Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-14

Gated. One OF them proposed that they put In
going into a restaurant, have him get change for
| II. The note was put into the helpless man $
pocket and the conspirators hustled him on The
man gave all the details OF the transaction, and in
every particular they fitted into the case so well
that the prisoner was acquitted.
IN THE OCEAN DEPTHS.
A Torch-Lixht Procession a, the Bot
tom Of the Sea.
| ODD FISHES BROUGHT Up BY THE FIsH-coNNissroN
| NRTs-CREATUREs THAT LIVE THREE MILES UNDER
| wATER-THEIR PHYSICAL SURROUNDINGS HOW
| THEY LIGHT Up THE SEAS ABYSS.
In jars and bottles that stand in rows on the
! shelves OF a laboratory at the National Museum
| are many strange fishes To catch such fish as
| these fisherman would have to go far out into
| the open sea and have fish-line two or three
! miles long. These fishes have been studied and
figured and made the subjects OF many new and
wonderful chapters OF natural history. DIR. Tarle-
ton II. Bean. the curator OF technology was study
ing one OF them when a STAR reporter invaded his
laboratory the other day. 1t was a new species,
one hitherto undescribed, and. OF course, IL was
with some reluctance that he put 1t aside TO chat
with STAR reporter who wanted to learn in half
an hour what 1t has taken a corps of scientists,
with steamships and sailors and dredging appa-
ratus years TO n nd out.
RECENT DISCOVERIES
| Until few years ago science knew no more OF
the forms OF life In the ocean depths than it knew
OF the Inhabitants OF Mars. Myth peOped these
silent som6er abyses with fanciful forms mer:
size that haunted whirlpoOls, guarded wonderful
treasures OF pearls, or held court In splendid sub
marine palaces built OF corals and beautiful rocks
science OF course knew that any mermaid or goh-
LIN, or other creature that lived In these great
depths must have peculiar organization 10 adapt
II TO the physical conditions OF life there, and
could construct perhaps on paper Hypothetical
deep-Sea FAUNA. At first, knowledge OF the exist
ence OF deep-sea fishes was obtained from speci-
mems found floating on the surface, fishes that In
pursuit OF prey had LEFT their native depths and
persisted. Then deep-sea dredges and beam trawl
nets were called into use. The British expedition in
the Challenger, American expeditions I'm the Blake
and the Albatross have given TO the world about
all that known OF deep-sea fishes IL Is from the
and jars in Dr. Beans laboratory have been nlled.
HOW DEEP sEA-FIsH ARE CAUGHT.
Americans have made a number OF improve
ments on the apparatus used on the Challenger
expedition for deep-Sea explorations. To send
down dredge net to the bottom, and haul Il up
again, was the work OF whole day on the Chal-
| lenger, and then il the net did not happen 10
strike the bottom right, 1t would come TO the sur
| proved apparatus for winding the Albatross party
| can make two or three hauls a day. Mr. Alexander
! Agassiz devised new beam trawl net that would
! never miss fire. or so constructed that on which,
ever SIDE IL fell II would do effective work. such
net is lowered from the veSSel into the sea- To the
when the net reaches bottom. When this occurs
more line is paid out TO give full scope TO the net
Along the line at regular distances are attached
weights that lie at the bottom. When all is ready
| the steamer is slowly backed, until the net has
been dragged distance OF a quarter OF mile or
more over the bottom OF the ocean. The weights
bottom for some distance in front OF the net, so
the net is dragged lying fat on the floor OF the sea.
some fish from the bottom. The net has mouth
or opening like the inverted cone OF eel pot,
that fish easily lind their way In but once In, can
not md their way out. Occasionally q fish
brought to the surface this way VIII DE still trem-
ulous with life but most OF them are as dead as "a
flsh 0an be-as dead as a man would be IL some
fisherman on the moon cast net TO the earth and
dragged him up into the airlesS spaces above our
atmosphere.
THREE MILES UNDER WATER.
Some Of these fishes are brought up from depth
OF miles. The Challenger captured specimens from
a depth Of 1900 fathoms. The deep-sea dredg-
ing parties OF the United states Fish Commission
have gotten specimens from depth OF 2, $40 rath-
Oms. These deep-sea nsh are many OF them bizarre
tale notions Of the sea de tbs is that there is no
great variety or br1lliancy OF color This simplin-
cation OF colors is attributed to the absence OF SUM-
light The coors are generally dark brown or
black or silvery white. The oddness OF the fish
is in their shapes and peculiar development OF
their organs. There are some OF them with huge
heads and little bodies; others with tiny skulls,
but mouths SO huge that the lower jaw seems to
be piyoted in their stomachs; some with great
others with no eyes at all All OF these tsh, and
by the scientists Of the Fish Commission have long
Latin names. II may be said to the credit OF the
fish that they are not responsible for the names,
the Fish Commission net brought them to the
surface.
THEIR PECULIAR SURROUNDINGS.
The structural differences between the deep-sea
ish and the fish that frequent the shores or remain
near the surface are due to their peculiar physical
surroundings, the absence OF sunlight, the in
creased pressure OF water at such great depths,
and the quiet stiffness OF the water. AT such
depths the water Is not agtated II is at the
face and this favors the development OF long. deli
cate tentacles or feelers. These tentacles help a
sh In its cropping about the dark depths searching
for food. When the fish are brought 10 the surface
most OF them appear 10 be soft, PUPPY masses. The
bones and muscles appear to be ieebly developed.
these s' eondisions, implying muscular weakness
are apparently Inconsistent with the powerful
shape OF the jaws and the rapacious-looking teeth
of some of the predaciOus fishes
THE DIFFERENCE OF PRESSURE.
1t must be remembered, though, that at the
depth of a thousand fathoms the pressure upon a
ish, or any other body, is equal 10 ton 10 a
square inch These f1abby looking fishes that can
firm-bOaied and vigorous. Wnen fisn adapted by
organization TO these depths is brought 10 the sur
frequently their bodies are rap5ures their
present the appearance OF having suffered fright
iul death. When the fish aScendS, and the pres
sure upon its body becomes less and less the gases
in its body begin TO expand, and the expansion
causes the demOralized appearance OF the fish. II
slant, It would probably explode with q bang
when IL reached the surface.
To the absence OF light Is due many OF the most
wonderful pecuharities OF the deep-sea fish. Some
of them are totally blind, having no eyes at ALL
mere rudi.nentary eyes. Others have huge eyes,
so organized as to collect as many light rays as
possible. sunlight, It is said, does not penetrate
10 a depth OF 200 Iathoms II there Is any light
there at all II Is the merest glimmer, and below
that depth there is absolute darkness.
CARRYING THEIR OWN LIGHn.
Now these deep-sea fishes being cut on alto
gether from the sunlight, many OF them furnish
their own light They have no organized gas CON-
panies but each furnishes his own ight-carries
gans that emit q phosphorescent CLEAN and shed
light on their path. Some OF them carry little
torches in the form OF tentacles Aat rise from the
tops OF their heads. Many OF them have regular
symmetrical rows OF luminous spots along their
sides These nsh 60 flashing through the water
like o t0rch-light procession. Sometimes when
brought TO the surface these spots still glimmer
OF these fsh were completely enveiopsd In light
Nearly all the deep-sea fishes brought up have
been found TO b, allied to some species Of shore
peiaQic fishes. The pelagtc fishes are those that
live lar out az HeA but near the surface. Some OF
them come rarely TO the surface and In their struc
surface and the bottom Of the sea. IL Is supposed
thai the fish at the bottom represent degraded
types Their ancestors were once shore hsh or
pelaRtc 1Sh. Driven by their foes or by the dsap-
pearance Of their food supply other unfavorable
conditions, they have crept out from the shore