The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-08
VERY SINGULAR PiSH.
They Can Only Live at the Depth of
Many Miles From Our Air.

Many Miles From Our Air.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
One of the most important and inter
esting cruises ever made by the United
States ship Albatross has Just been
completed. The famous ship arrived
here few days ago. and now lies in
the stream at Mare Island. Since leav-
ing here in May last she cruised in
far northwestern waters, engaged in
deep-sea fishing. and the fish she has
taken are now being packed away in
boxes for shipment to the Smithsonian
institution. Some of the crustaceans
taken are from a mile or more deep in
the sea. and one fish of a kind never
before known to exist is from the great
depth of loo fathoms, or almost two
miles. 1T resembles the macrurus, or
the family known as grenadiers, but
is yet so curious in appearance that
1t is evidently new thing. There is
nothing in the books like 1t. The ves-
sci in her cruise was in charge of N.
B. Miller of the United States fish COM
mission. Mr.. Miller was very busy
yesterday with a crew Of men packing
away Jars of the seasons catch. He
told of the trip Of the Albatross in a
very interesting wy. explaining the
mysteries of deep-sea fishing and the
success that had attended the expedi-
ton.
Leaving here in May last, we went
to Port Townsend and then proceeded
to the Commander islands," he said
From there we cruised about in vari-
GUS water of that region. For a time
we fshed in the cod and halibut banks
but most of our time we were fishing
in far greater depths than those fire.
quented by the cod or halibut. 1t was
at these great depths that our most in
teresting specimens were taken. We
took them in the great dredge that
went to the floor of the dark caverns.
The dredge is a great rope-like sack,
IL feet long and IL feet wide. The
sack is made OF 30-thread Irvine, the
meshes on the outside being three
inches long and on the inside two
inches. Outside of this sack is a jacket
with meshes two inches long. In order
to fish at any depth desired this
dredge was attached to a gigantic reel
containing four miles of three-eighths
inch steel wire. When we let the
dredge down and scraped the bottom of
the ocean we would bring up as much
as ton in weight of mud, starfish.
worms. anemones. fish, shrimps and
other shells of various kinds. Often
times we would have two or three doz-
en- kinds of fish in the dredge.
"The queer fish that we got, the like
of which has never been seen before,
was 70 lnCneS long ana weighed be-
tween eight and nine pounds. 1t was
taken at a point about 100 miles south
west OF the Prybilof islands at depth
OF LOO fathoms. IT resembles the fish
known as the macrurus. but still was
essentially different from anything be-
fore discovered. Its head was pecu-
liarly fiat in appearance. its eyes very
large and its tail dwindling to a point
and being curled in action. something
like that OF a snake. 1t was physically
constructed so that 1t could only live
at this great depth in the ocean, where
the weight of the water was so great
that 1t would kill all other animal life.
When the fish was drawn up its stom-
ach was crushed up out OF its mouth.
and its eyes were pulled out. IL could
not live in the upper waters In its
native depths the darkness was so
dense that no other fish could see any
thing. 1t was also as cold as in the
arctic regions. The fish has gone to
Washington. and there the scientists
will proceed to study, and. II possible,
classify II. IL Is a fish perfectly con-
tented in the darkness and intense
cold OF the deep ocean depths. There
in it's normal state IL probably had
many companions. though science had
not till now ever found any OF them"