The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-06-01
Strange Facts About the Bottom of the

In SirC G. Wyville Thompson's prelim-
mary account of the general results of
the exploring voyages of Fl. M. S.-Coal-
lenger, published by Harper h Brothers,
the account of the deep-sea souDdings
made by the scientific corps in 1873 and
1876 is interesting to those curious re-
garding the mysterious world beneath
the surface of the waves.
Previous to the deep-sea soundings,
which were made for the purpose of as
certaining the most available route for
laying the Atlantic cable, scientific
students had come to the conclusion
that life at the bottom of the sea was
confined to narrow border round the
land; that at depth OF one hundred
fathoms plants almost entirely disap-
peared and animals were scarce, and
represented those animal groups only
which are among the most simple in
their organization while at three hun
dred fathoms the sea bottom became a
desolate waste, the physical conditions
being such as to preclude the possibility
of the existence of living beings This
theory was disproved by the cable sound
ings. The fact was ascertained that, 50
far from being desert destitute of life,
the bottom of the ocean was peopled
by a fauna suited TO its peculiar condi-
ton.
lhechallenger sailed from Portsmouth
on the 2lst of December, 1872, and on the
Sd of January moored in the Tagus, off
the city of Lisbon. Here the expedi-
ton remained until the 18th of that
month, and several pages are devoted to
an interesting account of the various
scientific institutions of the city. Thence
the course of the expedition was to Cape
st. Vincent, where the trawl was used
with successful results at depth of six
hundred fathoms. From this point they
proceeded to Teneriffe, pausing at Glib
raltar and other places, and employing
the trawl with great success at depths
varying from one thousand to more than
two thousand fathoms, bringing up the
most curious and delicate specimens of
deep sea fauna.
From the observations made by the
expedition, it is established that the
mean depth Of the Atlantic is little
over two thousand fathoms. An ele-
waited ridge, rising to an average height
fathoms below the surface, traverses
the basins of the North and South At
laptic in meridianal direction from
Cape Farewell, probably rs far south
at least as Cough Island, following
roughly the outlines of the coasts of the
old and new worlds. This ridge, with
two branches, divides the Atlantic into
three great basins-an eastern, which
extends from Ireland nearly to the Cape
of Good Hope, with an average depth
along the middle line of two thousand
and five hundred fathoms; north
eastern basin, occupying the eastern
height of the American continent. with
an average depth of three thousand
iathoms, and a gulf running up.the coast
of South Africa as far as Cape Orange,
and open to the southwark, with mean
depth of three thousand fathoms. The
numerous soundings in every part of
the Atlantic establish the interesting
tact that the distribution of living be-
ings has no depth limit, but that animals
of all the marine invertebrate classes,
and probably fishes also, exist over the
whole of the floor of the ocean. Al
though life is thus universally extended,
the size, with the exception of some
groups, decreases after a certain depth
is reached, while the number of species
and of individuals also diminishes. At
depths of little above two thousand
fathoms the fauna is varied and numer-
Gus.
Thus the dredge, the trawl and the
deep-sea thermometer clear away much
of the ignorance that has prevailed con-
corning the depths of the ocean. They
tell us of the life that passes on those
unlighted plains and peaks, where the
massive waters rest undisturbed by the
flow of currents or the wrath of storms
life in curious, beautiful and delicate
forms, which art is not refined enough to
reproduce in all their grace. They
make us acquainted with the conform a.
ton of the ocean bed, with it's unseen
ridges, plains and heights, with the vast
currents that flow between watery banks,
with limits almost as we'll defined as
those of land rivers.