The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-10
ISLANDS WAY OFF CHART
SOUTH SEA GROUPS ARE NOT
PROPERLY RECORDED.
Important Discovery made by Govern
ment Deep Sea Survey Boat Albatross
Many Scientific Facts Learned.

SAN FRANCISCO, November dis
cOVerieS of great value 70 navigation
and to science are reported by the Uni
ter States Fish Commission steamship
Albatross, which has just returned to
san francisco from fourteen months
cruise in the South Seas and in Japa-
nese and Alaskan waters.
The naval officers controlling the YES
sci have learned that nearly all of the
South Sea islands are mischarted any
where from two to a dozen miles MAX
ing steering by chart extremely dan
gerous. The exceptions are the Fiji
group, owned by Great Britain, and the
Tahiti group owned by France.
Many of the islands of the Paumotu,
the Ellice, the Marshall and the Caro-
line groups were accurately recharted
by the officers of the Albatross and will
be given their proper positions on new
maps. The Investigations seemed to
show that hundreds of islands have
simply been sketched in place on charts
by sea captains and never correctly
located. This is why they are miles out
of the way.
In about the middle of Behring sea
they discovered bank just 200 fathoms
below the surface where the charts
showed 1000 fathoms' depth. This bank
is from five to ten miles in extent The
knowledge of it's existence will permit
navigators to try sounding in that part
of the ocean when they wish to deter
mine their bearings in cloudy weather.
AS the Sky is sometimes overcast in
those ATTITUDES for days and nights con-
tinuOusly. the usual solar or astral OBJ
serVatiOnS are not always possible.
Knowing that there is this extensive
area only 600 feet below the surface in
latitude "a deg. 80 min. north and longi-
tude 179 deg. 80 min. east confused cap
tainS may hereafter learn where they
OF
bottom where the charts show impos-
Sible soundings.
A worlds record for deep-sea net
dragging was made about fifty miles
east of the Tonga group of islands in
latitude 20 degrees south. Specimens
of marine life were brought up from a
| depth of 1900 fathOms, or nearly five
miles. The greatest previous record was
less than 5000 fathoms. From the five
mile bottom the Albatross secured spe-
cimens simply of low form of sponge
life adhering to pumice stone indicating
neither sandy nor muddy bottom
but one of rough volcanic rock.
Another scientific fact determined is
that the temperature at the bottom of
| he ocean is uniformly a fratcion above
80 degs., or a little more than dogs.
above the freezing point This rule
| holds good for all depths from 500 ia
| thOms to 1900 fathoms or from 300 feet
| sea.
Aboard the Albatross is a remarkable
illustration of deep-sea pressure. There
| is hollow glass globe eight inches in
! diameter with walls three-eights OF an
| inch thick. This globe was empty when
it was sent down to depth of 1900 feet
or nearly two and a half miles. When
it came up it was three-fourths full of
water, as it is yet. That water was
! forced through the thick, smooth flaw
| less glass. A bottle of wine, lowered
deep to cool it, came up with the cork
forced inside the bottle and the wine
| spoiled.
Shrimps in infinite variety were
brought up from depths varying from a
few yards to $4,000 feet. They ranged
from little ones half inch in length to
giant shrimps foot long. All were
edible.
Specimens of red coral discovered
deep in the Arctic ocean are among the
curios on the Albatross. They proved
to the scientific world that red coral is
not found solely in the temperate Medi-
terranean sea.