The New York herald., 1874-12-02
TIE OCEAN DEPTHS.
Trial of Deep-Sea Sounding Apparatus on
Board the United States Steamer Narragan-
sett-Very Successful Experiments.

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Nov. 2l 1874.
The United states steamer Narragansett, Com
mander George Dewey commanding. proceeded to
sea- from Vallejo, on the morning OF the 10th inst,
to test the practical working or her deep-sea
sounding apparatus The Narragansett has taken
the place OF the United States steamer Tuscarora
In the work Of sounding the depths OF the
Pacific Commander Belknap, while In command
OF the latter vessel, was the first to prove the
pracicabillty Of using piano wire for this purpose.
He added many Improvements to the then exist
ing apparatus, though it is still far from beng
perfect; yet such Is the degree 10 which the per.
lection has been carried that the depth OF ths
ocean can be ascertalned anywhere The Narra-
gansett started on her short cruise equipped with
all these improvements.
The day was clear and pleasant; the sea was as
smooth as glass, there being scarcely a breath or
wind blowing. II seemed as II everything con-
spired to make the day as perfect as possible Ior
the experiment. The first cast was made about
100 miles from the coast, and the bottom was OBJ
tained in 2, 1877 fathoms, or about two and three
quarter statute miles. No. % English piano wire
used, with shot attached to the specimen cup
weighing 1fty-eight pounds. Thomson's machine
was used Tor running 1t out and reellng it in. The
wire Is wound around drum, the circumference
OF which ID exactly one 1athom. An Instrument
called the odometer registers the number OF rev0-
Drum through pulley leading from an upright and
down around another instrument called the dy
namometer. A number OF weights are suspended
from the pulley TO c0unteract the traction OF the
shot ana wire. The dynamometer registers the
amount of this traction. When the shot reaches
the bottom and is detached all the tension,
nearly all, Is removed from that and the wire
and the dynamometer fly back on account of
the endless rope becoming SLACK and registers no
traction.
Tue irst operation consumed % min and Al sec.
IN running out. The reellng in was done by nand
lowing each other at every 100 iathoms OF the
wire Teeled in. Ihls is quite gain IN time over
ing With them The sounding alone at q
depth OF $500 iathoms occupies three
Miller-Casella deepsea thermometer was at
tached to the wire twenty fathoms above the shot
boItoo 70 m .e a. Ieo
from the Challenger Expedition :-"Ihe tempera-
ture az the bottom is very nearly always the same.
81 degh
BelKnap's cylinders Nos. and 2 were used to
obtain specimen OF the bottom. Tney were per-
fectiy successful In each case they brought back
about two ounces tneasuremenn OF greenisn
ooze, which, under the microscope, was found to
be composed OF dlatoms, slllclous spicuIes
and an Iesaus when resisted
their beauty among the diatoms were circular
iorms with tesseated surfaces and spindle-snaped
bodies with transverse markings. Both OF these
forms resemble very much tae fossil diatoms Of
the Barbados earth.
seConu Cast was Inaue aDOut fourteen miles
nearer the coast and bottom was Obtained at
1894 fathoms. The thermometer registered pot
tom temperature OF 81 deg; 23mln. 2ssec.
were required Tor the shot to reach the bottom,
and 25mn 57sec. TO reel IN the wire.
There was not hitch or a break IN any OF the
work. Everything worked as smoothly as If they
were measuring the deDth OF a shallow pond with
pole and the results were accurate.
The Narragansett will start on her regular work
OF deep.sea sounding IN a lew days. She Will take
series OF sonndngs along the coast OF Lower
California running OFF and on the shore, TO deter
mine the shelving OF the coast line. She will also
sound over the Gull of California.