The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-04-25

be literally voted 10 complete winch only DE
menced under their appropriations OF this latter fact
there be doubt more particularly as regards the
central road, the southern road and hewstern half of
the northern road
The Telcgraphic Plateau and Deep Sea
Soundings.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HEARLD.
Now, on the of the sailing of the Niagara on her
mission of laying the Transatlantic Telegraph il may be
of interest review the survey made by govern
Of the great Geographic plateau extending between
Ireland and Newfoundland. Seldom before has question
Of delicate scientific interest been closely allied To
another Of such prodgous practical Importance for on the
accuracy Of certain deep soundngs will hang in
small degree the successful laying Of the eegraphc cable
Up four years since attempt had been made TO OBJ
tain the depth of the North Atlantic above the latitude of
IS degrees South Of this the chart is everywhere dotted
tn soundngs made from the Albany Dolphin and half
dozen other of government vessels for which
largely indebted to Lieut. Maury, who first caused all
officers who volunteered their services to be supplied with
the proper sounding apparatus and has since done much
reduce and classify the results Of their abors One
two vessels specially detached this service bring
ing back returns of great scientific interest The difficulties
to be enormous, from defective apparatus
and the novelty Of the work. STILL soundings OBJ
tanned which may be considered very near approxml
the truth indicating depth considerably less than
miles; this greater than that obtained by the
Albany in the of Indies from the
Dolphin near Cape verd Islands when the project of
spanning the Atlantic was seriously proposed Lieutenant
Maury was able TO conjecture from this data that masc
ally greater depth would be found north Of the parallel
OF IS degrees opinion sustained by the explorations OF
Captain Berry in the Dolphin, in 1883 on the lines Of
the triangle formed by New York England and the Azores
in 1856, when the Geographic project seemed 70 be on
the point OF realization government offered TO examine
foundand and Ireland. The little steamer Arctic
then lying dw at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was detached
Berryman Leaving New York on the night Of July 49,
she reached ST. Johns ON the 18th, and in couple OF days
commenced sounding as near ue great circle as possible
water then at intervals Of 3d. ~, 60 and 100 miles sound
ings made with complete success but frequently in
voying many hours both night and day. OF great suspense
and hard work, losing at times two or three thousand
fahoms Of line sounding apparatus and all Nearing the
Irh coast the distance OF the soundngs increased
uniformity being found in their returns and the
I'D Of August the party arrived in the harbor Of Queens
town.
After recruiting officers and men, and taking in supply
Of fuel she sailed her trip the 9Th of Sepcm
Der Trouble with the machinery detained them until IN,
lOh when they renewed their work filing up the blank
between their former soundings. In all thirty live sue
cesiul casts were obtained averaging one for every fifty
miles such Is the narrative OF this Interesting cruizc, tn
appreciation Of the Importance Of which manifested
both sides by the proer Of every attention which English
hospitality could devise
The accuracy Of these returns has questioned by
very high authority home and is allied 10 another
problem of prodgOus interest few words on the subject
Of deep sounding may he Of interest The dfcuhic
"a be overcome enormous and have been but par
tally removed by the imperfect machinery for onp
time use All OF lines have been tried, witt
every adaptation Of weight With the same uncertain re-
turns. With heavy lead the line is art to part
II light POWER is wanting the friction Of two
or three miles of line and the currants anu
countcrcurrcnts that separate you from the bot
tom. Increase both, and your apparatus
manageable Add to this allowance for drifagc and
surface aud undcrcurrcns perhaps In different direc
lions then the mposb'lity Of asccrtaining when thu
snkcr strikes bottoi,aDd supyosng all tbesc dincuic-
10 be apparently overcomet u dscouragng sounding
twice OF the point to find Difference in the return
Of half and this too ia comparatively shallow water
the experience Of Capt Patt, in the Albany Invoun
tary suspicion arises TO the accuracy Of the whole
system. These difficulties not oyersatcd, as the reader
will turning the pages of Maury's sailing di
rections. Having little reliance in the system here nd
vised Lieutenant Bergman made use Of self registering
sounding apparatus which has for years been In Use in III
English navy. To the lead attached, the principle of
the screw propeller piece OF cockwork for registering
the revolutions made by the in the dc.
scent Nhaving been asccrtncd that this made one
revolution for every fathou Of perpendicular
descent self registering hands attached 10 dat and
the instrument l. complete. The popularity s, that in
If asccranng the depth by the amount az line out,
il l. told by the hans of this little machine, which, being
attached to the snker dcscends line the
bottom escaping thereby very many Of the Of error
in the old method. very beautiful invention relieves
of the weight and steam reel worked by the engine al
the vessel brings the whole affair with IL precious freight
Of nfusora and submarine specimens, TO the surface
These have been subjected IN mscrosceac examination
aiordng curious Developments, and proving by teir
debcacy Of form and agty Of structure that the bed OF
the uDdisturbcd by the currents and ataon OF
the surface Amid these hcecy particles the elcgraphc
cable would sink "a in snow bank.
Such the machine by which the returns Of the Arctic
have been obtained Tho prcjudiccs OF haury have how
ever been long directed in favor Of the ODD system Of nd
ing bottom with a simple line and sinker, and he
pronounces Massys patent 10 be novel and untrcd As n
lis novelty, Il pronounced by one Of the Lrrds
OF the Admiralty TO be admirable invention at a time
when Professor Maury In long clothes, sl9 and n
being untricd, u was years copied by Maury,
and thought 10 work " beautifully" Ny description +
taken verbatim from his description Of his copy, which
was then coupled with the highest praise, nor the
merit which Nanry then assigned discredted by N trial
board of the steamer Arctic IL was there used In con
slant contrast with the old system, and In every Of
difference reliance had the rather than the Old
method The belief that the method Of sounding advised
by Lieut. Naury anything more than approximation
the truth Is shaken by careful study Of his own bok,
where in almost every instance where two casts Of the
lead have been made The same point discrepancies
nj times Of one, two or three miles, which shake
belief IN the reliability Of either; and these contra
dctpns of such frequent repetition that we must lay
them TO the radical defects q the system These dscre
only be suppressed in ythe OF these returns
and Falta-s recruits more presentabe than tho re-
naming nine part.
Now that lieut. Maury has volunteered this attack on
the accuracy of OF the Arctic II may he 81
tcree 10 examine his claims. The only scientific
poraions ever made by our government on the tele
graphic plateau have been those Of Lieut. Bergman, in
he pophn, In 80, and in the Arctic last summer. His
soundngs first made known the existence o the great
submarine prairie Of the North Atlantic, while has been
which these abors brought before the world 10 at
taeh his name plateau and TO have these surveys
quoted in the London Tina as made by Maury himself A
seeurycy the entire route al this moment In progress
under the British government, and we will in couple d
months be possession Of oher data for Ne solution ~
This prOs'cm - -