The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-01
rae prsp.sEA sousDrses OF THE "ARcrIc.'

rar prgp. SEA sousDNGs OF THE "ARorIc."
To he Editors Of The Union
your correspondent b. in the Union of last Satur-
,.t - nae rouudly to task because in passing upon
49, soundngs Of the Arctic found them want
inc and said So For this charged with upjus,y as
sailing Lieutenant Bergman
uas il come to this that in conducting physical re-
rcbes we may treat according to their merits, the
materials brought before without being charged with
All sorts of improper and sinister motiyesf
The true points at issue not touched by b" How
the may be- he has made 1t necessary
by what he says for 10 state them 10 sedeience They
as
Did the deep-sea soundiDgs made last in the
steamer Arctic come properly within the official cog
niranee of the Superintendent of the Observatory and
70, wherein did he find Them wanting
There is law directing the Secretary of the Navy to
employ three suitable vessels of the navy in testing
n,es and peecting the discoveries made by Lieutenant
Many in the course his Investigations of the winds and
pnents of The sea- eutenant Bergman told in bis
Instructions that the Arctic sent out under this law
and the Secretary Of the Navy in bis annual report also
cites this law as authority for sending her and says that
the specimens obtained from the bottom of the sea-
peher with the charts showing the soundings turned
ousr 10 the Observatory also the abstract log
Thus had not only the right but it became my duty,
to examine and report upon the work of the Arctic
And this report did not b. intima,es find its way
into print without authority.
Now othe grounds for rejecting the work Of the
Arctic they sufficient All those who interested
Ia this beautiful field Of rtsearch have right know
The regulations of the service prescribe the in
which the operation OF conducting deepsea soundings
shall be carried and they also requirs 10 be kept
board Of every vessel of the navy and according
scrbed FORM Abstract log the record which officers
ordered to keep for the Observatory is called.
Among other things officers especially enjoined
49, IL
mark the sounding line takes to go out for if it took
the lead at time to sink given depth in hour and
another time only half twice that depth in hour
We might fairly suspect error somewhere. This, it will
be observed, was important check. The soundings
made by Lieut. Bergman in the Dolphin made in this
way and thus enabled to slit his work then,
reject what might be found bad and preserve the good
But In the Arctic such check is afforded. The alb
stract log returned from her is faulty and
such extent be absolutely of value Many Of
the blanks in it back untitled and others papably
Wherever any check this work is afforded
find it Astounding in errors For instance the wet-bulb
thermometer is there generally recorded higher than the
dry; and for the deepsea soundings this record
meagre in detail of itself to excite suspicion The
of descent of the soundingead is nowhere mentioned the
fact that sounding made at such time Of day.
with without bottom is given and that is about all
The sounding machine used was new. The depth was
to be told by the length of line but by the revolutions
of that went down with the lead yet there's
mention made of any trial for testing the accuracy of this
screw of any experiments for determining its errors
and that the Of this continuance album
dant is obvious.
Lieut. Bergman, however in his official report states
that according it he found but 100 athoms where the
best charts board gave l54 and therefore presnmes
best charts to be wrong Now these charts were made
by distinguished English and French photographers their
soundings made with the odashioned lead and line
according methods that recognised every where
the most for such depths Is any injustice
Lieut. Bergman to differ with him here and to suggest
that the error in all probability in his sounding
machine, and not with the charts ?for his soundngs with
1t do not tally with his souudiBgs in the Dolphin; and
neither do the soundings made with it in the Arctic going
to Ireland agree with the soundngs made with it in the
Arctic returning from Ireland
The rule among all of science is that the observa
ons in whatever department of physical research shall
be 30 conducted that ell who choose examine may de-
duce results from them well and accurately can the
observer himself who makes them and the fact that til
abstract log Of the Arctic gives of the details
say for this purpose, itself sufficient throw doubt
upon the work.
But this is not all the worst; for when the different
records that had been turned the Observatory from
that vessel to be compared with each other dscre
ances the most glaring presented themselves As
ample take the sounding that made at3 p M of Au
gust l. It is the sixth of the table which accompanies
Lieut. Berrymans official report published ia the Union
of the Oath In that table and of his charts
depth for that sounding is given at $40 thoms The alb
stract log gives il at 1900 fahoms while the chart
sent by Bergman to the Navy Department from Ireland
to show his soundngs well the label attached
the specimen obtained from the bottom that cast the
depth given at athoms And this is not solitary
case.
Now wherein have done any wrong injustice to any
one or wherein have given Lieut. Bergman his
friends any just Of compaint7 Isubm tho
the public. Respectfully, &c, M. r. MAURY.
DEcxxBEa 20, 1856.