The morning call., 1890-11-05
THE OCEAN DEPTHS.

Some interesting information regarding
the great depths of the ocean has just been
given by Admiral Belknap IN paper read
before the Asiatic Society of Japan. The
Admiral is veteran in the study. Sixteen
years ago, when he commanded the United
States ship TuScar0ra, he surveyed the bot
tom of the Pacific from the coast Of Calfor-
MIA 10 Japan, with view to aScertaining
whether it would be practicable to lay a
submarine cable from San Francisco to 1o-
kohama. 1t was while engaged in that en-
terprise that he discovered the deep trough
which lies al the bottom of the ocean paral-
lei with the south shore Of Japan and the
Aleulian chain. This trough, or hollow, eX-
tends at least from the meridian of HakO-
dade 10 the eastern extremity of the Aleu-
tan chain, and runs quite close to the land,
often within 50 or 100 miles of low water
mark. 1t appears to serve as the bed of the
marine river known as the Black Stream, or
Kurosiwo current, TO which we ara in
debted for our equable climate in this city.
Uu to the time OF Captain Belkuap's dis
coyery the greatest depth which had been
sounded in the ocean was one of 1915 faith
oms, or something Oyer four miles, which
was obtained by the Challenger a few miles
north Of the Virgin Islands in the North At
lantic. La the South Atlantic a depth of
1881 fathoms have been found, and that
still remains the greatest depth that has
been sounded in that sea; in the South Pa
cifc the Challenger had at that time found
no greater depths than 300 fathoms The
TuScarora found in 1874, at distance of
from 100 to 200 miles from the shore of
Japan, depths of 1850, 4643, ALL, 1866 and
4057 fathomS. When it is remembered that
1865 fathomS are equal TO 1880 feet or five
and quarter miles. the prodigious size of
this chaSm can be conceived Mount Ever
est, in the Himaiayas, which is supposed to
be the tallest mountain in the world, is
only $1,000 feet in height; if it could be
plunged into the bed Of the Kurosiwo cur
rent its summit would only be about 1000
feet above the level of the sea.
Two years and half ago the British Gov
eminent dispatched the surveying ship
Egeria to survey the bottom of the South
Pacific, with view to ascertaining the pros
poets of submarine cables. Captain Pelham
Aldrich. who commands her, has transmit
ted to the Admiralty series of reports of
progress which contain valuable informa-
ton. Up to the time he sailed the deepest
spot which had been sounded in the South
Pacific was about 100 miles west of
OGiidO Day III Cius Sdptdll
Belknap, in the Alaska, had found 1867
fathoms. In 1888 and 1889 the Egeria
found deep hole lying west of the Friendly
Islands, near south latitude $40 and west
longitude 175o. There she got soundings of
1928, 1926 and 1870 fathoms. Another SINH
lar hole, with 4475 fathoms OF wa ter in it,
had been sounded by the Challenger, about
80 miles west of the Ladrone Islands, be-
nd ba phiIppinas M h
depths as these have thus far been dis coy
cred in the Atlantic either mort b or south of
the equator.
If it be safe to theorlZe on so slender an
accumulation Of facts as these, it may be
said that the deepest waters on the globe are
to be found in the Pacific. There are few
holes of moderate depth in the Atlantic. and
mariners tale ascribes considerable
depths-which have not been veri fied-to
parts of the Indian Ocean; but the greatest
cavities in the earth's surface which have
been measured underlie the vastest body of
water existing on the globe. 1t may also be
observed that there appears to exist pro-
portion between the average depths of the
sea and the average height of the mountains
on the shores of the continents which bound
it. The average depth of the Pacific, leav-
ing ridges and depressions out of view. is
not far from 1000 fathoms; the average
height of the peaks Of the Rocky Mountains
and the Andes will not vary far from 10000
feet, or 1760 fathoms. The depth of the
deep spots in the bed of the Karosiwo cur
rent occasionally reaches $1,000 feet; the
height OF Mount Aconcagua in Chile is %, 300
feet. Admiral Belknap considers it estab-
lished that the deepest spots in the oceans
are near the shores; but the hole near the
Friendly Islands cannot be reconciled with
this theory