The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-05-14

Standings Taken Show Depth of Almost Six Statute '
The Depth of Is Inhabited by Smai' erea''
ures and a Region of Mystery.

coed in curious and fantastic form any
of the beasts which inhab.t the earth
i'm fact. they differ from those OF
other planets. 1t was for the purpose
of exploring the greatest known
DEPTHS of the ocean and for acqualnt-
inc mankind with the secrets which
have been held in the bosom OF the
deep since they were created that the
United States government IN August
last sent the .'Albatross" from San
Francisco TO the islands of the mid Ia
citic. were at that time the greatest
| known depths existed.
| Scientif. men are of the opinion
| that the LITTLE island OF Guam was
thrown up in mid ocean by some vast
volcanic upheaYaL 1t stands in deep
water ami rises almost perpendicularly
from out of the oceans bed. The PROP
ability is that when it was born vast
amount of matter was thrown suddenly
up. This was drawn from limited
area and nature probably took much
of the substance which makes up the
island of Guam from that portion OF
deem now exists. 1t is fact that IN
almost every case where islands OF
volcanic origin exist corresponding
depths of unusual extent are dlscovera-
BILE.
Up to a recent date an English
deep sea explorer held the record Tor
having discovered the greatest depth'
While making explorations for cable
between Japan and the Aleutlan Is
lands he ran into water 24,00O 1eet
deep off the island Of Alto. Whlle
making explorations off the Aleutlan
chain he found that for 1000 mi les the
water varies from IL, 600 to 24,Ol2 feet.
The greatest depth in the Atlantic
was discovered by Blake. just north OF
Porto Rico. where the plummet went
down %, 200 feet.
Rut the discovery more recently by
the British ship Penguin" OF water
to the north of New Gnipea OF 29,4CO
feet. and later water in 30 degrees %
minutes south latitude and l16 de-
grees 80 minutes west longitude OF
20 O3O feet, eclipsed all previous rec
ord up to the discovery of Mere"
deep. when depth of 3l,6l4 feet was
reac ned.
Deep sea soundings are made with
fine piano wire, to which Is a oall OF
solid iron. weighing from thirty TO
seventv-fve pounds These balls de-
tach themselves automatically when
the bottom is reached, as IL would De
N actically impossible TO draw them
no from such depth Ii TOO muHh
wire is let out it would kink and break.
so there is no possibility of a mistake
being made in the sounding.
The composition of the ocean 8 NOT
tom has a curious interest You 40
not get far out to sea before all de-
posit from rivers and outer continent
al sources disappear. In the Atlant'
ic on the bottom down to certain
limit substances dropned from melting
iceberrs are found. One NAV expect
70 find on bottoms down TO depth OF
600 and even 1900 fathoms deposits
of stone. various calcareous suostan-
ces, such as the bones of fish, she'ls,
carbOniferous substances which enter
into the skele' ons of the little deep
sea animals, and blue and gray and
green muds or clays and various sub
stances classified as Ooze. Below
:. 900 or 1000 fathoms little is found
hut red clay. This, when brought to
the surface. is soft, plastic and greasy,
but when exposed to the upper atmos-
phere it becomes in few days so
| hard that 10 break it one has to use a
hammer. 1t is capable of sustaining a
! high degree of polish.
The theory has been advanced
in explanation of the fact that no bones
or calcareous substances are found at
GREAT depths hold the sinking bodies
snspended for so long a time that they
are completely disintegrated before
reaching the bottom.