently, even though unconscious. We tied her down to keep her from hurting herself. Over and over she mumbled for God to forgive her and save her. Even as we stood there wondering what to do, her eyes opened wide with indescribable terror and she began to scream again. Stuart ran for the medicine chest and we finally got a sedative into her. But she still tosses and turns. And mumbles pleas to God. I have never seen anything like it.

I decided to set a transponder buoy and head for Bermuda immediately so