The daily gazette., 1883-04-07

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A Washington correspondent says The
United States steamer Albatross, which was
built for the Fish Commission, of which
Professor Spencer F. Baird is the head, Is
now fitting up at the navy yard here for her
first cruise, and will shortly sail. For
several years the work of deep-sea investi-
CATION has been vigorously and inteligently
pursued, the preliminary work being done
by the officers of the Fishhawk These
labors were SO well rewarded that it was
| some time ago determined to build a vessel
| purposely to continue the work, and accord
| ingly the Albatross was designed. She was
built by the Pusey 81 Jones Company in
Wilmington, under the direction of Lieu
tenant z. L. Tanner, her commander.
She is very staunch sea boat, 2I0
feet in length, 27T feet in breadth, and
nearly II feet in depth. Her interior is
fitted up with large and convenient labora-
tory on two decks, Photographic and storage
rooms for specimens, and all the apparatus
necessary for deep sea-dredging and sound
ing. She has II engines on board, which
will be used for various purposes. Her
anchor may be weighed by steam, and she
can be steered by the same power. She has
double propellers, by which she can be
backed or turned quickly when dredging.
In every part of the ship are brilliant Edison
electric lights 130 In number, and also
water-tight compartments and a collision
bulkhead. BY an ingenious arrangement
the ship below decks is ventilated, the ap-
paratus extending to every state room. and
the ward room and mems quarters are fitted
up in the most comfortable way. Among
other mauy improvements is handsome
steam gig, which can readily be launched.
The work of deep-sea investigation, which
is really just begun, will be prosecuted with
intelligence and vigor by the officers of the
Albatross, every one of whom has been de-
tailed to perform some specific scientific
work, in addition to his regular
| duties. During the coming voyage some
very interesting experiments will be made
with new apparatus, tn result of which
| will be looked forward to with great inter
| est by scientific men in this country and
| Europe.
For the purpose of sounding she is
equipped with Sigsbee apparatus, fitted
| with piano wire, 10 which are attached
| lead and thermometers. The wire may be
run out to the distance of six miles and
thermometers, which will mark the temper
aturc of the water at certain depths, can be
| attached. Lieutenant May has overcome
| difficulty which has heretofore been expert
enced by inventing new way of splicing
| the wire when it snaps, as it sometimes does
n paying out or hauiing III.
A very ingenious eDnlr vance is the trawl
| WnlCn Is ordinarily uStu lOF Lilt
| bottom of the sea. II may be sunk to great
| depth, being attached to a steel wire rope
four miles long aud is a canvass hag dragged
on runners on the bottom, which keep the
mouth of the bag in position to catch and
hold the dredgings. On hauling the bag to
the surface the contents are poured into
great screen and carefully classified and pre-
served in slcohol Every particle of matter
| is preserved In the late trip from Whining
| ton bo inf tUbi mi, IN
sh' II was broken were found by Professor
Baird, to whom everything ia tnrnad over at
| the completion OF the ,o-r T-,ee differ
ent bottles, which conclusively n, Now
careful Mr.. Benedict and Midshipman>&n
are in this regard. Some OF the deposit
from half mile or more below the sur
face was found under the microscope to be
full of minute and beautiful shells. fish
| found at 600 fathoms was possessed of a
body which was fully able to resist the pres
sure of the mountain of water upon it, esti-
mated at 300 pounds to the square inch,
and, on being brought to the surface, the
tish's eyes protraded from their sockets,
and it was quite dead long before it reached
| the top of the water through the lack of re-
/ sistance, which would burst an iron plate,
but which was natural to the inhabitant of
the great deep. The fish had eyes,
though its home is supposed to be
as dark as Erebus. Paymaster George II
Read, who is also the Photographic
OF the party, will make some experiments
/ to determine the intensity of light at differ
ent depths, from so to 5000 fathoms. He
has invented an instrument by which,
through the aid of electricity, pieces of pho
tographic plate are made to revolve, and
are exposed. 1t is expected that the plates,
on being treated, will give the intensity of
the light of the sea. If the experiment
| proves successful, an interesting point
which has long baffled naturalists and sci
entists will be determined.
The dredge, as it is called, is used on
sandy and rocky bottoms. 1t is a little sack
| made OF chain, with a small mouth, and is
enclosed in a canvas bag Its mouth is set
| with iron teeth, which tear up the bottom
rock and force it into the bag.
The electrical apparatus is very complete.
The search light is one of the most novel of
| the wonderful inventions of the nineteenth
century. 1t consists of three Edison electric
lights of 16candle power each, enclosed 10
a Theoretically sealed glass case, which is
surrounded by glass globe, and capable of
resisting the pressure of the water at great
| depth. 1t is proposed to sink the lamp and
illuminate the sea by turning on the light.
This, 1t is expected, will attract the fish, and
| a net 10 feet in diameter at its mouth placed
below the light will be drawn at the proper
time, and the unknown fish of the lower
| waters will be caught. sit is an improve
ment," said one of the officers of the ship,
"on the method of the Indian, who searched
the river at night time, with burning pine
knot in the bow of his canoe and a spear in
his hand, but the idea is really stolen from
him."
Paymaster Read has the most perfect ar
rangements for his work He will be able
to photograph fish and shells as soon as
they are taken out OF the water by a vertical
camera This is necessary, as in some cases
the air changes the form of some of the curl
osities of the sea. The sea water will also
be brought to the surface from any depth
desired for analyzation. During the trip of
the Albatross from Wilmington an arc light
has been first successfully operated on an
Edison circuit and an invention has been
completed for lighting the surface of the
sea- which will be useful for signaling and
for the prosecution of all kinds of work at
night.
The AlbaJross will sail for Norfolk in a
few days, and, after magnetic survey, she
will leave for a summer cruise 1t is ex-
pected that she will go to London during
the summer as part CT Americas exhibit
at the International Fish Exhibition in that
city. The officers of the ship are Lieu
tenant Il. l.. Tanner, commanding; Lieu
tenant Seaton Schroeder, executive officer
and navigator; Lieutenant S. II. May
Master A. c. Baker, Eusign G, j. Brush
Midshipman r. H. Miner, Surgeon j. H
Kidder, Paymaster G. II. Read, Passed
Z. Assistant Engineer G. W. Baird. Civilian
scientific staff ] A Renedtrt residan