The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-10
OUT OF THE DEPTHS.
a Queer Fish That Can Live Only
Under Miles Os Water.
From the San Franciseo Examined.

From the San Francisco Examiner.
One of the most important and inter-
osting cruises ever made by the United
States ship Albatross has just been COM
pleted. The famous ship arrived here
a few days ago and now lies in the
stream at Mare Island. Since leaving
here in May last she cruised in far north
western waters, engaged i'm deep-sea fish
ing, 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 resem-
bles the macrurus, or the family known
as grenadiers. but is yet so curious in
appearance that ii is evidently new
thing. There is nothing in the books like
it.
The vessel in her cruise was in charge
of n. b. Miller of the United States fish
commission. 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 very
interesting way, explaining the mysteries
of deep-sea fishing and the success that
had attended the expedition.
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 various waters
of that region. For time we fished in
the cod and halibut banks, but most of
our time we were fishing in far greater
depths than those frequented by the cod
and halibut.
1T was at these great depths that our
most interesting specimens were taken.
We took them in the great dredge that
went to the floor of the ocean and scraped
up the denizens of those dark caverns.
The dredge is great rope-llke sack, sew
enteen feet long and eleven feet wide.
The sack is made of thirty-thread Irvine,
the meshes on the outside being three
,a19 M IN inRhag
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, startish, worms, anemones; fish,
shrimps, and other shells of various kinds.
Oftentimes we would have two or three
dozen different kinds of fish in the dredge.
1.-The queer fish that we got, the like of
which has never been seen before, was
twenty-six inches long and weighed be-
tween eight and nine pounds. 1t was taken
a point about 100 miles southwest of the
Prybilof Islands at a depth of 1,700 ia
thoms. 1t resembled the fish known as the
macrurus but still was essentially differ
emf from anything before discovered It's
head was peculiarly fiat in appearance,
its eyes very large. and it's tail dwindlins
to a point and being curled in action,
something like that of snake.
1T was physically constructed so that
it could only live at this great depth in
the ocean, where the weight of the water
was so great that ii would kill all other
animal life. When the fish was drawn up
it's stomach was crushed up out of it's
mouth, and its eyes were pulled out. 1t
could not live in the upper waters. In its
native depths the darkness was so dense
that no other fish could see anything. 1t
was also as cold in the Arctic regions.
1.-The fish has gone on to Washington.
and there the scientists viii proceed to
study, and if possible, classify it, 1t is
fish perfectly contented in the darkness
There in it's normal state it probably had
many companions, though science had not
till now ever found any of them"