Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-08-16
What ALBATR0SS
HAS been DOING
Work About Islands Has
Probably Been
Completed.
Deep SOUNDINGS IN
WATER ABOUT KAUAI
ARRIVAL OF DR.. JORDAN FROM
SAMOA is NOW BEING AWAIT.
ED DISPOSITION OF
SPECIMENS.

batross returned from Bird Island
Thursday afternoon after what prob
ably will be her last cruise In Hawaiian
waters for some time to crome.
DR.. Gilbert, who is in charge of tho
nvestigations, stated this morning
that this last cruise had been exceed.
ingly satisfactory. many new spcci
mems having been obtained. The AZ
batross went to the only two places
known in this region where 1t is pos
sible to dredge the bottom at depth
OF 800 fathoms. One OF these places
is near Bird Island. while the other
place Is OFF the east coast Of Kauai
north of Nawiliwili.
Despite the difficulties offered by
the rough bottom, several successful
dredge hauls were made there to a
depth OF 1900 fathoms and several
new anu valuable specimens hereof.
fore unknown TO science. were obtain.
ed.
Dr. Gilbert stated that in all prob.
ability this was the final cruise of the
Albatross In these waters for the time
being. While the ultimate decision
concerning the movements of the
steamer remains with DR.. Jordan. WAC
moa in the Sonoma on Monday, Or.
Jordan's decision will depend princi
pally on the report OF DR.. Gilbert, and
this, DR.. Gilbert states, is such that IN
all probability the work OF the Com
mission in these waters will be consi /
erred finished for the present.
The AlbatrOss on this series Al
Icruises has succeeded in doing wha'
has never been done before, namely
making a very complete investigation
Of the fauna OF the waters surroSnd
ing the Hawaiian Islands.
This Is tremendous task she hai
accomplished. as the difficulties III
fered by the rOughness OF the bottom
here are greater than those met wit,
in any other place.
In the seventies. the British sniI
challenger, on her dredging cruise y
three years around the world, attempts
ed to dredge on the bottom here bu
gave 1t up after the very first haul. Al
la consequence. the fauna here ha;
been practically unknown and the
question has been In the sCientifi,
world. to what region and type tn,
fauna of the waters here belong, whe
Their IL Is like that found in the water
on the coast OF America or like thu
a.. DO. a.,
Although the material collected by III,
Albatross has not yet been classified
DR.. Gilbert states that 1t seems to re
semble closely the fauna of the water
southeast of this group.
To show what the difficulties nav
been here III comparison with thUs
met at other places, II may he men
toned that Professor Agassiz in li
eXpedition in the waters near ranama
found more material In about 10
dredge hauls than the Albatross exp,
ditiOn did in its entire cruise, II
which over 400 dredge hauls have bee
made.
Further, despite the fact that Agal
siZ dredgcd to depth of 1000 fail
oms, he never lost a dredge, while tn
Albatross has suffered innumerab!
j. losses.
? The data collected by the AlbatrOs
, expedition will be OF immeasurabi
4 value to future eNpositions. Caret'
2 notes have been made OF the place
+ where dredging could be cOnductc
y successfully. so that an expedition
= possession OF these data would be abb
! to work without losing much valuab
. time in looking for such spots.
; Despite the fact that the expedite
d has collected a vast amount of mat
n rial. DR.. Gilbert says that there Is y,
v "A good portion Of the work to be don
= The material collected by the
l. batross expedition will, on its retnl
l. to the Mainland, be distributed
specialists in the various branche'
Thus, one man will handle the crust
y CeOus. one the fishes. one the algi
and so forth. DIR. Jordan and DR.. +
erman, the ichthyologist of the eXi
e ditiOn. will handle the fishes OF Il
% Hawaiian Islands, combining his d
1 tentiOn to the market fishes and tho
q found In the shallow waters and abO
N the reefs. DR.. GilbSrt himself "
.. take the deep water fishes and all Il
n. fishes secured in the dredge hauls.
it the AlbatrOss material includes n
J.. only fishes but algae, crustaceans al
various other orders of plant and a