Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-05-13
y. \ Tribune.
The Deep Sea.

Some interesting results Of recent deep sea
explorations we're coucIsely stated IN late
lecture at the ROYAL Institution, London
Four-seyenths. or nearly three -fourths Of
the surface of the earth i, covered bv sea
The average depth Of the ocean is. according
To the latest calculations OF Mr.. Otto krum-
NELL, about | 81 fathoms, or somewh hat
over two miles. The greatest depth known
To exist was discovered by the United States
ship Tuscarora, near the kurile Islands, in
the Northeast Pacific. Il is, 1886 fa;homs
or about five mile. and quarter The high
est mountain existing is of about the same
height as the deepest sea is deep. Mount
Everest is i.sj3 fathoms in height. SO in
significant however, is the total volume Of
the land raised above sea level in proportion
to the vas, cavity occupied b, the sea- that
were this cavity emptied of its water, the
whole Of the land now above sea level could
be .ho,eled into i, twenty-five and half
times over before i, would be filed up TO
the present sea level.
Nevertheless, the depth Of the oceans,
great as It is, is as nothing IN comparison
with the vastness Of their extent Of surface
As Mr.. Crol has said. the oceans in relation
TO their superficial area are as shallow as a
| sheet Of water 100 yards in diameter and
onl, all inch in depth. The sides Of the
ocean basins are moi, at all steep. They are
mostly so little inclined that an ordinary 10
comotiye engine could run up them IN a
straight line with ease Their inclination is
| usually not more than three or four degrees
or less Around some oceanic islands the
slope is greater. The steepest slope known
is at Bermuda, where there is all inclination
OF nearly twenty degrees from the edge Of
the reef to 1000 fa,homs. There are no
such things as mountains and valleys on the
| deep sea bottom.
Animals cannot slip down agains, their
will into the depths, but must move deliber-
ately into them, and travel long journey
to reach them The pressure exerted BY
the superintendent water at great depths is
so great as TO be almost beyond conception
1t amounts roughly to ton on the square
inch for every ! 900 fathoms of depth, about
l66 times as much as the pressure to which
people are subjected on land. At the great
est depths the pressure is about four tons
and half. Vast though this pressure is, it
is, however, only about one-eighth Of that
which Professor Abel and Captain Noble
have measured. as produced in their expert
ments on gun-powder. The deep sea ami
mails, being completely peuneated by fluids,
are probably no more conscious Of pressure
acting upon them than we, and. SO long as
they move slowly from one depth to another
are most likely unaffected by the consequent
changes of pressure.
With regard to the temperature of the
deep sea water, the conditions which would
affect animals are comparatively simple.
Nearly all over the ocean the temperature at
500 fa,homs is as low as 40 deg. F., and ,hi.
Is the case even Immediately under the equa-
low 1900 fathoms the tempsratuar is never
more than few degree above freezing point,
excepting in the peculiar cases of nd-locked
| seas, such as the Sulu Sea