Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
By Edwin Tarrisse


pecially for deep sea fishing, -
the fish commission steamer
Albatross. The business of the Albatross is
to follow ocean fish from their summer to
their winter habitat, and observe their manner
of life.
This work includes the collection of fish.
mud, and shells, sometimes from depth of
more than twenty-five thousand feet. Such
work requires a heavy sinker and strong line,
as well as the greatest ingenuity in the con-
struction and use of instruments.
The electric light is sometimes lowered eight
hundred feet, at which depth the illumination
becomes invisible from above. Near the sur
face the shadows of large fish attracted by the
light are cast up on the sea, with the welrdest
effect. The light, it would seem, exercises a
maddening influence on some kinds of fish
Sharks in particular will dart at it as at deadly
foe. Not infrequently the current shocks them
and the dead bodies of these victims of rage or
curiosity float to the surface.
The operation of sounding, or fishing at a
depth of thousands of feet, requires nerve and
judgment. The tension on the steel wire must
be constant to prevent knking, and the cur
rents that would sweep the wire under the
bottom of the ship must be carefully watched
for. Great patience is sometimes needed to
clear /: line without kinking it or losing any
part of it.
One interesting appliance is the water speci-
men cup which is let down on the sounding
line and is so arranged that the resistance of
CHc water Keeps open IIc waves VI tie cup
during its descent, and closes them during its
ascent. Water from any gwen depth can
thus be brought to the surface for examination
in the laboratory of the Albatross, or in Wash
ington, where water specimens are sometimes
sent for more elaborate analysis. These water
cups are strongly built, to resist the enormous
pressure. One of the curiositles on the Al
batross is heavy glass globe filled with water.
This hollow glass ball was, on one occasion,
lowered to so great depth that the pressure
literally forced the water through the pores of
the glass till the ball was filled. Because of
this pressure the mercury bulbs of deep sea
thermometers have to be inclosed in secondary
glass cases, also filled with mercury; otherwise
the readings of the thermometers would be
curry beyond the true temperature point.
The Albatross has found life at surprising
depths, and her adventures and researches
would. if set forth at length, prove as fascinat-
ing as those of the Nautilus in Verne's " Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"
1t is only within the last twenty years or so
that attention has been given to the systematic
study of ocean ichthyology, or deep sea fishes.
In this time deep sea work has been most sue
cessfully carried on, and laborers in this COM
paratively new field have produced results of
great value to science, as well as of much gen.
eral interest.
Fish with Headlights
SINCE it is believed that the rays OF the sun
- do not penetrate below depth of two hun
bred fathoms, it follows that fishes living that
deep must possess special organs in order to
pursue and capture their prey Thus are found
many fishes with luminous glands or plates
situated the head, tail, and gill covers.
One species has brilliant headlight extend
to the eye. Another of the same genus has
lantern on IFS tail. and in some forms there