Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-09-18
IN DEEPEST WATER
Secrets Of the Sea Are Revealed
In Dredges.
Explorations Of the Oceans Floor
Made--strange Fish Brought to
the Surface Succumb at Once
to Changed Pressure.

"
We hear much OF land exploration,
Of expeditions leaving day by day to
place mans record in some unknown
part Of the world, but little Is told Of
the exploration Of the ocean bottom
where the vast plains and mountain
chains covered miles deep with water
are being mapped and charted and are
yielding to the upper world the stran-
gest creatures Of nature. Yet this
work Is being carried on In almost
every sea OF the globe. quietly and
persistently. although almost unknown
except to the scientific world and
those who 90 down to the sea In
ships" says Popular Mechanics.
For years Americas place in these
important operations has been held by
the Albatross. an iron, twin screw
steamer OF 1000 tons displacement,
built for the United States fish COM
mission in 1883 and fitted with ap-
paratus for marine work Of every de-
scription. Its equipment includes
machines for ascertaining the depth OF
the water and character Of the bot
tom, dredges for obtaining fish and
other animals from the greatest
depths, apparatus for shallow water in
vestigations and complete labora-
tory, where specimens may be icenti'
fed and packed. and scientific studies
carried on.
The most important work which the
Albatross has done, and that for which
1t is best equipped, Is deep sea sound
ing and dredging. 1t Is by means OF
soundings patiently taken one by one
that almost every important sub
merged mountain chain and peak has
been plotted and that we know the
materials which cover the ocean floor.
In the great depths the water Is just
above tho freezing point, no matter
what its temperature at the surface.
When the Albatross, was in the Dutch
East Indies and we were working IN
a temperature OF ITO degrees Fahren-
heit, the men who sorted out the speci'
mems in the bottom of the dredge net
were dressed In the thinnest Of gauze
undershirts, but wore long mittens to
protect their hands and arms from the
ice cold mud. This was great COM
fort, too, in that blistering heat, for a
cool drink could be obtained In a very
few minutes by burying bottle In the
mud, no matter how hot the sun which
was blazing down upon us.
BY means Of a register tho number
of feet OF wire which has run out be-
fore bottom is found is indicated, and
this Is reported to the officer IN
charge. Thus at every sounding the
depth Of the water, its temperature
and specific gravity at the bottom az
compared with that at the surface
and the character OF the ocean fool
are learned, and the chart prepared
accordingly. The deepest sounding
which has yet been made by any ship
was in the Pacific ocean between the
Hawaiian islands and Japan and
showed q depth of six and one-hal1
miles.
There are two styles Of dredges by
means Of which the animals and nsn
Of the great depths are captured-the
nets which are dragged over the bot
tom and those trawled just below the
surface. The bottom dredge consists
of a pair OF heavy iron running frames
connected by one or two crossbars
! twelve feet in length. Fastened to this
frame is a cone-shaped bag 80 fee'
long, made OF heavy web, the end Of
which Is closed by flashing. The
dredge is hung over the starboard side
| of the ship on long boom anC BY
| means of steel cable is slowly low
cred to the ocean bottom. A dial In
dicates the number Of feet OF wire
out, and a pointer on scale shows
the strain, which often amounts tc
five or six tons, upon the cable.
As soon as the dredge has reached
the bottom the ship steams aheat
at about two-thirds Of mile ar
hour, dragging the net over che ocear
floor, It remains down for an hour OF
80, and Is then slowly lifted to the
surface. The deepest haul which the
Albatross has ever made was five ant
one.half miles, and 1t was II hours
from the time the dredge was frs
lowered until It again appeared. The
net is lowed beside the ship for 6
few minutes, then 1t is swung OF
board, the lashings at the bottom I'm
fastened and the contents dropped up
on a table. The ice cold mud II
carefully washed away and the speci
mems carried to the laboratory.
1t is like opening Christmas pack
age for a naturalist to watch the
dredee come to the surface bringing
unknown treasures from the hidden
depths. Strange fish are found which
carry incandescent lamps far In front
OF them to light their way in the inky
blackaess miles below the surface;
others with phssphorescent E-oti
along their sides which must glow like
the portfolios of steamer at night;
still others with their eyes upon Ions
stalks or with no eyes at all. And
poor things, when released from thu
terrible pressure to which they have
become accustomed, their eyes offer
non out of their heads and their stom
echs turn inside out.