New Orleans Republican., 1877-02-17
Deep sea SoundiuEs.

By the Galveston Ne,cS OF the eighth in
slant it appears that the United States
coast survey steamship Blake, Lieutenant
Commander Charles d. Sigsbee, command
ing, left that port on the seventh for New
Orleans to coal. During the season che has
run 2S06 miles, 1888 since January "a At
that date she proceeded southwark, from
the bar at Galveston, on q line of sound
ingH, proceeding on this course 1873 miles to
73l tathoms water. The course was then
changed, and line run to the coast, dis
tance cf I42 milet: thence along the coast
northeasvward to Pass CavAllo. From Pass
CavallO line was run southeastward
l45 miles to a depth of 9SS taLhoms;
thence west by south fifty-six miles
to a depth of 6S6 fathOms, getting, en-
route, one sounding of 1906 fathoms.
From CSC fathOms a line was run
nothwest to Arkansas pass, l27 miles;
from the mass about along the parallel go
So for 247 miles until in longitude 92o 25'
40" latitude 27o So. Along this line several
banks of fifty fathoms were found, depth
of twenty to thirty fathoms less than could
be found around the banks. These we're of
small extent, composed of sand, shells and
broken coral At all other souRdings on
the lines run the bottom was of mud.
Dredged on one bank and got about 200
pounds of material, and while this was go.
ing on a line with hook and bait was
lowered and a seven pound snapper caught.
This was at depth of tifty-two fathoms.
The line last referred to above ended on
bank, the least water on which is forty
seven tathoms, so far as known. This bank
is southeast One-half south of Ship Shoal
| lighthouse l53 miles. There is q forty nine
fathCms bank 100 miles to the sOuthwRrd
and eastward of Galveston bar, the posi-
! tion of which has not yet been plotted.
| From the forty seven fathOms bank the line
was continued northwest one-half north
| thirty six miles until in latitude 2S0 twenty
| five to twenty-nine and one-half fathOms,
| and thence in that latitude to near Pass
| CavallO, 100 miles. From the pass line
of forty miles was run northwaTd and east
ward to about ten fathoms, when the Blake
| proceeded to Galveston, where she arrived
| February g.
These banks have been found nowhere in
| the gulf except of the coast of Texas,
| The G. S. Blake is a steamer of 52G tons
! measurement, schooner Tigged, and has
| been stationed on the gulf coast under the
command of Captain Stgsbee for about
three years. Last year her work was oil
| tue coast of Florida, from the shore into
the deep water Of the gulf, also in runoing
lines OF soundiDgs across the gulf to Yucca
tan and thence TO Pensacola. This finished
she reformed North for summer work.
The apparatus for wire sounding com
| monly used has been that OF Sir William
Thompson, in which a measured resistance
ia systematically applied to the reel, which
resistance is always more more than enough
| to cOGnterbalanoe the weight of the wire
out. Suppose, for example, resistance is
applied exceeding by ten pounds the weight
| of the wire out. The sinker used by bim lie
thirty pounds, the clamp four pound; ne
then has thirty-four pounds between the
clamp and the sinker,
On a drum or reel is wound wire, gauge
No. D. weight fourteen and halt pounds
to the nautical mile, 5000 tathOms in length
Attached to the reel is a friction score,
around which, in paying ont, is wrapped a
friction line. During the descent of the
snker there is moving force for the reel
the weight of the sinker and the weight OF
the wire out. The force that the weight OF
the wire exerts to revOlve is cOunterbal
anced by friction placed in the reel by
the friction line. When the sinker strikes
bottom 1t ceases to haul on the reel, and
then only the weight of the wire payed out
remains as moving force, but that force
being counterbalanced by the force OF the
friction the reel must stop.
The apparatus used On board the Blake
and the invention of Lieutenant COmmaDdel
Sigsbee differs from this in an important
particular. On the instant the sinker reaches
the bottom the force of the friction, TO re
tard and stop the reel, is largely and au
tomatically increased. The BlaEe's machine
also eases the strain on the wire when il
reeing in the ship plunges heavily in se'
| WaV