The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-02-21
CURIOUS BEINGS
OF THE DEEP SEA
Subject Of Lecture in the
National Museum.
THE BOTTOM OF OLD OCEAN
Conditions Far Below the Surface De-
scribed and Some of the
Life Shown.

The first of a series Of illustrated lee
lures on Saturday afternoons was given
yesterday at 4:2O o'clock I'm the lecture
hall OF the National Museum. by c. IL
Townsend. chief of the public aquarium
Of New York city. MI Townsend's sub
ject was The Exploration Of the Deep
Sea" and served to present a scientific
subject in clear and extremely in
teresting light
II is the purpose Of the Biological So
ciety Of Washington. under the auspices
0f which the course is to be given. to
have these lectures delivered in a style
which will impart all the information
relative to them in a style devoid of all
the technicalities which usually attend
such subjects. They are for the benefit
Of persons interested in scientific things
and for students alike. 50 the layman
who attends will have an equal chance
! with the student in understanding the
/ subject
Describes the Deep Sea.
Mr.. Townsend's long association with
/ deep sea work has made 1t possible for
( him to offer complete descriptions of the
territory beneath the ocean. It's condi-
: lions were explained in a lucid manner
! Mr. Townsend was for several years the
/ naturalist aboard the United States ship
! Albatross. which is regarded as the best
! equipped deep sea dredger in the world
Conditions In deep sea are far differ
ent from those attending surface life.
/ In the former the temperature Is al
ways within a few degrees of freezing
point. everything Is I'm total darkness.
and the animals which live there are
under a pressure Of four and a hall
tons 10 the square inch. In consequence
of this. these animals cannot be brought
| to the surface alive. for as soon as
they are taken from that pressure they
die.
The manner of dredging i'm deep sea
is apparently simple. First, a sounding
apparatus is used, which ascertains the
depth CT the water Then the dredge
is sent down To this Is attached a net.
eleven feet wide and two feet deep.
| When It is brought up IT carries an as
sortment Of strange and almost I'M
heard OF sea animals.
Work of Other Nations.
Many OF the leading countries Of the
world are engaging in deep sea work.
Germany and Austria are particularly
! active in the pursuit. and one of the
best equipped expeditions of recent
/ years was recently sent out by the
Prince of Monaco, of Monte Carlo
fame. II this instance. the lecturer re-
minded his hearers Of the good uses
TO which some OF the receipts from the
famous gambling house were being put
The prince, he said, has also invented
a most effective net for deep sea WORK
The nrst work of this character was
done by the United States Fish Com
mission I'm 1871, and the pursuit has
/ a F-.rf.
methods were rather primitive. as ex-
periments were made with rope Later
wire was brought into use, and from
the experiments made by wire ii has
been learned that the rope sOundmgs
were Inaccurate.
Mr.. ToWnsend's lecture offered mucr
that wa. entertaining, interesting, and
instructive. and the lecture hall was
crowded.
The subject next Saturday will be-
THE Living Forest" by Clifford Pin
| chOt.