Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1900-01-12
IN THE OCEANS DEprue
Something About the Temperature
Pressure of the Wa+e,. ana

Something About the Temnor
Pressure of the Water ana
The temperature at the bottom of q.
ocean is nearly down to freezing =. no,lN tle
and sometimes actually below if TSD u'
Is total absence of light as far as le
light is concerned, and tbpre t. ul'
enormous pressure, reckoned at ahont
ton to the square inch in every thou
sand fathoms, which is 1GO tin
greater than that of the atmosphnro ~,
live in. AT $500 fathoms the nrosa.'' We
Is 81 times more powerful than tbo
steam pressure of a locomotive wha'
drawing train. AS late as 1ssn
leading zoologist explained the oviSt
ence of deep-sea animals at such danth,
by assuming that their bodies wons
composed Of solids and liquids of groat
density, and contained no air Thia
however, is not the case with deen.ooo
fish, which are provided with oirin
flated swimming bladders. If ono %
these fish, in full chase after its nrav
happens to ascend beyond cprtain
level, its bladder becomes distendod
with the decreased pressure, and cor
ries it in spite Of it's efforts still hipbor
in it's course; in fact, members Of tbis
unfortunate class are liable to become
victims to the unusual accident ~
falling upward, and no doubt moot
with violent death soon after leov
ing their accustomed level, and long
before their bodies reach the surfaca
in a distorted and unnatural STATE
Even ground sharks, brought up from
a depth of no more than 500 fathomS
expire before they gain the surface
HE fauna OF the Geep sea--w.th q feu
exceptions hitherto only known rs foS.
sils-are new and specially modified
forms Of families generally inhabitinc
shallow waters in modern times and
have been driven down to the depths Of
the ocean by their more powerful rivals
in the battle of life, much as the an.
cient Britons were compelled to with.
draw to the barren and inaccessible
Businesses Of Wales. Some of their
organs have undergone considerable
modification in correspondence to the
changed conditions of their new bab.
itatS. Thus down to 900 fathoms their
eyes have generally become enlarged,
to make the best of the faint LIGHT
which may possibly penetrate there.
After 1000 fathoms these organs are
still further enlarged or so greatly re.
duced that in some species they disap.
pear altogether, and are replaced by
enormously long feelers. The only
light at great depths which would en-
able large eyes to be Of any service is
the phosphorescence of deep-sea ami.
mails.
We know that at the surface this
light is often very powerful, and Sir
Wyville Thomson has recorded one
occasion on which the sea at night
was "a perfect blaze of phosphores-
cence, so strong that lights and shad.
owS were thrown on the sails, and it
was easy to read the smallest print"
1t Is thought possible by several nat
uralists that certain portions of the
sea bottom may be as brilliantly IL
lumined by this sort of light as the
streets of European city after sunset.
Some deep-sea fish have two parallel
rows of small circular phosphorescent
organs running along the whole length
Of their bodies, and as they glide
through the dark waters of the pro-
found abysses they must look like
model ships with rows of shining port
holes.-Nineteenth Century.