The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-15
IN THE OCEANS DEPTHS.
The Enormous Pressure of the Water
in Its Decpest Places.
From the Nineteenth Century.

From the Nineteenth Century.
The temperature at the bottom of the
ocean is nearly down to freezing point,
and sometimes actually below it, There
is a total absence of light, as far as
sunlight is concerned, and there is an
enormous pressure, reckoned at about
one ton to the square inch in every |, 900
fathoms, which is 16O times greater
than that of the atmosphere we live in
At $500 fathoms the pressure is thirty
times more powerful than the steam
pressure of locomotive when drawing
train. AS late as 1880 a leading 20
oloSiSt explained the existence of deep
sea animals at such depths by assum-
ing that their bodies We're composed
of solids and liquids of great density,
and contained no air This, however,
is not the case with deep-sea fish,
which are provided with air-inhated
swimming bladders. If one of these
flsh, in full chase after it's prey, hap
pens to ascend beyond a certain level,
It's bladder becomes distended with the
decreased pressure. and carries it, in
spite of all its efforts, still higher in its
course. In fact, members of this un-
fortunate class are liable to become
victims to the unusual accident of fall
ing upward and no doubt meet with q
violent death soon after leaving their
accustomed level, and long before their
bodies reach the surface in a distorted
and unnatural state Even ground
sharks, brought up from a depth of no
more than 500 fathoms, expire before
they gain the surface.
The fauna of the deep sea-wth few
exceptions hitherto only known as fos-
sils-are 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
in the battle of life, much as the an
cient BritOns We're compelled to with
draw to the barren and inaccessible
Businesses of Wales. Some of their or
gans have undergone considerable mod
ification in correspondence to the
changed conditions of their new habi-
tats. Thus down to 900 fathoms their
eyes have generally become enlarged,
to make the best of the faint light
which may possibly penetrate there.
After 1000 fathoms these organs are
either still further enlarged, or so
greatly reduced that in some species
they disappear algother and are re-
placed by enormously long feelers. The
only light at great depths which would
enable large eyes to be of any service
is the phosphorescence of deep-sea ami
mails.
We know that at the surface this
light is often very powerful, and Sir
Wyville Thomson has recorded one oc-
casion on which the sea at night was
"a perfect blaze of sphorescence,
so strong that lights and shadows were
thrown on the sails and it was easy to
read the smallest print" 1t is thought
possible by several naturalists that GER
tain portions of the sea bottom may be
as brilliantly Illuminated by this sort
of light as the streets of a European
city after sunset Some deep-sea fish
have two parallel rows of small circu-
lar phosphorescent organs running
along the whole length of their bodies,
and as they glide through the dark
waters of the profound abysses they
must look like model mail ships with
rows of shining portfolios.