Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-07
IN THE OCEANS DEPTHS
Something About the Temperature and
Pressure of the Water.
Queer Experience of Certain Species
sOf Fish In "Fa1Iing Upwards'-
Fauna of the Deep Sea.
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 pres
sure, reckoned at about ton to the square
inch in every thousand fathoms which is
100 times greater than that of the atmos-
phere we live in. AT $500 fathoms the
pressure is 80 times more powerful than
the steam pressure of a locomotive when
drawing train. AS late as 1850 leading
zoologist explained the existence of deep
sea animals at such depths by assuming
that their bodies were 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
inflated swimming bladders. If one of
these fish, in full chase after its pray, hap
pens to ascend beyond certain level, its
bladder becomes dstended with the de-
creased pressure, and carries 1t in spite of
its efforts, still higher in its course; in
fact, members of this unfortunate class are
liable to become victoms to the unusual &C
cldent of falling upward, and no doubt
meet with a violent death soon after leav-
ing their accustomed level, and long before
their bodies reach the surface in a distort-
ed ana unnatural state. Even ground
sharks, brought up from depth of no
more than 800 fathoms, expire before they
gain the surface
The fauna of the deep sea-with a few
exceptions hitherto only known as fossils
are new and specially modified forms of fam
mes generally inhabiting shallow waters
IN modern times. and have been driven
Gown to the depths of the ocean by their
more powerful rivals in the battle of life,
much as the ancient Britons were COM
PEELED to withdraw to the barren and in
accessible Businesses of Wales Some of
their organs have undergone considerable
mcdlhcatlon in correspondence to the
changed conditions of their new habitats.
mus down to $40 fathoms their eyes have
generally become enlarged, to make the
pest OF the faint light which may possibly
penetrate there. After LOCO fathoms these
organs are still further enlarged or so great
ly reduced that in some species they dis
appear altogether. and are replaced by
enormously long feelers. The only light at
great depths which would enable large
eyes TO be of any service Is the phospho-
rescence of deep-sea animals
we know that at the surface this light is
OFTEN very powerful, and Sir Wyvil,e Thorn
son mas recorded one occasion on which the
sea at night was a perfect blaze of
phoSphorescence, 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
certain portions of the sea bottom NAV be
as brilliantly 1llumined by this sort of
HSht as the streets of European city after
sunset Some deep-sea fish have two par
ailel rows of small circular phosphorescent
oiSahs running along the whole length of
their podles, and as they glide through the
dark waters of the profound abysses they
must look like model mail ships with rows
OF SHINING holes