The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-08-08
MONSTERS OF THIS DEEP,
HideouS Creatures Fouud at ;he
Bottom OF the Pacific
Ocean.

u - @NGN N.hNs N-aN AANTN.s - s@AN I eANAA AAN
ocean between the COST of Califor
mia and the Hawaiian islands ha;
been one Of the most interesting
/ scientific tasks ever undertaken by
the government Up to date moth,
ing has been allowed to be pub.
liShe6 respecting the results oh,
tsined, The purpose of the work
was - determine the best route fol
s submarine cable. Two lines OF
Soun6ingS were run by the United
States fish commissions steamer
AlbstroSS from Monterey bay to
Honolulu. This path has been de-
cided on as preferable TO road
connecting Point Conception. Cal.
and Hilo Bay. Hawaii, which was
laid out with soundingS bv the
steamer Thetis, [. s. y. The way
selected viii require the smallest
length Of wire. 1t will pass over
an even bottom of soil favorable for
the protection and preservation of
the cable, avoiding submarine
mountains.
incidentally TO the soundiags,
observations were made of the bot
tom temperature. Below half a
mile in depth the water of the
ocean is intensely cold. remaining
both winter and summer ats point
only slightly above freezing. The
contents Of 3 trawl hauled up from
the floor of the sea st the equator
will be found TO contain mud and
ooze that is nearly freezing. All of
the life in the vast waste OF waters
called the Pacific is either near the
surface or st the bottom. The
abyssal fishes cannot live except
under the enormous pressure of
water-amounting TO over two tons
to the square inch at three miles
iOwn-to which they are subject.
In order that they may be able to
endure this the tissues Of their
bodies, and even their bones. are I
very Loose in texture Though .
sOlid enough under the conditions I
10 which they are accustomed. they
Ire soft and pulpy when dragged
lp 10 the open air. Their ewes /
7ro.rude, and sometimes they
actually burst open.
Such fierce carniver0us fishes as
.xists IN the depth Of the ocean are
Unknown At the surface. There Is
he black swallower." which de
ours other fnny creatures ten /
lines as big IS itself, Utterly climb
ng over lis victim, first with one
Az and then with the other. An
ther specie IS nearly all mouth,
nd having almost no power of
DcOmotion, II. lives buried in the
oft O0ze at the bottom. its head
lone protruding ready to engulf
ny prey that may wander into its
avernous jaws. There is q ferO-
ious kind Of shark resembling z
uge eel. All of these abyssal
,onsters are black IS ink. Some
! them are perfectly blind. while
Tiers have enormous goggling !
res. No ray Of sunlight ever
lsrcss the dark unfathomed caves
. which they dwell. Each spe-
e Is gobbled up by the species
Ext bigger. for there Is no vege- :
.ble life 10 feed on.
The surface Of the grayish ooze.
-er which the cable viii run. is
! interminabls desert where moth
z grows. There being no sun
ght 70 support vegetable life, not
blade or spr0ut Of any sort of I
.gststi0R Is 70 be discovered not =
-sn 2 SsaEeed. Here and there I
g creatures called "crinoidsn
lich counterfeit plants in their
)pearance. with waving stems and
hat looks ike flowers. but are not
.Ch. Also there are sea worms,
lich live in tubes and resemble
e most brilliant blossoms. SDiny
z urchins are plentiful, and over
e bottom are crawling Shrimp
ze crustaceans Of bright scarlet
ID vivid orange hues, some of
en- Of great size There are
Imer0us species Of moIlusks as
H. They and the crusticeans.
lsn hauled TO the surface, are so
sOrganizsd by the removal Of the
sssure 70 which they have beenl
cust0med, as to look as If thew
d been boiled.
The ocean floor across which the
be VIII be laid Is fairly we'll
pulated with living species, most
which are unknown TO science
present. This remark especi-
II applies TO the larger fishes,
lich could not Be fetched up with
e traEl. Some day perhaps q z
1Is effective method viii be de- II
sed for capturing them. Nobody g
4 tell what monsters and Chi