The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-20

they protect the cable, which quickly
becomes imbedded in them. However,
the globigerlna ooze is not found at d
greater depth than somewhat under
three miles, while the pteropod ooze
does not occur deeper than a mile and
three-quarters. The reason for this is
that the dssovlng action Of the sea
water, due to the presence Of free car
bonic acid, cannot be withstood by the
delicate, limy shells long enough to
allow them to sink more deeply
Submarine cables suffer more near
shore than in the depths of the sea.
In the shadows they are exposed to the
chemical action engendered by decay.
ing animal and vegetable matters. The
iodine contained in seaweeds DESTROYS
iron rapidly. Accordingly, localities
which run quickly into deep water over
bottoms of mud or sand are chosen for
landing places at the ends of the route.
By selecting the gully at Salinas Land
ing for a starting point, the minimum
length of cable will be exposed to dam
age from such sources, as well as from
the anchors of vessels and from the
wear and tear of waves and breakers.
In shallow water great injury is done to
cables by the bivalve nollusk called the
"teredo" or "ship-worm," as well as by
a shrimp-like Crustacean named elm
noria' The latter is a very small
creature, only about one-eighth of an
inch long and covered with minute
hairs But its numbers are SO great
and the Jaws with which it Chews are so
powerful that it will demolish wooden
piles at the rate an Of inch Of their thick
ness per annum Teak is the only
wood it does not devour
In 1889 a hemp covered Geographic
cable, after being raised after hardly a
years SubmerslOn, was found covered
with countless millions of the teredo
and limnoria. The hemp had entirely
disappeared under the operations Of
the mollusk, while the Crustacean had
pierced the gutta perCha insulating core
with ever SO many small round holes
In the shallow water close by Honolulu
the temperature is about II degrees in
with the insulating properties of the
gutta percha, and on that account it Is
recommended that india rubber shall
be used for the core at that end of the
line Experience has proved that in
isolated patches of the sea bottom
some agency very destructive to the
sheathing wires of cables frequently
occurs This is believed to be due t.
outCrops of veins of minerals, and such
localities are avoided whenever it is
possible The action of salt wateI
would be likely to decompose the min
eral substances, forming solutions which
would attack the metal.
At present a plan commonly adopted
is to envelope the gutta percha core
with a bandage Of cloth mpregnated
with stearine. This is designed to
prevent galvanic action between the
copper wires forming the conductor
and the outer armUr of iron. The
lines of the Eastern Submarine Teie-
graph Company and the Eastern Elk
tension Submarine Company both a
which pass through regions badly in.
tested by the teredO, are protected IN
this way and have resisted the enemy
well Instances are recorded in which
cables have been bitten by sharks and
cut by swordfshes. In one case a
break was caused by a whale which got
entangled in a loose portion of cable
that hung down between two steep
slopes. 1t is important that a cable
should lie on the bottom throughout
its entire extent
incidentally to the soundings, obser
vations were made of the bottom
temperatures. Below half a mile in
depth the water of the ocean is in.
tensely cold, remaining both winter
and summer at point only slightly
above freezing. The contents of a
trawl hauled up from the floor of the
sea at the equator will be found to
include mud and ooze that is nearly
freezing. All Of the life in the vast
waste of water called the Pacific is
either near the surface or at the bot
tom. The abyssal fishes cannot live
except under the enormous pressure OF
water-amounting to over two tons tC
the square inch at three miles down
to which they are subjected In order
that they may be enabled to endure
this, the tissues of their bodies and
even their bones are very loose in tex
ture, Though solid enough under the
conditions to which they are aCCus
toned they are soft and pulpy when
dragged up to the open air. Then
eyes protrude and sometimes they
actually burst open.
Such fierce Carnivorous fishes as
exist in the depths of the ocean are un
known at the surface. There is the
"back swalower," which devours other
finny creatures ten times as big as itself,
literally climbing over its victim, first
with one jaw and then with the other.
Another species is nearly all mouth,
and having almost no power of loco
motion, it lives buried in the soft ooze
at the bottom, its head alone protrud-
ing ready to enguf any prey that may
wander into its Cavernous jaws. There
is a ferocious kind of shark, resem-
bling a huge eel. All of these monsters