The New York herald., 1874-09-14
DEEP SEA SOUNDINGS.
The Apparatus Used in Sounding and Obtain
ing Samples of Ocean Bottom.
THE OPERATION OF CASTING.
Abstract from the Report of Commander Bel
knap on His Operations in the Pacific
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 10, 1874.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept IL, 1874.
The general interest shown toward all that is
connected with the series OF deep sea soundings In
the Pacific, just completed by Commander Belknap,
OF the navy, prompts detailed description or the
machinery used by him successfully.
The subject Of the contour or "prOtle" OF ocean
beos has long interested geologists and scientists
engaged in the study of the sea. and when about
1854 Passed Mdshipman Brooke (aterward or the
Confederate navy invented apparatus which
brought up in small qulll specm mems OF the ocean
bottom, scientific men all over the world rushed to
see and study the new field opened to them. The
apparatus Of BROOKE has been variously improved
upon by that gentleman and others, until now
Commander Belknap has fully tested its capacity
Tor sounding at depth Of more than five miles,
with the Beknap sounding cups, invented by him.
SELF
A rod about two feet long has the lower end
cone shaped for two inches, and in the next eight
Is shaped exactly like carpenters large auger;
above this Is sIiding cup which drops close over
the spiral portion, fitting tightly on the shoulder
which the point presents This cup, during the
descent to the bottom, is held at the upper part
OF the rod, ana, being detached, as hereafter
shown, when the bottom is reached, drops down
upon the shoulder ana retains along the spiral all
the mud, Ooze, sand or gravel which is collected.
AL clSuI-luCu IOuuu sLOJ HAS uOTcu luTOuRH Lne
centre hoie Two and three-quarter inches in
diameter, and has attached net work OF wire,
with TWO handles which terminate IN rings. This
shot, weighing about dity-fve pounds, is passed
over the sounding rod and the rings hung on q
short arm or trigger, which holds the shot in
position just so long AS the cord or wire which
connects 1t, is pendant. To the ring at the top
OF the sounding rod trigger, rod formed OF five
or six strands Of WIRE twisted together is attached
and to the end of this, connecting with the piano
wire which is used, is twenty-five iathOms Of al
bacOre line. These form the whole apparatus at
the bottom, the wire rod and albacore line having
been found necessary to avoid "kinking" the wire
and thereby incurring risk of loss.
THE MACHINE USED IN SOUNDING
is known as the Thomson Machine, having been
invented by Sir William Thomson, of London,
and Commander Be.knap's work is the first I'm
portant work in which IL has been thoroughly
tested, the British government declining to place
1t on board their own ships. The material used
lor lowering and raising The sounding rod is
wire, known as No. %, piano wire, and weighs
but fourteen pounds TO the mlle BY using this
the casts are made with greater rapidlty ana
less room is required than lOr the od-fashiOned
one and a-hall inch anu two inch rope. The
Thomson machine consist OF q drum or wheel
thirty inches IN diameter on the edge OF which is
shaped fiange on which the wire Is wound.
This drum IS mounted on a platform extending
over the ships side, and has on the axle
register or counter, on the principle OF
the Odometer, which shows the number Of
revolutions made by the drum; over disk
at one side Of the drum runs cord, which,
when making cast. is turned once around a sta.
tonary wheel ten inches IN diameter, Just in rear
attached to the dynamOmeter; this cOrd which
slips around the dynamOmeter wheel, runs thence
thirty feet to pulley block, which is connected
from an upright post to pendant, TO which are
attached weights of various sizes, 20 control the
running out of the wire. Another wheel, near the
weighted pendant, is used in reeliug in the wire
after bottom is reached. and this, which Is four
teet in diameter, is fitted with handles on each
side for that purpose. When the wire is to be
reeed in the cord belt, attached from the
drum to the dynamometer is removed, and an.
other, leading to the large wheel, Is substituted
With this oriel and imperfect description OF the
apparatus used the operation of making sound
ing may be perhaps better understood and no
description of cast can be better than tnatscon-
tanned in a report Just received from Commander
Belknap, which is as iOllOws:-
REPORT OF COMMANDER BELKNAP.
p rsE S s the saa S am 0s to
pulley line is well weighted before th machine takes he
se5srs the aisssSTs line /: s!sashsS
line is round on the drumand the line being OF known
counter are not until the begins to down
bs wire ssau G 10y s % o aG % hs
weights hooked on to the pendantand it is believed
saa hs hf'se Ss
that show ssuA wsh S ns on Ss
sSSndi,,eas the line
the easily as to
render IT. action ;bo Upon nearing
creased g brag strain he dynamome,s and 70
reached the drum stops turning but with the motion OF
the ship viii a and a. h e
sign that The snker Is on the the bottom Sometimes when
DEAD sSp ,SScss qassSuSic%eS , he machine
II such eases 4 is safe plan press the hand down
Rs too 66p@ o on
% K
or the rolling OF the ship, but be had to
wss q
hs e sf east S e% shs dHs
oicer in charge takes mold the pulley line hauls
sss
as s the hesn has ns ne
the wire Is clamped and the order given to shit BELTS
r. %sf a1f
nFs as'
sS%Rs psS s%ays s"e' ,s [spans
the ON w eS roana s, s h s
The wire eempe ITEM ihs mashne fHfs s
containing solution Of caus;ic soda to prevent rust
This solution should be renewed from time time.
Both IN running down and hauling back the clerk is
toned TO note the time OF every hundred revolu.
tons and also the number OF spices In the wire The
wire comes In different lengths and as is spiced 1t is
carefully measured and the number Of fathoms be-
tween the spices and the number of revolutions Of
the drum, as indicated by the counter, between the
noted.
The revolutions not be confouuded with fathoms
for though the first turns the drum will be a fathom
Tor each one the diameter is constantly increasing and
therefore after the fir 81 layer Of there
slight gain in the length OF the wire for ach iurn
The following table will perhaps make the matter
clearer ~
Number on NnrJe, OF lNunyer OF Gain of
Spices Rerotutons Fa,loms lFitIOms Rates of Cain
l........ 240 24e II lat 10 l20 rev.
......... 51O BIOL l0l fat. to 32h rev.
,,........ SOL $50 20l rat TO 80 rev
!. ........ LOO 1.230l Boil fat.
when bottom is reached the counter Is read and the