The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27
sOundings Taken show "a Depth of
Almost SIX Statute Miles.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
A few miles southeast of Guam, cur new
island In the Pacihs ocean, made famous
by Gov. Leary and his attempt to
Americanlze the natives, lies the greatest
depth of oceans bed. The soundlngs made
at that point by Lieut.. II. M. Hodges
last November reached depth OF Sl,6l4
feet, or GA feet less than six miles. In the
vast hole the highest peak OF the Him
alaya Mountains would be comp. etely sub
merged while 81 shafts as high as the
Washington Monument would, placed Une
on Top of the other just reach the surface.
This extraordinary depression in the sea
bed was first discovered by Capt. Charles
Belknap of the steamer Nero while maxi
ing a survey for the proposed trans-Paci-
fie telegraph cable. Before completing his
soundings however, he was compelled TO
give up the work by ill health and thus
Lieut.. Hodges was permitted TO obtain
the official credit for the discovery. That
officers report to the Navy Department
is full Of interest. Il proceeded 10 try ard
find southern route to connect with our
direct line to Midway. he says, but struck
the Nero deep again, and am convinced
that il cannot be gotten around with
cable. Here the two deepest casts and the
two deepest temperatures ever taken were
recorded. The depths are 5l60 fathoms and
1863 fathoms, and the temperatures are
359 at 500 fathoms and S6 at 5l0l
fathoms.'
In sounding this profound depth Lieut.
Hodges broke a record and gained anoth-
er victory for American science. IL is
fact not generally known that in the
friendly rivalry for the exploration of the
deep seas American scientists have of late
years come to the forefront. Within the
fortnight Prof. Agassiz the greatest Of
deep SEA explorers, has written from the
South Pacific that he had just made the
deepest haul ever attempted with deep
sea trawl. He says that he hauled the
Blake beam trawl, with which the Alba
tross is equipped, from depth OF 25,OS
feet To his establishment a number of
fragments of salicious sponges were found
in the bag, thus proving incontestably
that life is to be found at this great
depth.
As is we'll known, only the greatest
hieht of the highest mountains, the far
polar regions of the earth and the lowest
depths of the sea remain UNEMPLOYED at
the present day. The sea beyond the depth
II few hundred fathoms is almost UNI
known. as far as the life az its bottom
is concerned. 1t is a region of mystery, in
habited. 1t is known, by many small crea-
lures and by some Of larger size. Those
which have been brought to the surface
exceed IN curious ana IantaStc form any
OF the beasts which inhabit the eartk-in
fact, they differ #, m those OF other plan
cts. It was for the purpose of exploring
the greatest known depths OF the ocean
and for acquainting mankind with the Sc
crets which have been held in the bosom
OF the deep since they were created that
the United States government In August
Ia st mt the Albatross from San Francis
CO to the islands Of the m'd-Pacifc, where
at that time the greatest known depths
existed
Scientific men are of the opinion that the
little island of Guam was thrown up in
mid-ocean by some vast volcanic upheav-
al. 1t stands In deep water and rises al
most perpendiculary from out the oceans
bed. The probability is that when 1t