New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20

OFFER THINGS UNDER WATER

!
omless Pill" lying of Little Bassam on ,o,ns i,
Coast WIS explored AM Depth OF az ,hr side
Of it was found This formed PERHAPS: al es on
lime the mouth OF the river Akpa. Aiors tron, me
ioO-fathom hnc is well marked huI 4, on tba NIGER
Ing he area influenced by the ouhow o. rng cen
and inc Congo the slope becomes abnoiii''iH 80
Tie Njne-tenths of the rivers OF africa ''a Iva
i ,,H h,nuyhi down by them nave changed Inc
! stren descent TO q slowly shelving ,Diihi rirt
water Of these rivers w4icn c r,Ts the enl,
oi' m ieSs sail Than any other portion OF ocean
10 nT in rb world While sounding of the CONGO
wa,eh ~ line "anVon or gully TWO miles broad ana
80 f@nt deep was discovered. This canyon Wa
nr The river bed but by the heapins mp Oh ' n
mud brought down 10y the stream u, r i here that
Inring sonnd,ngs the ships engines had 10 o' nnS
haif-speed ahead. and with nemp r me -
| have been impossible 10 gel rename ''
THE DEEPEST SOUNDING.
The information gathered from various f The
normal depth Of the Atlanlc O'e' an some parts.
har I. ia almost twice deep. for on Pot'o nS
| In the West Indies the Bake iouiu " one OF
M a hes in the Atlantic is that OF the SCUM
American Company which IN ono omq '%oronha. lies
oei 90 an" ,bomS or LITTLE IMAM three i
When laying line in TINS depan light knots an
,n nur M length OF cable from the stern OF over
snip to the spot where il h hoI IL takes a PARTICULAR
twenty-five miles, ana INA. .,,o hours and :. half
n"int in the CABLE. more than Two "oHa .. d. on
| he MOD!
10 reac e w , the deepest sounding yet Ie'SIus
was taken early N the p Stern Pachc. abou $50
Ir ris -. ,ba northwest OF Ncw/caIahd ~ h"
~ farhoms or depth OF HciiN SaN ,',h vol.i-
'' a rnsrl, OF these numerous SUI 'u. ,rI =,
liz Incarnation has been Obtained WIN ~ "a, ~.
inc coniigurdtOn OF ocean 49,, ~ he sea does
Hoi press many ,rk"f or is Of vccAS
surface o. 'lr -" rrai matches the bed ~ the A.
3nsn ai an Ymdulang plain OF fairly uniform IA
az and may be better compared TO ky m,s.' Of
/
1he lana as a general rule. is c9nhei O.. on, , and
ga 49, "' inr,eascs rapidly to Lea and wv iat.Sr,'
reaching finally the norma lep'i oa md he shore
usually known as the continental piaiC,'' L. e,i
y s4meised 10 mat extent England would lie con-
necied by dry Land to Deninaf S6etand Nearly the
hI ~ the North Sea with the exception Oh SOM
o. the Norwegian hords. WGuiu ~ i",5 io6 mile,
10 the on The oiheT ~, hang ,,b sT Wen1
Of the level 70 the exteI, o. io Ter as in
Peed has been several times the case viii ina con
neqt No OF IN Of ne To AtA Amcrca especially. ne
contnentaI platform rises abruptly from ~. ma
Oh s1 a. one Of th strongest arguments IA favor
Of the theory OF the pe'manehce % INC s''A'
''0' TENprRArrRE OF TIE. WATER.
The Temperature AT the bottom % the ocean i
nearly down 10 freezing point ana soms'i a.
- hei,w IT, There is total absence OF hSH'' - 4'
as sunlight is concerned, and there IS Il"
nressIre reckoned at about one ION 10 thr rqnado
men IN every i'VVo 'aaimoephcre We live in At 100
fahoms the pressure i tnlr'{ nm. nor d,,,
sn@ = rain A. late $50 leading BIOLOGIST eN-
planned the existence OF aefp,sea animals d, sne
deuihs By assuming that Their bodies wei, conlpV'
Of sods and liquids OF great density and con'ainri
no air This. however Is no, .n' .rline.nd SWIM
nSirg hladders II one Of these fish, IN iMl
nins sgter it, prey happens 20 ascend beyond
level It's bladder becomes dsienled win the
decreased pressure and caTirs IT, IN sp.e OF al ts
of his Unfortunate class are liable 20 become vic
Tins TO the unusual nc'u'in ,o 81 dt ,s co., ,f,.r
leaving their accustomed level and long before
unnatnrai stale Even ground sharks brought mp
from depth Of more than ~" fa'homs, expire
r0 famna Of the deep sea-wh few exceptions
hitherto only known fossils are new and special
swallow waters IN modern tlin"s' ana nave neeh
driven down 10 the depths OF me ocean by th"ir
more powerful rivals I'm the battle OF life much as
The ancient Britons were compelled TO withdraw 20
The barren and inaccessible businesses OF Wales.
some OF their organs have undergone considerable
modification in correspondence 10 the changed con-
ditions Of their new habtats. Thus down TO "s'
TO make the best of the faint light which may pos.
sibly penetrate there After i9o f,tho'ns the"
" reduced that in some species they disappear al
together ard are replaced by enoToinusly long reel
ers The only light at great depths which would
enable large eyes to be Of any service Is The phos
know that at the surface this light IS often very
powerful. and Sir Wyville Thomson has recorded
ore occasion OIL which the sea at night "a
perfec; blaze OF phosphorescence. strong that
lights and shadows were thrown on the sails and
1 posb DO b 5sa seve s naTs That certain
portions Of the bottom may be as brilliantly
BY y h a sGrt on s Some e dsena q a
have two parallel rows of small circular phosphor.
their bodies. and as .hey glide through The dark
model maships with rows Of shining portfolios.
THE WARM STRATUM
1t was at one time held that the temperature Of
the ocean never descended lower than 20 degrees
Fair. but this unfounded assumption was dis
proved by the Challenger expedition As low tenn
perature as % degrees has been obtained in tho
freelne nnint Of salt water is - degrees Fab
and the fact that II contracts steadily down TO tho
water when within degrees OF it. causes the cold
est water TO sink always to the bottom. In sound
he bottom temperature was - degrees. and thc
last loo fahoms might be described absolutely
water from 81 3G' degrees. and in the course Of
the next ' h the ao rose to 20
the warm upper stratum OF water. 40 degrees being
the limit at which the suns rays exert any direct
In the North Atlantic no lower temperature than
Of being only 400 fathoms is 500 or 900 fathoms
deep one reason for this comparatively high tenn
sea right across the ocean from Greenland TO Nor.
way rising above the surface to form Iceland This
ridge Is of such height that the deeper and colder
parts of the Arctic basin are unable TO commnni-
cate with the North Atlantic Or. Nansen states
that the soundngs taken by the Fran. while drift
ing with the Ice. gave depth OF between 900 and
800 fathoms. and he thinks mat the whole Polar
basin should be considered as "A continuation Of the
deep channel which runs between SpitZberrou and
Greenland from what he calls the North Atlantic
Ocean In Norwegian charts the North Atlantic
may reach far as SpitZbergcn instead of termI-
mating. in English charts at the latitude OF Ice
land. But as the Doctors words are liable to mis-
Interpretation. ii IL well TO point out that no
deep channel exists connecting the Arctic Ocean
with the main portion OF the North Atlantic Ocean
The increased depth of the warm stratum is also
due 10 the fact that the waters OF tropical ATTITUDES
have been heated by the Gulf Stream or Florida
The Gulf Stream itself dies ont in mid
color and becoming mere surface drift But the
ocean water II has heated gaining a greater spe-
cic gravity under the evaporatng action of The dry
trade winds. sinks downward. and. mnelinc with
the cooler water below. extends the ocufh of the