The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-07-27
MONSTERS OF THE DEEP,
Hideous Creatures Found at the Bottom
OF the Pacific ocean!

Of the Pacific ocean!
The survey of a lane three hundred |
miles wide over the floor of the Pacific |
Ocean between the coast of California |
and the Hawaiian islands has been one |
of the most interesting scientific tasks
ever undertaken by the government.
Up to date nothing has been allowed |
to be published respecting the results
obtained. The purpose of the work
was to determine the best route for a
submarine cable. Two lines of sound
ings were run by the United States
Fish Commissions steamer Albatross,
from Monterey Bay to Honolulu. This
path has been decided on as preferable
to road connecting Point Conception,
Cal, and Hilo Bay, Hawaii, which was
laid out with soundings by the steamer
Thetis, U. S. n. The way selected will
require the smallest length of wire. 1t
will pass over an even bottom OF soil
| favorable for the protection and pres
ervation of the cable, avoiding subma-
rine mountains.
Incidentally to the soundings obser-
vations were made of the bottom tenn
/ peratures. Below half a mile iii depth
the water of the ocean is intensely
cold, remaining both winter and sum-
mer 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
waters called the Pacific is either near
the surface or at 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 down-to
which they are subjected In order
that they may be able to endure
this the tissues of their bodies, and
even their bones, are very l6ose in
texture. Though solid enough under
the conditions to which they are ac-
customed, they are soft and pulpy
when dragged up to the open air.
Their eyes protrude, and sometimes
they actually burst open.
Such fierce earn ivorous fishes as ex
ist in the depths of the ocean are un-
known at the surface. There is the
''black swallower,' which devours
|
as itself, literally climbing over its
Victim first with Gne jaw and then
with the other Another species is
nearly all mouth, and, having almost
no power of locomotion, it lives buried
in the soft ooze at the bottom, its head
alone D rotruding ready to engulf any
prev that may wander into its cavern
> Gus Jaws There is a ferocious kind OF
shark resembling a huge eel. All OF
these abyssal monsters are black as
ink Some of them are perfectly blind,
while others have enormous gog CLING
eyes. No ray of sunlight ever pierces
the dark unfathomed caves iii which
& they dwell Each species is gobbled by
: the species next bigger, for there is nc
vegetable life to feed on.
The surface of the grayish ooze, over
which the cable will run, is an interim
Unable desert where nothing grows.
There being no sunlight to support
: vegetable life, not blade or sprout o1
4 any sort of vegetati on is to be discov
= ered-not even a sea weed. Here anc
there are creatures called "crlnolds'
which counter felt plants in their ap
d pearance, with waving stems and wha
Il look like flowers, but are not such
Also there are seaworms, which live IL
y tubes and resemble the most brillian
blossoms. Spiny sea-urch ms are plen
. tiful, and over the bottom are crawling
II shrimp-like crustaceans of bright scar
! let an d vivid orange hues, some OF then
u u of great size. There are numerous spe
Il cies of mollusks as well. They and tn
- crustaceans, when hauled to the SUI
ls face, are SO disorganized by the remova
Il of the pressure to which they have bee
u accustomed as to look as if they ha
been boiled
10 The ocean floor across which tn
~ . cable will be laid is fairly well popu
- lated with living species, most OF whlc
y are unknown to science at present
This remark especially applies to til
lo larger fishes. which could not be fetche
- up with the trawl: Some day perhaI
lo a more effective method will be dt
lo vised for capturing them. Nobody ca
. tell what monsters and chimeraS dir
NAV inhabit the abyssal regions OF tn
Pacific. 1t was only few years ag
Of that Capt. George Hope of H. NJ.
n Flv saw an extraordinary creature
lg the Gulf of California. The sea bein
Id perfectly calm and of glass-like tran
IS, parency he beheld swimming over tn
at bottom a few fathoms down an emo
rs nous animal with the head and gel
ty eral figure of an alligator except th'
or its neck was vastly longer and instea
OF of legs it had four happers like turtl
as It appeared to be pursuing some pre-
is. and moved in a serpentine fashio
d, The description given in all respec
he fitted the extinct plesiosaurus so e
re actly that some naturalists were con
lis dent that it must have been survivir
ed specimen of that mighty reptile.-Ph
mt adelphia Telegraph.
cir -
"a Difference of Opinion.
raj The nice young man who had apple
ais to the city editor for place on tt
renortorial staff was more or less ind