New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-20


Fr l-German wsierbotile Fig 2-wserbott in the
Blue Light Hg S-Tbe Deep Thermometer. Outside tube
scoho Inside tube with and water Column Of
mercury. d. Steel indexes movable within the tube.
The science of dredging is 80 far advanced that
the presence OF absence Of marine life on given
bottom nav be determined beforehand TO a great
extent without such knowledge, hours and days
might be spent in dredging unproductive grounds
and the useless wear and tear Of apparatus and tenn
pers would be something frightful TO contemplate
To ascertain this point there three tentative in
struments in use, and the record they procure also
subserves many other purposes. First we have the
lead second the water-bottle third, the deep-sea
thermometer The depth of soundings and the gen.
eral character of the bottom-whether muddy, gray-
ely or rocky-is learned from the lead. which has
some tallow lin a receptacle at its lower end, to
which some evidences of the character of the bot
tom usually adhere. OF course the first thing done
on reaching the proposed ground is to " beave the
lead' The depth and the description of bottom
are at once recorded along with the place. day, and
hour.
The water-bottle is a continuance to obtain sam
pies of the sea water at given depths. The simplest
form Of water-bottle is the used by the German
explorers. The bottle goes down empty, corked ;
with short line attached to the cork and longer
one TO the weight The long line passes outside of
the neck of the bottle and is dashed to the bottle
below the cork, leaving considerable slack between
it's two points Of attachment to the sounding line
above and 70 the bottle below. IL results that when
the apparatus is pulled up the short line takes the
pull first and draws the cork allowing the water
such as il NAV be at that depth, to rush in and fill
the bottle The apparatus is usually raised so rap
idly that there is very little mixture Of the water
thus obtained with other water The results are
on the whole pretty satisfactory. The apparatus is
4 al chi
fcaton of this has been recently suggested but not
yet attempted which may make its results yet more
Trustworthy This is to ax TO the cork another cork
attached by "a WIRE inside the bottle so that after
the first cork is pulled out and the water rushes
in the second cork will be pulled into the place of
the rs and thus the ascending bottle will be corked
so az TO keep ont the water through which 1t passes
SO far as the experience of nsturahsts goes the
German water-bottle proves, however, hardly SER
yiceable at depths exceeding 80 fathoms.
The water-bottle in use on the Blue Light is SINH
Iary constructed to that employed on the Chal-
lenger consisting OF q tube with two valves In IT,
water continually rushes upward through it, and it
is thus filed at any moment while descending with
the water of the depth TO which IT Is sunk. But
when il ~ drawn up the valves close being pressed
down by their own weight and that OF the sea above
them. IL is evident that this apparatus must be
dragged up rapidly 10 keep the valves closed, and 1t
is found in practice that If slip occurs or momen-
fary check in reeing in. the valves open, and the
water caught IN the tube at the lower depth be-
ZONES mixed with more or less of that which is
nearer the surface. Before the water thus brought
up Is regarded as automatically representing that Of
the depth from which il is supposed to be taken, 1t
is submitted to an immediate test-that OF the Their
mometer; If its temperature IS fonnd higher than
that simultaneously ascertalned Tor that depth Dy
the deep sea thermometer II Is regarded az contain
mated and the water-bOttle is lowered again.
TIE THERMOMETER FOR OCEAN DEPTHS.
AT the risk of beinga little tedious, must here
describe the deep sea thermometer. The instrument
in use is an English invention, designated as the
Casela modification of SKIS self-registering
thermometer. 1t consists primarily of thermome-
Ter bent in the shape of u, having a large bulb at
one end and long, slender bulb at the other. The
large bulb contains mixture of creasote and water;
In the bend of the tube there is a column of mer-
oury; in the small bulb, and between 1T and the
mercury. there Is little oreasote aud water and
snare of air highly compressed, but carrying Of
course some of the vapor Of the last-named liquids
II is confusing at first sight to perceive by the scale
that the mercury, which rises naturally enough by
heat Oh the small bulb side, falls at the same time
ON the large bulb side. Thus, on the other hand
when the whole thermometer was plunged IN @
bucket Of ice-water the mercury rose on the SIDE
marked cold to the freezing point while IL Tell
ON the side marked cheat" TO the bottom Of the
soaIe But the conception Of the instrument Is al