The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
The Antarctic Depths.

The Germans, who have long been the
foremost promoters Of ~deep-sea research,
have reason to congratulate themselves IN
the great success OF the Valdivia expedi-
ton, which arrive at Padang, Sumatra, on
Jan. %. Letters have been received from
Prof. CHUN, the leader, and DR.. SCHorT.
the oceanographer Of the expedition, by
Sir John MURRAY OF Edinburgh and Prof.
KRtMMEL OF Kiel, telling OF their ex-
tensive and unexpected excursion into
the Antarctic area and an important dis
covery they made there. The studies Of this
expedition show that the opinion long en-
tertained that the Antarctic is a compara-
lively shallow sea is not correct. Skirting
the edge ofthe pack ice from west to south
east through fifty degrees OF longitude,
south Of Africa, In a part OF the south polar
waters where a submarine plateau was
supposed to exist, the Observers on the VAL
DIVA took fourteen %soundings, five Of which
revealed depths Of over $4,000 feet, and
others nearly reached this figure.
The old conception Of these seas as COM
paratively shallow seems to have originat-
ed from the fact that many of the islands
! and archipelagoes visited, as Iceland, Spitz-
DtTHtH anu ElduA OObc l>uIli, oIdlu uIOh
submarine plateaus OF considerable extent,
over which the water Is only 700 to 1000
feet deep. The first correction Of this erro-
ueous Idea was the discovery Of depths Of
two to nearly three miles within the Arctic
circle, between Greenland and Norway and
between North Greenland and S~pitzber-
gen. Then in the Asian Arctic Ocean
DR.. NANsEN found depths Of two miles and
more for a long distance toward the pole,
and now the Valdivia expedition has dis
covered depths OF over three miles in Ant
arctic waters, which. in connection with the
few s%oundings OF over $4,000 feet obtained
by the Challenger party in 1874 on the
other side OF the Antarctic area, proves the
existence Of enormous depths In widely
separated parts Of the south polar waters.
Rehring Sea is everywhere known as ashal-
low sea. and yet acknowledgements
NOSES. on Aug, 10, 1895, discovered the
depthof 10, 700 feet between Behring leland
and Kamtchatka.
At a meeting Of German nationalists in
Leipslc In 1897, Prof. CHUN OF the Leipsic
University proposed that a deep-sea expe-
dition be sent out for chemical, physical, and
geological Investigations over a wide area.
The German Government gave $3.50 0
toward the expenses and promised addi-
tional funds to cover final costs and tho
publication of results. The Hamburg
American Steamship Company contributed
the steamer Valdivia, Of $500 tons,
with crew and equipment, including a
deckhouse for microscopic work, labora-
tories and apparatus. The scientific staff,
composed of specialists OF reputation in
botany, zoology, o~ceanography, chemistry
and b~acteriology, numbered eight men,
each of whom received the stipend Of So a
day from the Government. The Valdivia
sailed from Hamburg on Aug. 1 last, and
the results OF the work up to the time OF
her arrival at the Cape Of Good Hope nave
been reported in considerable detail. Moth
ing further was heard from her until she
arrived in Sumatra.
Here are some OF the most interesting OBJ.
servations mad during the trip south on
the Atlantic North OF Scotland, on the
Shetland-Faroe Bank, the ice-cold polar cur.
rent was discovered flowing southward at a
depth OF 1858 feet. The temperature was
9l.S' F., and the dredge brought up a large
numbero OF tho most important Arctic forms,
Nine geographic miles southof the equator,
in so west longitude, a depth of 1854
feet was recorded, which Is the deepest
yet found under the equator, with the ex,
ception Of the doubtful record Of thf
Romanche in iS' west longitude. The
temperature ~soundings showed that the
heating Of the waters by solar radiation
cannot be detected below a depth Of 36C
feet. At 800 feet and below that depth
great disturbances and Irregularities il
temperatures were discovered. At l,soC