, 1888-10-25

heavy cannon ball through which
asses 4 long piece Of iron pipe.
This has valves which close when
the pipe strikes bottom and Is full OF
mud or sand. i self registering
Thermometer - attached 20 IEdlcats'
the Temperature a. the profound
DEPTHS of the - al. he cannon
bali IS detached as soon - it strikes
the bottom so as toTelieye the weight
and resistance when hauling up the
wIre. The small machine Uver the
stern is an invention OF Capt. IGn
ner's. and sounds 1890 lboms. Tins
also has piano forte wire and an IN
dex which accurately notes the exact
depth. SouHaiuCs are taken every
five miles. This is determined by d
patent log, and when . miles are IN
dicated, a bell sounds and the en-
gines are instantly stopped. Down
goes the sounding lead, the depth
| noted, the bel Ftini5 - go ai1ead, and
| the whole observation completed and
the vessel under way before one Of
the old fashioned deep sea leads
would reach the bottom.
The deep sea dredging Is most ia
ter2sting. At depth of two thOus-
and fathoms. the dredger brings up
what looks like fire white or gray
sand. but under the microscope we
find it entirely composed of minute
shells. some OF them NEST beautifully
formed. The whole bod of the ocean
is composed of these minute shells.
The deep sea dredge also brings up
variety OF queer looking fishes
which, when brought to the surface
and relieved of the enormous pressure
; of the water in the profound deep,
become soft and fiabby and of no ac-
count. But these deep sea fishes,
and a variety Of mollusks and crus-
tacus form tho food of larger fish,
and it is conjectured that salmon,
when they go to the ocean, go down
in deep water and feed on the myri-
ads OF deep sea fish, and this theory
seems to be the true one, as the
salmon in the ocean are not sur
face fish, and when they do appear,
to enter the river, to spawn, they are
always fat and in the best condition.
The same theory holds good regard
| ing mackerei, snad and other pelagic
fish In the library of the labora-
tory Of the Albatross is set of vol
umes of the Challenger deep sea
soundings beautifully illustrated. In
conversation one day with Capt.
Tanner about the tabled Atlantis and
the interest felt by science to have the
deep sea dredge bring up some relic
of that sunken continent, he related
the following anecdote: "On one oc-
casion while handling the dredge in
two thousand tathomS In the Allan
tic, somewhere off the Strait of Gib>
oItar, several bricks were brought
Capt. Tanner remarked to the
Tho were on board, "Now
evidence of Atlantis"
lighted. "How history
;" said one ''sSee how
:. esemble modern ones"
The, easured and examined
and coply. notes made, bat one of
the sailors spoi!ed it ali by remark
ing. Il guess some old whaler threw
his try works overheard here" That
let the bung out of the whole busi-
business aud Atlantis again retired
to oblivion.
Specimens of all the deep sea sound
ings are preserved in glass jars, so
that they can be seen and examined.
The fish and mollusks are placed in
alcohol, and so arranged that they
| can at all times be seen and studied.
! These jars are arranged on one side
of the laboratory and between them
| are dried specimens OF stariish, echi-
nus or sea urchins and corallines,
some OF them very rare and beautiful.
In cases along two sides of the
laboratory are specimens Of birds and
mammals and jars of alcoholic speci-
mems Of small articles, while larger
ones arc placed in great tanks of al
cohol, and there are immense quanti
ties Oh board the vessel, slowed away
in the hold. A person could spend
months of profitable study in exam
lining the scientific collections on
board the Albatross which have been
taken during her northern cruise
Among the shells dredged up on
Puget Sound We're the great pecten
or scallop, the Pecteh CGurinuS
of the scientist l asked MIR. Towns
end the meaning of the word cduri-
nus. 1t is derived from tho Latin
cauTus, the north west wind, hence
cauriaas, north lCeSteT7l, meaning the
northwestern scallop.
We finished coaling on Tuesday, the
9th. at noon, but remained till 6 a. III.
of the 10th when We started for sea.
When in Fuca Strait, opposite Beech
er Bay, set the trawl line IN 10l faith
oms, and caught about so dog fish
and nothing else, SO we kept on, as
from other trials it showed that dog
fish, at this season are very plentiful
We passed Cape Fattery at midnight.
and the next morning We were off
Point Grenville, and at 80 p. IN. we
passed Gray's Harbor, and commence
ed sounding every five miles, running
in 4 S.W. directions; From Shoal
! " ater Bay the soundings were
very regular; 27 fathoms, 3S, 81, 153
and 432 fathoms at twenty-five miles
off shore.
/ Oh Cape Disappointment, distant
10 miles, 81 fathoms, then 23l, 421,
475 and sos; off Columbia river,
with st. Helens bearing E, the
sounding 10 miles off showed G2, GS,
| IS, 1G2, Col and 500; off Glatsop, 60,
70, 81, SO and 80.
The soundings off the Columbia to
601 fathoms indicated the ancient
river bed, a raYine probably secured
out by glacier action as Puget Sound
was secured out by that avalanche oi
waters caused by the melting of the
great ice mountains of the glacial
period.
The inshore portion of this great
ravlne has been filed up with sand
, brought down by the Columbia in al
those cons of ages which have passed
J since the glacial period ceased.
In the deep water dredging We
, found plenty of shrimp and prawns
one specimen of black cod, and some
echina, or sea urchins OF the Japan