The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-25
HONOLULU
1.-THE HUB
Oceanographer States
This Is Center Of
World.

''The Pacific Ocean saw the origin
of life. It is the center of creation .
said Professor Ritter, of the University
of California, who is now in Honolulu,
the guest of Judge Philip L. Weaver
| and as the crossroads of the Pacific
the Hawaiian Islands naturally take
their place as the hub Of the world
| Professor Ritter is now on his way
! to the Congress of Oceanographers and
Icthyologists of the world. which meets
in Marseilles the coming summer in
connection with the Colonial Exposi-
! ton to be held there. He is preparing
a paper for the Congress, entitled 1.-The
problems of Oceanography of the
! North Pacific and the Relation of the
San Diego Biological Station to These"
| This institute, of which the Professor is
the director, is located at La Jolla,
and is devoting its attention to the
$4,000 square miles of ocean contained
! in a line drawn from a continuation of
the Mexican line due north to Point
Conception. This area is described as
portion of California under water,
the islands off the coast being the
mountain tops of the districts. From
the scientists standpoint this area is
especially interesting. presenting
diversified ocean bed, distinct from the
main ocean bed which really begins to
the west of the line. A relief map of
the bed of this area is now being pre-
to show the similarity between it and
the land surface of Southern Califor-
MIA.
There is a sharp contrast between
the floating and swimming animals in
the sea and those fixed and living on
the bottom said the Professor, de- |
scribing the work in which he is en-
gagged, land our station at La Jolla |
is particularly well located for the |
study of the latter. Other points are |
better for the study OF the floating sea
life, the Hawaiian Islands being well |
located for such a station. In the first
place it should be rememb ered that |
all life originated in the ocean, and |
that the Pacific is the Mother Ocean,
the others being only arms to that |
great sea. This makes these islands
particularly interesting from the
oceanographers' standpoint and 1 hope
to see a Biological Station established
here at some time. Our Station at
La Jolla is supported partly by the
University of California and partly by
private subscription the principal
patron being Miss Ellen B. Scripps,
of La Jolla, who gave us $4,000 last
year.
With a station here and one on
Puget Sound or at Dutch Harbor in
communication with our station a
great deal of valuable data could be
gathered. The value of communica-
ton in many cases is most Important:
for instance, the log books of the Ar
gyl1 and the Fullerton corroborated
the observa tons made by me on the
trip over on the Mongolia. showing an
extraordinary period of easterly winds,
turning the current in an opposite di-
rection to the ordinary. AS soon as
landed I wrote to the station to OBJ
serve the effect of this counter current
on the sea life off the Coast. A sta
touch with such extraordi-
nary conditions. and the one at Dutch
Harbor would aid in the study of the
little-known Japan Current. To show
how little definite knowledge we have
Of Pacific Oceanography, prominent
scientists are continually fatty CONTRA
dieting the statements of other equal
ly-prominent SCIENTISTS
While here professor Ritter has been
the coral forma tons and will
take a trip with Captain Naopala of
the Likelike, who is conversant with
the many interisland currents.
The cultivation of sponges for COM
nercial purposes is something that
might pay to investigate, or the prop
agation of pearl oysters, he thought.
he has not gone into the mat
ter at all fully. Before doing anything
with either industry careful study
Of the water conditions would have to
be made, he said.
There seems to be lots of money
here" said the professor. reverting to
the matter of the Hawaiian Marine BIZ
illogical Station. ''and I hope to see
some one interested enough in the mat
ter help. Your Aquarium is a mOstain-
teresting place and a laboratory i'll
with it would be a valuable
although the Aquarium loca 4
ton might not do for it. ON the reef
at the mouth of Pearl Harbor is the
ideal location
The professor leaves on March Is for
the Mediterranean via Japan and will
go back home across the Atlantic.