Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-01-08
In THE OCEAN DEPTHS,
A TERRIBLE SQUEEZE DOWN
THERE.
Interesting Things About the Submarine World
deep Sea Lamps-A Pressure Thst
Cru<hea G1asS tn POwder--Stln
There's Animal Life There.

There's Animal Life There.
To any one that has an imaginative
nature the ocean is perhaps the great
est OF natural wonders. 1t is difficult
to imagine it possessed with lie. or
something akin TO it. 1t has its moods,
its fancies: today is calm. unruff1ed
and serene; tomorrow. torn by emo |
lions, rent by seeming passion-a ver-
table demon seeking to destroy. beat
ing itself down in impotent rage.
So vast body OF auid, distributed |
over different zones where opposite |
conditions obtain and preserving its |
general size, evaporation and food,
seemingly equal. can but excite the
wonder OF all thinking people. Five
miles depth OF solid water. with it's
zones of temperature. its vast rivers.
hot and cold. its strata Of deposits, its
little understood conditions, is surely
! a mystery difficult to solve, and until
within few years it has been a sealed
| book.
! Twenty years ago the ocean was
thought by the majority OF people to
be vast body OF water, warm enough
at the surf .ce to permit life and sup
port it, but at the greater depths life
was supposed. from the enormous
pressure, to be impossible. The mathe-
matician proved it by simple calcu-
lation, 40 nature was here at fault
Vast areas Of inter-oceanic space were
entirely useless. devoid OF life. incap-
able OF supporting it. a gloomy, dark.
unfathonablc region. almost beyond
hung, comprehension.
MOuern science b cOntroverted all
this, and as mysterious as the ocean
was the revelation Of its wonders has
made it still more the object OF curious
attention. We know that it attains a
depth in some parts Of from five TO six
miles, possibly more We know it be-
cause it has been measured, and we
have gained some idea OF the pressure
from the f,ct that glass instruments
lowered into the greater depths have
been reduced to powder, and iron.
copper, wood and rope are twisted,
bent and frayed.
The temperature at these great dis
tances from the surface is just above
the freezing point If it were possible
for a man to descend five miles below
the surface he would find himself in
this low temper ,ture, and still sup.
posing him to withstand the pressure,
he would be in the SINE condition
that man would be on shore with
twenty or thirty carloads Of pig.iron
piled upon him. This is OF course not
supposable, yet it may convey some
idea OF the state OF things in the sub.
marino world.
The human explorer would not be
unaccompanied in his travels. As far
, as he could penetrate he would pro-
baby find living creatures adapted by
: nature to Withstand these extraordin.
AIRY conditions. He would find this
abysmal realm, SO long considered an
. abode Of darkness cleaning with
} lights Every movement would result
in blaze OF illumination. a. II he
were gifted with the lightproducing
power. Every animal In this uncanny
, world would seem consumed by some
t internal fire, appearing here and
there in ftful CLEANS, SO that far from
being involved in gloom the deep sea
{ is veritable land OF enchantment full
: OF strange and wondrous lighta
Almost every animal. or every
, branch OF the animal kingdom, to be
. more precise, contains these curious
I living lamps. They are found in all
= parts OF the ocean. Almost invisible
I at the surface. they display their gold
t en- splerdors upon the waves crest
! are hurled alolt by the gale. and
appear to be the wraiths OF the ocean.
2 Peer into tho depths rs We float along
;. on some warm summer night. and the
e watery armament appears dotted with
y living lamps, comets. shooting stars
\ and spheres. while far away thcir
1 numbers multiply, and the nebula /.
reproduced.
. These spectres might we'll seem the
II reflection OF the stars overhead, but
n they are parts OF tho illuminating
. economy OF the ocean. In southern
seas the most remarkable scenes may
!. be witnessed, though in the cold wa
4 tors OF the north h I've observed ex,
I hibitions that excelled any have seer
. in tho Pacific or the Gulf OF Mex co.
v As has been suggested these ligh
bearers belodg to almost every branch
I or group OF animals. In the deep re,
y the most striking aud marvellous form.
: are the fishes, and judging from III,
n few that have been brought to tn,
II surface BY the deep sca dredger
. and appliances OF scientists. we ma,
!" we'll consider them the most remarka