The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-24
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP
PROF. VERRILL'S INI,EREST1NG
LECTURE IN SHEFELELD COURSE.

LECTURE IN SHEFFLELD COURSE.
How the Work of Exploration is Carried
On-Deep Sea Geography of Our Coast
Marvels of Deep Sea Life-The Original
Sea serpent-Lecture Finely illustrated
Large Audience Present.
An especially interesting and instruc-
tive lecture was given by Professor A.
e. Verrill in the Sheffield course last
evening on Recent Explorations OF the
Deep Sea, and Their Results Every
seat in the North Sheffield lecture room
was occupied. The lecture was finely
Illustrated throughout with stereopticon
views of the paraphernalia used in
these deep-sea explorations and the
many beautiful and curious forms of
animal life dredged UP from the deep
sea. The lecture, In substance, was as
follows:
THE deep-sea explorations are con-
Quoted by the coast survey and fish
| commissions of the United States gov
| ernment. Formerly they were prose-
cuted in a vessel so small as to be dan
gerous to go out to any great distance
from the land. In 1883, however. the
| government built and equipped espe-
cially for this work a fine 8,000-ton
| steamer, the Albatros, which was fitted
up with all the best apparatus for deep
| sea soundings.
This apparatus consists in large part
of numerous dredges of various shapes
and sizes, suited to the different kinds
of sea bottoms and several miles Of
| wire rope for sounding. This latter Is
quite a remarkable appliance whereby
not only the depth can be ascertained
very rapidly, but also the temperature
of the water by means of an automatic
| registering thermometer which is at
tached.
| "The explorations thus far made ex-
tend the entire length of our Atlantic
coast line, which is the best explored
region on the bottom Of the deep sea.
The geography Of this portion Of the
sea bottom is striking and curious. Ex-
tending the entire length of the ATTAIN
tic coast is a coast plateau one hundred
miles in width and sloping gradually
oms, or 600 feet
|
ocean bed is abrupt, and by going out
ten miles farther water 1000 fathoms
in depth is found, and twenty-five miles
from the plateau the water is 1000 faith
oms in depth.
This increased depth is found all
along the coast plateau Of the Atlantic.
and at points it is even more than 1000
| fathoms, reaching in some places off
Cuba and the West Indies a depth AS
great as 4,5O0 fathoms. Considering
that some of the mountains in Cuba
are several thousand feet in height, III
will be seen that the descent from their
summit to the bottom of the sea is very
great.
Water of about 1000 fathoms in
/ depth is also found in the Gulf Of Mex
! lea and the Caribbean Sea. The shore
plateau, should there be a. slight rise
In the depth, would become a part of
4 the North American continent, and
very likely was portion of the land at
some time in the past.
"The surface of this plateau is COW
cred with deposit Of fine sand and
mud from the rivers. Beyond the plat
eau in the deep water the surface is
1 composed almost entirely Of the shells
Of small animals which have accumu-
lated there generally to a depth Of If
teen feet.
THE temperature varies from So to 3S
degrees fahrenheit. The cold water iii
the deep water belts comes from the
Antarctic ocean, through deep cham;
mel, and not from the Arc ac ocean, Az
one would naturally suppose.
"The animal life in this deep sea is
numerous and varied. The animals on
the sea bottom live for the most part
ON the smaller animals which sink
from the surface AS it takes several
days for the bodies Of these small ami
mails to sink to such a great depth it,
would seem that they would decay.
but at depth of 100 fathorns 1t is so
cold that it preserves the bodies.
Vegetable life, of course, is unknown
at such depth, sea weeds never being
found at greater depth th&n 100 faith
oms.
TT is probable that there is no light
at such a depth, such as would be ap-
parent to human eyes, and as result
of this lack Of light the animals are
blind, or nearly so.
Some, however, have enlarged eyes.
as a means Of lighting up by phosphor-
Gus, and some of the fishes have feel
ers by which they feel their way in
the darkness.
Curious specimens of this animal life
were exhibited on the screen.
"One called the swallow fish is such
a glutton that it will swallow another
firsh larger and heavier than itself.
"An animal supposed to be what is
called the sea serpent attains length
of twenty-five feet, and has a kind
of name the entire length of it's back.
1t never leaves the deep sea unless sick
or injured, when it comes to the s.lc-
face to die. when 1t is probably mis-
taken for sea serpent.
Some fishes are provided with very
pointed tails, so that by a few swift
turns of that appendage they can bur
row themselves out of sight in the soft
mud.
Deep water sharks grow TO large
size and resemble closely other sharks
and are equally ferocious"
! Many haautiful views of coraIc star.