The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-03-18
DEEP SEA EXPLORATIONS
INTE RESTING LECTURE BY PROF.
 4. F. VERRILL OF YALE.

4. F. YERRILL OF YALE.
 Delivered at Boardman School Yesterday-- Explorations by the U. s. Steamship AL batros-ApparatuR Used in Deep Sea soundings-Coast Waters Which Have Been Explored-Lecture Illustrated.
 Prof. Verrill gave lecture yesterday noon to the pupils of the Boardman Training school on the explorations of the deep sea bottoms. The history Of these explorations was briefly given. The first exploration was made by MT. Pourtales Of the United States coast survey in 1877, between Florida and Cuba, The discovery of many unknown and remarkable animals made by him led to repeated explorations by the coast survey in subsequent years, and also to the fitting cut of various other explorations for the same purpose by the English and other governments. Eventually nearly all the European countries have sent out explorations for this purpose. The "Challenger' was large Warship sent out by the English government to explore all the oceans in this way. It was gone three years and crossed all the great oceans in differ ent directions and brought home i'm mense collections. The reports on the collections of the Challenger" occupy more than twenty large quarto vol umes with many hundreds of plates. The American explorations were con tinued for several years by the vessels of the United States coast survey, mostly under the directions of MT. Alexander Agassig, who paid personal ly for large part of the expenses. His explorations were mainly in the West Indies, Gulf of Mexico and off the Unit ed States coast south of Cape Hatter- as. In 1880 the United States fish com mission commenced deep sea work off our northern coasts in the steamer "Fishhawk." The steamer was not suitable for this work, having been built only for river and inshore work Nevertheless in 1880 and 1881 wonderful collections were made by the Fish hawk beneath the waters of the Gulf stream at great depths from off Cape
 
 The steamer "Albatross" was then built for the fish commission, and was designed especially for this kind of work. She is an iron steamer of about 700 tons, and more perfectly fitted out for deep sea work than any other yes sel that has been sent out by any coun- try. She continued to explore the bot tom of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the West Indies up to 1887, when she was sent around to the Paci- fic coast, and continued the work on that side to some extent, for few years longer. More recently she has been engaged in doing police work, in guarding the seal fisheries of Alaska
 While work on the Atlantic coast the summer months were spent in the wa ters north of Cape Hatteras, but in the winter she worked among the West In dies The explorations both of the "Fish Hawk" and "Albatross, north of Cape Hatteras, during seven years, was under the direction of Professor Verrill, and nearly all the specimens obtained, except the fishes. were sent to him to be described and figured. These collections, of vast extent, have mostly been reported upon, and the larger part have been returned to Washington but a magnificent series is retained in the Yale Museum. Unfortunately the United States government has granted no money since the death, in 1887, of Professor Baird, the original fish com missioner, for the preparation and il- Iustration of the reports. So that the American discoveries are to be found only in scattered works. The English, the French and the Norwegian govern ments have done far better, for they have provided the means of publishing large series of handsome columns, con- taining full reports of their discov- cries.
 Professor Verrll described and illus trated by lantern slides the equipment of the Blake and "Albatross," and illustrated the latest improved sound- ing and dredging apparatus, including the great deep sea travis the tangles, the deep sea thermometers, water bot ties, etc., and their modes of use. The eXplora tions off our coast extended down to 26,000 fathoms, where plenty of animal life was found. He also il- frustrated the configuration of the sea bottom and the temperatures of the deep water over the whole Atlantic; and the nature of the materials GOV ering the bottom, which, remote from the shore consists mostly of minute shells called Foramnifera and Radio laria. over vast areas. These were shown both in their dead condition and in their living state as found on the surface.
 He also exhibited a few of the strange forms of fishes obtained from the deep sea, but most of the illus trations of deep sea animal life were reserved for the next lecture, Some ot the fishes shown have special organs for producing bright phosphorescenr light. Many other creatures found 1T the deep sea have the same power. IT this way the great depths, to which tho light of day never reaches, are to some extent illuminated. This explains the