Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-12
VOYAGE OF THE ALBATROss.
Discoveries in Pacific Waters Will
Necessitate Changes in Maps.

Discoveries in Pacific Waters Will
Necessitate Changes in Maps.
San Francisco Correspondence Chicago Record
One Of the most successful voyages ever
made by United States vessel for scientific
purposes has just been completed by the
steamer Albatross, after cruise OF four
teen months in the southern Pacific. along
the eastern coast of Asia and in the Bering
sea. Scientists who are conversant with
the difficulties attending any attempt to ex-
tend explorations into entirely new fields OF
research connected with the sea regard the
voyage Of the Albatross as of greatest con-
sequence.
The voyage will prove most valuable to
navigators The strictly scientific methods
Of the expedition led to the remarkable dis
covery that the charts of many of the
islands in the southern seas are entirely
Enthusiastically. 1t Is now believed that
their inaccuracy has probably led to the
large number of wrecks which have oc-
CURED in those waters. Most of the islands
of the Paumotu group, as well as those OF
Elce, Marshall and Caroline groups, were
so inaccurately charted that the chart was
a positive hindrance to safe navigation,
many Of the Islands being as far twenty
and thirty miles from the boundaries rep
resented on the charts. The Investigations
of the Albatross seemed to show that nun
dreds Of the Islands had been hastily
sketched by captains In connection
with their casual voyages in those waters,
but never accurately located and properly
represented on the charts. The two excep-
tons to this general condition are the FIJI
group. owned by Great Britain. and the
Tahiti group, belonging to France. All the
islands Of the mischarted groups were To-
Gated with mathematical precision by the
crew of the Albatross, and from the
sketches made on the ground entirely new
navigators' charts were prepared by the
government and distributed to all the ma
lions CT the world.
IF ho hat fS If
great value to navigatOrs and to those who
intrust their lives to them was the discov-
cry of a bank in the middle Of the Boring
sea at point where the charts show a
depth of 1000 fathoms. The soundngs
showed that this bank is ten miles long and
from half mile to mile in width. It lies
at safe distance beneath the surface, but
the knowledge Of Its existence will enable
navigators to make soundings in that part
Of the ocean when they wish to determine
their bearings in cloudy weather. For long
periods the sky is overcast in those lati-
tudes, and the usual solar or astral OBJ
servationS are impossible. The knowledge
that there is submerged bank 200 fathoms
below the surface in latitude As deg. 30
min. north and in longitude 179 deg. 80
min. east will enable confused captains on
taking soundings to direct their course
with safety.
On this expedition the worlds record for
deep sea net dragging was increased l 200
fathoms The greatest depth ever pre-
viously attained was that reached by the
British scientific deep-sea exploration
steamer Challenger, between 1873 and 1876
when she drew up material from depth of
1900 fathoms. This was thought to be a
feat that could never be surpassed. but the
Albatross reached the enormous depth of
more than five miles. exceeding that of the
Challenger by more than a mile. From this
great depth the Albatross drew up speci-
mems of low forms of sponge life adhering
to pumice stone. showing the bottom to be
of volcanic rock.
The results OF the pyneriupDtS tO
ascertain deep-sea pressure were remark
able. A hollow glass globe eight inches in
diameter. with walls half inch thick,
was sent down empty. After reaching a
depth of 1900 feet it was drawn to the sur
face and found to be three-fourths full of
water. The water had been forced through
the smooth. thick. flawless glass. This
glass, with its sealed contents, will be pre-
served at Washington as a souvenir Of the
expedition. A bottle Of wine lowered to
cool it came up with the cork forced into
the bottle and the contents spoiled.
That shrimps inhabit great sea depths
was first discovered on this expedition.
Shrimps of Infinite variety were brought up
from depths varying from a few yards to
1900 feet. They ranged from little ones
not more than half inch in length to
shrimps foot long. and all were found to
be edible. They were found wherever the
nets were lowered in the South sea and Off
the southern coast Of Japan That shrimps
could be found at great depths came as
real surprise to the scientists on the Alba
tross. Tor on the California coast where the
Chinese catch about $225.00O worth of
shrimps annually for domestic and oriental
markets, the big nets are lowered to the
depth of only twenty or thirty feet, and 1t
was supposed that this was the limit at
which they could be found.
The discovery that the sea at the depth
OF 1000 fathoms has uniform temperature
OF 80 degrees. or only about three degrees
above freezing. was another of the i'm
portant results Of this expedition Former
deep-sea soundings had shown practically
a uniform temperature over small areas.
but 1t was thought that latitude and ocean
currents would affect the temperature The
soundings Of the Albatross, however show
that whether in tropical or arctic regions
and whether on the surface the sea is cold
or warm. at the depth Of 1900 feet the
temperature is absolutely Uniform