Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-30
C, R, Ssvage's Interesting Paper
Before MicrOscopical Society,
FISH THAT HAVE LANTERNS.
There ts a Greater Variety, and More
Complex Character In Life In the
Ocean than ON the Earth.


ceptlonally interesting session IN the
office OF DR.. Wilcox last evening. The
addresses of the evening were made by
DR.. j. +. Merrill Of the University, and
c. r. Savage. The former clearly ex-
planned the use Of the microscope in
taking physical measurements, illustrat-
ing his remarks with practical demon
STATIONS with the instrument.
The paper read by Mr.. Savage on the
Wonders of the Mighty Deep" was
50 very interesting that It Is here given
in full as follows;
Some time ago | spent an evening at
the home OF Prof, Talmage and had my
attention drawn 10 some microscopic
slides made from objects taken from
the bed Of old ocean, the revelation Of
beauty and color procured from depths
where the suns rays never penetrate
We're so marvellous that never forgot
the pleasure enjoyed, through the use OF
the microscope, in showing up what
human eyes could never look upon and
enjoy were It not for this instrument
The ocean bed Is covered with a soft
shiny ooZe, the accumulation of untold
and unnumbered centuries--it is COM
posed of the fragments OF shells and
remains Of dead creatures, as well as
living ones II Is in the Investigations
made Of the nature and composition OF
this ocean mud that the microscope
Is Indispensable and through its use
the wondrous character Of ocean mys-
teries are unfOlded my interest In
oceanography received q strong i'm
pulse that evening Since that time
| have read much of the results OBJ
tanned by different explorers, and my
Interest Is thoroughly aroused in the
embodiment of the wonders Of nature,
and the secrets Of earth, air and seas.
1t was in 1872 that the English gov
eminent sent out vessel for a four
years cruise. During that time the
ocean beds were carefully scraped and
the character OF ocean depths carefully
noted. The greatest deeps were care.
fully sounded fishes Of rare shapes.
never before seen, were brought TO the
gaze OF the scientists, and seamen Of
the Challenger Soundings were made
from the Arctic to the Antartlc seas.
Forms of lie of the most curious shapes
yet all suited TO the conditions from
whence they were obtained Fish that
were eyeless fish with lanterns on their
sides that they could open or close at
viii; so that II they wished to see what
was around them, they could illuminate
the space around them in their search
after their prey-or II they We're pur-
sued by enemies to their welfare. they
could close the light and darkness
would save them in the same way that
the cutie fish fills the surrounding wa
ter with inky fluid TO protect itself
against marauders. There is a curious
fish with lantern hanging on
tentacle that Eliminates a huge mouth
and woe be It to the curious intruder
who seeks to investigate the character
of its cavernous receptacle
The minute shells Of varied hue OF
every shape and color kept the investi-
gators fully occupied, and II was not
until 1895 that a report was published
OF what had been seen, and examined
so varied and So extensive We're the
collections OF living and dead crea-
tons
America and Germany have also sen,
out expeditions, in different parts of
the globe, and so carefully have they
done their work that the ooze from
different places can be located. Il Is
related that a certain bottle was pre-
scented TO Sir John Murray Of Scotland.
the greatest living authority on the
revelations Of ocean depths, he is re
ported % have said; This was dredged
of the northern coast Of Africa in 900
fathoms OF water" He was right. for
the locality was near the Cape Verde
Islands.
Not only does the mud from the bot
tom of the sea afford wide field for
but the surface for
depth Of 300 feet Is one vast aquarium
Of vegetable and animal cunosities.
The scientists on the Challenger found
a protoplasmic gelatinous substance
that Huxley thought this to be the UNI
source OF life. He named II
the Bathybins-the commencement OF
life--but Sir John Murray took this
same hocculent substance and placed Il
in strong alcohol, When 10, It deposited
a chemically gelatinous precipltate,
thus was another attempt 10 find the
beginning Of life a failure by ocular
There is a greater variety, and a more
character In life, in the ocean
than Is found on the surface of the
earth. In the greatest depths five miles
below the surface, the water swarms
with life. but no evidence Of plant life
is found lower than 800 feet The living
creatures below this depth are on the
lookout for different fish that get be-
low their legitimate depth. proving
that even the finny tribes may set into
deep water, but not with lmpunity. II is
never safe to get out Of your depth
fish, flesh, or fowl
The suns rays do not penetrate
deeper that 800 feet, so that below this
point darkness reigns supreme On our
earth's surface the air pressure Is fif-
teen pounds to the square inch, but try
and imagine a pressure Of over two
tons 10 the square inch, away down
In the black depths Of the mighty deep.
The FISH that were dredged from these
depths burst open when brought 20
The surface. ana were undistinguish-
able. II takes a long time for objects
10 reach the bottom OF these ponderous
depths; everything that can be com
pressed will undergo change when Il
reaches a point where the speclfc
gravity Of It's mass IL equal 10 the sur
water A human being would
be compressed into an object no bigger
han the human hand. The wrecks of
ron vessels may float for a long time
,efore reaching bottom.
The greatest deeps ever found were
n the nelghhorhood Of our new ac-
luisitlon, Guam, In the far OF Pacific.
This Is little owe Ave miles about
he height OF Mt. Everesg In the Hima-
ayan range. so that our greatest
heights and the greatest deeps make
. range OF ten miles. Some Of the preci.
,lces In the ocean are frightfully steep
md abrupt. In many parts the bottom
8 composed Of pumice produced by
'olcanic action In the ocean bottom.
immense quantities OF the bones OF
whales and sharks have been dredged