The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-14
FISHING MILES UNDER WATER.
Uncle SANS Scientists With Hook
and Line Go Down Deep.


From the New York Press.
Few people catch fish Al a 6e,tb % On,
ieet- There are fewer fisberme, -
depth of 4,500 fathoms. or y an fost mi.
Is depth Of about five and one-balf mics
Uncle sam is the only angler in nc ,,-o~l,5
VINO insists on such deep sea fishing and
,-'e''7ufes depths. not by hundreds of feet.
Dut Dy miles He has a boat built srecial
y Tor the purpose. This vessel Inc f-,,i+.-I
safes FISH Commissioner steamer Atba
loss. comes into San Diego hsrbar frc
~ ~ d en- : an object Of rare interest
g. nc AibatrOss is strictly a scientific
5ssshlilS craft. She cost ovef S100 an fs
~ re. long, and Of l.074 tons disDlace-
iiItent' WIN a brigantine rig Her business
IS 70 follow ocean FISH as they miersfo
LlOih Ilelr summer 10 their winter home
euu observe their manner of life. This
MoIh includes the collection OF fish mud
anu shells from a depth of n Am feat ~
we SURFACE The ingenuity Of the soien
usts and navigators has resorted 10 the
employment of the electric light at great
ItSPslls All oiuer 70 attract heretofore I'M
known and otherwise unobtainable 6sb
INTO The trawl which is let down from the
shlps side. ~
In this way small fish are usually oa,,e,h+
sometimes, when the electric light is nCar
.ne surface OF the ocean, large fish are at
tIdctea by the illumination. The light
seems 10 make the big fish angr; Sharks
Tor instance, will dart at the light as If II
We're dealy foe -
The light is smetimes lowered 500 feet
from the surface. At a depth Of seventy
feet the illumination becomes Invisible
when the light is twenty or thirty feet
down and huge fish congregate about in
thelr SHADOWS are cast upward on the sur
lace OF the sea, and from the deck of the
snip the scene Is wierd indeed II is a
veritable congress Of monsters of the deem
NAV sometimes gathers about what to
them is wonderful sight. An electric
lighted submarine home is something nov
el even to tough old shark
IL has been noted that the effect of tho
tLeClflc nghi upon big fish has been such
mat as deadly enemies as the shark and
the sWordtish viii swim up 10 the ligbt
SIDE by side, and so amazed are the,- ~
me WONDERFUL shining bulb that they ap-
pear 10 forget the deadly fued existing
between these piscatorial families and
they do not rush AT each other i'm mortal
combat Other fish that usually fight on
slgnt, lie down together as Il were in
and lamb.
The operation of sounding or of fishing
at depth OF tens of thousands of feet
requires much skill i'm both the manage
ment of the ship and of the sounding an
paratus. In ordinary deep sea soundinr-
q three-eighths inch steel wire is used
Inc tension on this wire must be constant
else II Will kink, thus reducing the ten
sile strength so per cent. Ocean currents
comphcate deep sea exploration A sur
face current is quickly detected and
sounding line Is swept under the bottom
OF the snip by a submarine current. with
perhaps, thousands of fathoms of line
out, 1t requires great skill and patience
to clear the line without linking and
thereby possibly loosing a portion of il
When deep sea sounding is to be taken
thermometer and water specimen c1in
are clamped on to the line of wire
An officer takes his station beside the
sounding machine. Seamen are at hand
a do w.HnN1
man stands with his hand on the throt-
tie of the sounding engine, awaiting the
officers command. The record keeper
takes his position beside the register
where he can read It readily. This regis
ter shows the number of fathoms of line
paid out.
At the order Let go"' the sinker shoots
down into the ocean at a speed of ten or
hfteen feet per second. The record keeper
makes note of every hundred fathOms
of line paid out The officer of the deck
maneuvers the ship in way that will keep
the wire line vertical. The instant the
sinker strikes the bottom of the sea- miles
below the snip, the sounding engine is
stopped. The record keeper notes the
number of turns indicated on the register
and the slack line is hove in by hand un-
til 1t clears the bottom. Then the sound
ing engine is reversed and the line Is hauled
aboard about as fast as ii was paid out
The water specimen cup, or bottle, which
Is let down on the sounding line is an i'm
portant part of the equipment of deep sea
explorers. The density of ocean water OF
different depths and In the different great
ocean currents is a matter of moment to
scientists in determining important sub
marine questions. To obtain a specimen
of water at a depth, say, of 1900 feet. with
all of its free gases, and bring 1t to the
surface without allowing these gases to
escape or the water to mingle with other
water, was impossible until the invention
of metal water cup so arranged that
when it descends into the briny deep for
several miles or so. the resistance OF the
water during the descents keeps open the
valves of the cup. When the cup is stop
ped al the desired depth and is being pull
ed to the surface the resistance of the