Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-02-05
IN THE OCEANS DEP rH's.

aN aflG OOEhN > DER ~ >
The temperature at the bottom of the
ocean Is nearly down to freezing point
and sometimes actually below It. There
a total absence OF light, as far as sun.
light Is concerned, and there Is an enor-
nous pressure, reckoned at about one
ton TO the square inch IN every 1000
iathoms. which Is roo times greater than
that of the atmosphere we live In. At
a.Soo fsthoms the pressure Is go times
more powerful than the steam pressure
of q locomotive when drawing a train.
As tate as 1880 leading zoologist ex-
planned the existence of deep-sea animals
al such depths BY assuming that their
bodies were composed of soil and
liquids of great density. and contained
n" air. This, however, is not the case
with deep-sea FISH, which are provided
with air-inAated swimming bladders. ~
II one of these fish, In full chase after
IT. prey, happens to ascend beyond
certain level, its bladder becomes dis.
tented with the decreased pressure, and |
carries II, IN spite of all It's efforts, still |
higher In Its course In fact, members
of this unfortunate class are liable to
become victims to the unusual accident
OF falling upward, and no doubt meet
with violent death soon after leaving
their accustomed level. and long before
their bodies reach the surface Ia dis.
torted and unnatural state Even
ground sharks brought up from a depth
Of more than 500 fathoms, expire before
they gain the surface.
The fauna of the deep sea-with few
exceptions hitherto only known as fos-
sils-aE new and specially modified ,
forms of families and genera inhabIting
shallow waters In modern times, and ,
have been driven down to the depths of
the ocean by their more powerful rivals
g. he battle of life. much as the ancient
Brtons were compelled to withdraw to {,
The barren and inaccessible Businesses of
Wales Some of their organs have un. .
defgone considerable modification In /,
correspondence TO the changed condi- I
lions of their new habltats Thus down b
20 300 fsthoms their eyes have generally I
become enlarged. to make the best Of
the faint light which may possibly pene o
trate there. After 1000 fathoms these [,
organs are either still further enlarged, v
or 50 greatly reduced that In some h
species they disappear altogether and Il
are replaced by enormously long feelers. /,
rhe only light at great depths which q
eeuid enable large eyes to be of any ii
ervice Is the phosphoresence Of deep o,
sea animals. =,
We know that at the surface this Hight o.,
often very powerful, aud Sir WyvElle
Thomson has recorded one occasion on IN
shice the sea Al night was "a perfect &C
'isze of phosphoreseenee so strong that eli
lghts and shodows were thrown on the "a,
ais and II was easy to read the smallest n,
rins." II Is thought possible by several in
aiuralists that certain portions of the no
"a bottom may be as brilliantly illumin- a,
4 by this sor, Of light as the streets of r,
European city after sunset Some =,
sep-sea fish have two parallel rows of a.
nall circular phosphorescent organs r.,
inning along the whole length of their %
odies, and as they glide through the loe
srk waters of the profound abysses they m,
ust look like model mali ships with san
rvs of shining portfolios. an,