Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1888-02-14
Beneath tho Sea
TORCH liour PROCESSION AT Tur ror.
ION.
fy.hiss,on star

I
ION.
twA.hington star
Ia j.r. aud bottle, ,ha, stand Ia rows
on the sAslve. oi a laboratory ., the Ma.
iion.l Museum .ie many strange fishes
To catch such fi,h as these . h'hsrman
would have 10 - far oa, into the opea
sea and have = h,h line two OF three
mile, long. These fishes have been stud.
led and fggrtd and made the subjects Of
m,ny new .nd wonderful chapters Of nat.
ur.l history. Dr. T.rls,on II. Bean, the
curator q ie,hyolOsy WAS studying one Of
them vhsn a Star reporter Invaded bis
laboratory the other day.
Al fret. kno-lsigc oi the existence Of
deep sea fishes va, obtained from 'peel-
men, found f3a,ins on the surface. h,he'
,hA, ia pursuit Of prey bad lsi' their na'
tive depths And psii,hsd. Then deep sea
drtdsss AID beam u.vl net, wtfe called
into use. The British expedition In the
Challenger. American expedition, in the
Blake aud the AlbA,fO,' have given 20
the world abou, all that !. known Of deep
sea fi,ks,. II !, from the hs,, Of the
Blake and Alba,rO., thA, the bottle, and
.r in Dr. Bean. laboratory have been
filled.
AmsrieAns have made a Number oi in.
proy,msn,s on the apparatus used on the
Challenger expedition iof dssp.'e. slPlo-
f.,ioas.
To ,end down ditdss OF re, 10 the bot.
tom. and haul |, up again, va, The work OF
q whole Gay on the Challenger. aud thea
II the ne, did no, h,pPsn 10 strike the
bottom iigh, !, would come TO the 'ai.
face empty By the use oi wire cable
aad improved sppArA,us iof wiading the
Alb.,ros, party Gao make two OF three
haul, day. Mr. Alexander Aga',iE De.
vissd . nss beam ira-l net that woald
never mis-. ffr. OF - Constructed that on
~kiehs,er ,iie /, fsll /, would Do effective
work. Sash ts, !, lowered from the
vessel into the sea To tie line !, attach.
cd an sPp.f.,us that give. notice "hsn
the net reiehe, bottom When this oc.
ours more line !. paid ou, TO give fall
scope 10 the net. Aloas the line, Al req
ulai distances. at attached weights ,ha,
lie q, the bottom. When al !, ready
the steamer /, slowly backed. uaiil the
net hA, been dragged distance OF quar-.
ter of mile OF mofe over tbs bottom Of
the ocean. The weights along the line
keep the cable dosn against the bottom
iof some distance In froni OF the net. 90
The bet /, dragged lying fiat on the sea.
When the ne, !, hauled up !, Is sure TO
contain some hsh from the bottom. The
ne, has a mouth or opening like the in-
vsr;sd cone Of Al eel pot, 30 ,ha, h,h
easily find their way 10; bu, once in.
eAnno, fnd their way out. Oeca,lonslly
. fish brOugh, 10 the surface ,hl, way
will be ,,ill ,rsmulous With life. ba, mos,
Of them are a. dead a, f.h can be-as
dead a. = man would be II some fisher.
man on the moon cas-, q ne, TO the earth
and dragged him up into the airle''
spaces above our atmosphere.
Some Of these fishes are brough, up
from = depth Of three miles. The Chal.
lsnger captured specimen, from q depth
Of = 2.0iO f.,homs. The dsep.seA dfeds.
ing pariis, Of the United State, fish COM
mission have 20, specimens from depth
Of 1900 f.,homs. These deep.seA fish
are many Of them bizarre In appearance.
One thing contrary to the fairy.,Ale no.
.ion, Of the sea depth. Is iha, there is no
great variety OF biillisney Of color. This
,implifsa,ioa Of eolors is attributed TO
the absence ofsuhlish,. The eolor are
generally dark brown OF black. or ell.
very white. The oddnsss OF the hsh Is
in their shape, and peculiar development,
Of their organs. There ATE some ofthem
With huge head. aud little bodies. other,
With tiny skulls. bu, mouth, 30 huge iha,
the lower jaw seems TO be pivoted IN
their s,omsehs; some with grea, ,igeri.h-
looking teeth some With immense round
eyes; others with little pin.pOin;' Of
eyes. and other. with no eyes at all.
The structural differences between the
dssp-ses fish and the f,h ,h., frqaen,
the shorss or remAin near the surface are
due 10 their peculiar physical surround
ing., the absence ofsuhlighi. the inefeas'
ed pressure ofwA,sr at such gre., deiph'.
and the quis, ,,illne., OF the water. A.
such depth. the water !, no, .gi,a,ed I.
IL is at the surface. aud ihi, f.von the
development Of long. delicate ,sn,aelss OF
fe.ler,. These ,en,seles help = fish in
its grOping sbOu, the dark depths ,sareh-
ing for food. Wien the fish are broagh,
TO The surface. most Of them appear TO
be .of,, palPy masses The bones AID
muscles appear TO be feebly developed.
The tissues seem tkin. weak and easily
upiursd. These conditions, Implying
muscular weakness. are spparsntly in.
consistent with the powerful shape Of the
Jaws and the rspaeiOus-loOking teeth OF
some Of the predseious fishes.
II mus, be remembered. though. tha,
st the depth Of thousand faihoms the
pressure upon . fish, or any other body.
is equal to . ton TO . square inch.
These f.bby.looking fishes that can be
tied In kno, ct the surface. AZ such
depths are frm.bodied and vigorous.
When fish adapted by organization TO
i a. l..sk. 4. k....lt O.. ska .uxf.c.