Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-02-02
Geography OF the Sea.Bed.


of the bed of the ocean, rs derived
from Admiralty surveys aud submarine
telegraph expeditions during the last
fifteen years. His explanations we're
Illustrated by n number of excellent
diagrams showing the transverse sec
tons of the North Atlantic and of the
Indian Ocean, and longitudinal sec
tons of the North and South Atlantic
and the Mediterranean. The first gen
eral feature pointed out was the alb
sence from the sea-bed Of those great
and abrupt inequalities which distin-
guish the surface of the land, and the
softer undulations and greater level
were attributed by the author chiefly to
the planning action of currents. So
level is the bottom of the Indian
Ocean that Captain Halpin, in laying
the Indian Gable, stated that for
hundreds of miles there was no varia-
ton in the dynamometer of the cables
descent, and that it could have been
laid at the full speed of the Great
Eastern. Another important, general
fact that had resulted was the proof of
the error of all former statements of
very great depth of the ocean. No
depth had been found greater than two
thousand nine hundred fathoms (seven-
teen thousand four hundred feet) 1t
was true the Pacific had not been in.
yestigated, but number of soundings
had been taken in the North Pacific,
and they showed a maximum depth of
less than three thousand fathoms. The
author entered into details regarding
the valleys of enormous breadth and
length that had been established as ex-
listing in the Atlantinc and Mediter-
ranean, and also described the suhma
rine plateaus and the temperatures at
different depths. He concluded by ex-
pressing the thanks of scientific men
and Others to Admiral Richards, hydro
grapher to the Admiralty, under whom
the recent great progress in deep-sea
soundings had been carried ont.
Prof. Huxley expressed his dissent
from the author of the paper with re-
gard to the great difference alleged to
exist in the surfaces of the sea-bed and
of the land-a difference which, he con-
tended, would not appear, if both were
only applied to the great general fen
lures of the surface; it took no account
OF the minor irregularits, which ON the
land were caused by the corroding ac-
ton of rain and rivers. A recent dis
covery had shown that the most char
acteristic organisms of the deep sea
bed, named coccoliths and coco
spheres, existed at all depths, even in
shallow shore waters, and were also
found fossil IN sedimentary rocks Of all
epochs; discovery of great interest, as
confirming the view of heuniform con
ditions of submarine deposits in all
ages of the earth's history. He was
opposed to the view that the animals
found living in the dark regions
Of the lowest sea depths de-
pended forlight on the phosphoIescence
of some of the species, and saw no
reason for concluding that they could
not exist without light. He also doubt
ed the accuracy of The very low tenn
perature found mt very great depths,
and thought that those taken in the
Indian Ocean might be explained by
the fact that they were taken with Their
mometers not rectifed for pressure
He concluded by giving warm praise to
the British Government for the great
work they had encouraged in these
deep sea surveys, and maintained that
they had been unjustly assailed for
their refusal to aid in furthering science,
which they were ready to do wherever
Il good case was made out for their Civ
ing assistance.
Mr.. Gwyn Jeffrys was convinced from
the soundings he had himself taken,
that there were great inequalities in
the bed of the North Atlantic In one
case the same dredgings gave depths of
1,055 and Of TAO fathoms. In the same
sea gravel was very widely spread over
the bottom, and there were often ex-
tremely rough flints, which he thought
would be dangerous to submarine
cables, Many of the animals he had
dredged up from the great depths were
amply provided with organs of sight,
showing that light was there existent.
The submarine cable of the Mediter
ranean was subject to the attacks of
boring animals, moluse and crusta-
sean
Capt. Sherard Osborn concluded the
discussion by adducing as further proof
of the level nature of the deep sea bed,
the fact that the grapnels used to re-
cover the severed cable of 1865 (only
two inches in thickness) swept across
the bottom for more than a hundred
miles, and, in crossing the cable,
scarcely ever failed to hook it, which
could not have happened had there been
abrupt inequalities Of surface.
Ok one occasion Hood wrote TO his
butcher that it was necessary, for the
sake of cheap literature and the inter
rest of the reading public, that he