The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-20
DIPPED OUT OF THE SEA.
FISHES CAUGHT FOR THE UPsALA
UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

the Captain Of the swedish Bark
Engelbrekt-A Scientific work in the
Interests of the Famous Swedish
school-A Glance at Some Of Capt
Eckman's Wonders Of the Deep.
The Swedish bark Engelbrekt Capt g.
/ c. Eckman, loading cotton at the Baltimore
steamship whlrves for Reyal, has on board
a museum Of deep SEA cuno,ities for the
celebrated University of Cpsala, one OF the
oldest and most fanoa, schools in the world.
The Engelbrekt halls from Umea, port
on the gulf OF Bothuia, from which she
sailed on Oct. II with a cargo Of iron and
lumber for Marseies She is named after
the celebrated EngelJrekt, the lberator Of
Sweden from Danish domination. The
Engelbrekt arrived at Marseiles Nov. %,
and after discharg.ng her cargo set sail
Dec. % for Savannah, and arrived here on
Feb. II. Capt. Eckmad thinks there is no
such place in the world Us Savannah, 70
which port he has made annual voyages for
the past six years. He was highly pleased
with the Sesqui- Centennial, and now he
looks forward with pleasure TO being able
10 witness the scenes and incidents Of the
Jasper Festival. His vessel is consigned to
c. NJ. Hoist & Co, as 1t has always been
heretofore. Mr. Hoist, the senior member
Of the firm, is Consul for Sweden and Nor
way at this port.
SEARCHING IN THE SEA.
Capt. Eckman is not only doing his whole
duty to his vessel a. a merchant trader, but
he IS engaged in collecting deepsea and sur
face specimens Of marine animal and plant
life for the geological museum Of the Uni
verslty of Upsala. his alma mater, and in
I oh ionic.
| Upsala University is the oldest university
in Sweden, having received its charter
Sept. H. l477, through its founder, Sten
Sture, the then President Of Sweden. 1t
was afterward enlarged and munlficently
endowed by Gustayus Adolphus, who lost
his life for his country at the
| battle of LutZen in the thirty years war. -
| The university Boosting such distinguished
| patrons is considered the most scientific and
best equipped of any university of its kind
| in Northern EurOpe,lts roll Of Students pro-
| fessOrs and subordinate teachers numbering
between ! 800 and 800
! The university recognizing Capt. Eek
| mans taste for collecting specimens and his
! scientific researches in marine life, awaited
| itself Of the facilities that his frequent voy-
| ages offered, and as a result furnished him
with all the appliances for the collection Of
| specimens by surface scraping at the depth
| of 100 fath0ms and for water surface scoop
| ing, as well as a complete stock of phialS,
| bottles jars and iron reservoirs, and the
| preparatory chemicals and fluids for pre-
| serving the specimens. This has been a
| labor of love TO Capt. Eckman, who does
| the work gratuitOusly, and although he
the present voyage across, he
has secured over 1000 specimens,
carefully noting the latitude and longitude
where they were obtained, and the date
when they were taken from the water His
| collections began on the Bay
of Biscay, continuing along the
coast of Portugal, and were continued
| in the Mediterranean to Marselles and
| from Marseilles to Savannah. After pass
ing Gibraltar he prosecuted his work in
different ATTITUDES, from So to 1S' north and
| lOngitudinally from s. west to the longitude
of Savannah. These dredgings and surface
scoopings were made all through the north
east trades, through the Gulf stream to
| Charleston, 5. C., and from Charleston
| along the coast into the very port of Savan-
| nah. He was also empowered by the uni
versity with the authority to purchase speci-
mems in any of the ports on his voyage.
| SOME OF THE SPECIMENS.
| In an interesting conversation with Capt.
| Eckman, he says that he has been more
| than surprised at the varieties of marine life
which have come into his deep sea nets and
his surface scoop nets. He found, he says,
| that it varies with every to To- Of latitude
He has also found that number of the
specimens found off the Carolina and Geor-
| gia coast very closely resemble those found
| in the Atlantic off the coast of Portugal
His collection of mollusks and the smaller
shell life along tine Carolina and Georgia
| coast consists of specimens taken at the
depths of six and twenty-five fathoms re
| spectively. There was little trace of life
in the collections obtained at twenty-five
fathoms while at the depth of six fathoms
the water fairly teemed with life.
| 1t could not be expected in the narrow
compass Of newspaper article that any
| detail can be entered upon descriptive of
| the great varlties OF anma!culH and other
| marine lfe-that VIII take years of research
| under the microscope by the students of
| Upsala before justice can be done them, but
! there are a few specimens OF special interest
which can be mentioned. Aliare preserved
in alcohol of 90 proof, having first under
gone such scientific preparation as to pre-
! serve form and feature.
| In one of the iron reservoirs submerged
in alcohol, is a magnificent specimen of the
| bOnitO, said to be the most edible fish of the
sea. IL is it, q in in length. In the stom-
! ach of this fish were found some valuable
specimens, among which were four spear
fish, or gar pike, measuring II inches.
and doubled up in the NAV of the ravenous
bonito from which they were taken. Capt.
! Eckmau says that he cannot tell how the
| fish swallow and find room for these
fish. The bonitOs feed principally
upon flying fish which they pursue
! out of the water, catching them
in the air. This specimen was mred from
its ocean home by holding a fishing rod
from which white cloth huttered. The
| prize mis;aking it for a flying fish leaped
| from the water and was transtixed upon
| well poised and well-directed spear. Three
! others were taken in the same manner, and
/ these miniStered to the epIcurean appetite Of
the Captain, but the Upsala University gets
| the finest specimen, which was taken from
| the Gulf of Mexico. THE spear fish, said
the Captain, ARE worse enemies of ours
! than even the sharks"
THE LITTLE SARDINE
A phial containing collection of sardines
not over a quarter of an inch long are pretty
| little specimens of marine life. They were
| taken IN $j north latitude.
| A jar containing four Portuguese men
of-war,' or more technically speaking ply
salia Caravolli, are fine specimens of what
are more vulgarly called bladder fish. These
were procured i'm latitude north 30 30,
| longitude west IS 30. These curious
phases Of marine life are, when seen upon
the surface of the water, to the observant,
or as some term IL the superstitious, mariner
the sure precursor of n gale. They rise TO
h IL. IL