The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-19 00:00:00

DREDGING IN THE FIRTH OF FORTH.

• On the day after the conclusion of the Britishless
ciatbm erecting, held in Edinburgh the members and
as.sociates had their usual opportunity of taking part in
some one of various plearure excursions into the sur-
rounding neighbourhood. No less than six of streh ex-
cursions were organised ; and one of them, under the
direction of Professor Wyville Thompson, went
dredging in the Firth of Forth. Either frmn fear of
sea-sickness, or from the greater attractions of land
scenery, very few ladies joined themselves to the party ;
and the presence of in rre than one naturalist of Euro-
pean reputation assisted in giving an air of reality to
the work that wag to be done. The expedition pro-
ceeded by rail to Northlierwiek, where a steam-tug was
in waiting to convey them to the Thane qf Ft:A—a
commodious posit-tiger strainer chartered for the occa-
sbm. The tug was then taken in tow by the larger
steamer, and both proceeded to the offing to carry out
the business of the day.
-•- • -

Beyond a general impression that the object of
dredging is to bring into view sonic of the teeming life
of the bottom of the sea, it is, perhaps fair to assumethat a large proportion of the public know very little
about the nature of the operation. This much, at
least, is certain, that some of the party on Thursday
saw a dredge for the first time ; and it may therefore
not be out of place (continues The Ti,ses)to deserit can
implement which during the last three or four years
has added enormously to the sum of human know-
ledge. A dredge may be roughly compared to a land-
ing net, on rather a large scale, and intended to be
dragged along the bottom of the sea. It is made oblong,
instead of circular, in order to give itslower edge a sufliz
dent contact with the surface over which is dragged.
Various patterns are employrsl, differing in Certain
details' but alike in principle. That used on Thursday
consisted of a rectangular iron frame, about 4ft. long
and liin. wide. On one side, the edges of this frame
were somewhat everted, while on the other side a net
was affixed. Two iron bars, one attached to a cross
piece lwar each end of the frame, met in a common
ring, to which a towrope was secured. When resting
on the lsdtom, the dredge was dragged forward by the
progress of the steamer, one edge, or "hp' of the frame
m contact with the bottom, so as to scrape up from the
surface, and then to retain in the net, any forms of
subaqueous life that were encountered.
Besides a number of such dredges the tug carried
also a trawl, which is a net constructed on a similar
principle, but of much greater dimensions, and cal-
culated to retain flat fish and other large denizens of
the deep. Individual naturalists were also provided
with muslin bags on cane hoops intended to catch
floating creatures, and a store of wide-mouthed bottles
had been provided for the reception of living treasures
of every him!. At the pier-side, before embarking, a
few casts of a muslin bag were rewarded bytwo beauti-
ful specimens of heme a tulip-shaped jellyfish that
floats month upwards, Rs delicate whiteness brought
Hits,relief by fine pink lines, along which rows
of vibratile ruin keep up perpetual currents of water.
There were also some small meduste darting about in
the glass jar of sea water in which they were placed,
and displaying to perfection the varying staff::: it their
coverings and tentacula. As soon as the two steamers
were well under weigh a dredge was lowered from the
Thaw, of Fife and the trawl from the tug, and the
two soon after parted company, to meet again when
the trawl was hauled up. The first cast of the
dredge brought only a few crinoids, two sea-nrchins,
and two of the commonest (five-rayed) star fish, and to
this slender catalogue there were only a few subsequent
additions, of which a thirteen-rayed starfish was the
most important. The strainer made the circuit of the
Bat. Rock, startling with bell and whistle the thou-
sands of sea fowl that live and breed on its inacces-
siblesides, and again joined company with the tug, to '
which most of the passengers then transfered them-
selves. The crew were already dragging in the trawl;
and its multitudinous captives were soon struggling on
the deck, and being pounced upon in all directions.
Eager naturalists were hunting for marine rarities;
and mere idlers were seeking to secure some eatable
.trophies of the expedition. Plaice and soles and skate in
only moderate quantity were intermingled with num-
bers of smaller flat fish of various kinds, with cuttle
fish, aseidians, star fish, sea urchins and the like.
A marine electrical eel, and three fine specimens of the
red or Norway lobster, were at once seized upon by col-
lors ; and the wide-mouthed bottles were on all sides
filled with treasures of lesser yalue, while the lucre pot-
sportsmen were busy stringing plaice into bunches
after the fashion in which little- boys carry home their
evening's catch of dace upon rushes. The ladies of the
party hail mostly provided themselves with sponge bags,
and were busy filling them with star fish, while, at the
same time, they sought advice as to the manner in
which their prizes could be preserved. In this way a
very eager, happy, busy hour Via. 4 spent, and then the
time came at which the steamer must be steered for

shore, where the return train to Edinburgh av7aited the
tourists.

-What was thus done on a vey small and imperfect
scale, only as the amusement of an otherwise idle
morning, 'has its interest as conveying some idea of
the nature and objects of an expedition somewhat
similar in kini which is about to be made a national
undertaking. We have more than once called atten-
tion to the results that have been obtained by the
deep-sea dredging expeditions, which have been carried
on for short periods, at intervals, ohiring the last three
1-ears, under the direction of Dr. Carpenter, Professor
Wyville Thomopsom, and Mr. Gwyn Jeffries. These
expeditionis have been directe•l not only to bring up
the life of the deep sea, but also to test its compo-
sition, and to measure its temperature and the force
and direction of its currents. They have already Pro-
duced results which are in many re,pects totally op-
-1,1,3,1 to all previous conjecture. They have shown
that the profoundost depths of the ec,an, in which it
was suppo,ed that neitheL,light nor life cull exist, are
inhabited by complex Heinr posfe;Aus;-
fully-devt biped eyes. They Imre else-ii that the deep-
sit temperature, ,if hieing stationary itt
descendx to just ;Ow% e the freezing point, thatthis
temperature is so controlled by currents that an
arctic and a temperate fauna may co-exist with-
in a very curt distance id each other; that
the roc,oo if chalk formation is still being actively !
continued by countless myriads. if globigerime ; and
that the differences in tern
~erature and density between
equatorial and polar water are sufficient to maintain a
constant interchange of both, by which various deep
and superficial currents may be explained, and by
which the rigour of northern climates is perceptibly
modified in certain places. The statements contained
in these few sentences are sufficient to invalidate the
data on which many conclusions about the periods of
geological time anol the nature of geological forma-
tions have been based ; and they open out alto-
gether new views with regard to many oof the chief
problems of biology. They rest, at present upon oh-
serrations neither sufficiently numeralts nor maoleovera
sufficiently extended area to be beyond the reach of
doubt, and the influence of the Royal Society has in- I
(Need the Admiralty to take up a similar line of
research, with a view to its complete prosecution. For
this purpose it is now announced tfiat an expedition
will be equipped next year, to be absent four years,
and during that time to carry on deep-sea lii-edging and
deep-sem temperature SOlllidingS, in every part of the
ocean from which it is thought that valuable knowledge
may be gained.