Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1883-09-01
Underneath Tie Ocean.


~ ihe meeting cf The National Academy
Of Science, Pro- i +. Terrill, OF Yale Col. /
-e2e described he physical aad geological
character Of the sea bottom OF The coast, !
especially that which les oeaeath the Gulf
Stream. He has maze 300 observations
this GUNNER for TIE United States Fish
Tom nisioEers He has crosed from La.
Arado- TO Chesapeake Bay, and about zoo
miles Quito sta About Sky miles outside
Q. Nantucket is g streak Of very cold water,
and sainaIs dredsed up are like those
caught y tie waters Of Greenland.
>pi,zoersen. or Siberia The water is
Fly falhoms daep. and the btd Of the
ccaan IS G! clay. Douiders weighing 500
Or coo pounds are dredsed up. Prof
/ 'srri!t believes that they are brought down
by icebergs from he Arctic regions and
drcppej when the ice melts The boulders
are folnd as far south as Long Island.
/ Further out to sea % TO l20 niles south
from the eouthe a,tern coast Of Ntw Eng>
4
clir ed very gradually eastward forming
table and, takes sudden dip down ward,
SO that whereas the water On the edge of
the b'uf is 100 fahoms deep. a: the bottom
d the basin i: is .000 iathoms deep. The
slope Is as high and as steep as Mount
WASHINGTON, AID Oh is summit which IS
level diver ecu i lie 90 to SO low depth,
ecu 1 pu! out his hand without tou ching
asiislrg creature The bottom Of the sea is
covered just there with fauna which has
never been before found outside Of the Med
iterranean Sea, the Gulf CT Mex co, the
lEdei,, cr other tropical regions. The
mum Der Of species Of fish dr-dged up is
500, and over half Of them have never ,e.
fore been seen By nauralists Seventy
Kinds Of tish, ninety OF c-ustacca,. and go
!, noNases have been aided to the fauna
The age Of many Of the specimens shows
that they mus: De permanent in that region
The trowel let down from the ships by g
niie Of rope brings up q ton OF living ano
dead crah. shrimp, star fish, and IS tbs
I .roxel simply Scrares over sniall surface
, the can bed is plainly carp ted will
b creatures.
As,o the quantity of light al the bottom
I q tie there has been much dispute
I Anima's drel-ed from below 100 fa,hom
: either have 10 eyes, or faint indications G
i ttenT5tor else their eyes are very large ant
|
{ times IS large as those Of crab from sur
J face water, which shows that light is feeble
4 and that eyes to De OF any use, must b
6 very large and sensitive. Another strang,
h tn!ng IS that where the cr, atures Ia thos
d lover dep hs have any color, it is Of orang
Z red,1 or reddish orange. Sea anemones
u corals, shr mp and crabs have this bril.iaa 4
4 color. Sometimes it is pure red or scarlet
al and IN many specimens j. inclines towar
u purp'e. Not green or b'ue fish is fouLd
u The grange lei i. tie hsh's protection, 70
8 she uish green 5ht il tie bottom Of .h
i' ocean N AXES tie orange CT led fish appea
u OF neutral tint and hides it from eneme
g Many animals are black Will. others az
II nehr-l IN co.o7 Some Fl .h are provided Wit
: b2rin- tails, 50 tia, they can busrow in th
: mud Finally, the sur'aca OF the SUI marin
;" mountain is GOV. red with shells, like an g
. dirary g. a beach, showing that il il the ca
: ing house Of vast schools Of carnivorot
= animals. \ eodish takes a whole Q, s,s
nc into is mouth. cracks the shells. dlgests Il
meat, aad pits CT. The :est Cra3s crae
: the shelf and earch OF the neat. In th
~ way come VII ,le mounds ef shells ,Eat a
/" dredged u.