The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-26
HOLES IN THE OCEAN
BY Frederic, j. Haskin.

his disposal. He should not rest his
produce on the ocean bottom, how
ever, because the interior heat OF the
earth makes the water very near III
a degree warmer than is that little
higher up.
The water pressures In the depths
are so terrific that no device that
man las created can exist even few
hundred feet below the surface.
When a diver, for instance, goes
down hundred feet, his chest must
resist the pressure of a column OF
water as great as its surface and
hundred feet high So remarkably
efficient is the construction of man
/ that, II given time to adjust itself,
the chest will pack air into itself toI
such an extent that the pressure Will
counteract the water weight. II mel
were pulled suddenly to the surfacel
with his body filed with compressed
gases intensified to meet the condt-
ton of the depths he would burst
because of their expansion and bel
instantly killed.
If a box, each side of which mea-
sured a foot. and which contained
an inner air space, We're sent down
mile in the ocean, it would nave
to be strong enough to resist pres
sure of about 200 tons on each OF
its faces, or be crushed. This pres
sure would increase with the exposed
surface and the strain on vessel ]
of any considerable size would soon
become such as could be resisted by
no structure.
A Disappointing Experiment.
An interesting experiment was oncei
made in the tropics. which demon
strated both the principles of ocean
Temperature and pressure. a merry
making party decided that 1t would
avail itself of the refrigerating posi-
sibilities of ocean depths in cooling
its champa gne. It sunk its bottlest
on long lines and left them overnight.
Next morning they were pulled upl
and found to be ice cold. When the
bottles were opened, however, theyj
contained sea. water instead of cham,
payne. The pressure of the depthsl
had diminished the size of the corks
and allowed the champagne to es-l
cape.
Another feature of the ocean depth
is the entire absence of light from
the sun. The light penetrates deep
into the ocean only at hign noon
when the suns rays strike perpendt-l
cularly. The day beneath the SURF
face is short, the twilight long and
the hours of darkness longer. Even
at best. those rays which make OBJ
jects visible go down but few hun
bred feet. There are other rays not
seen with the eye that go deeper.
Thse rays may be recorded on a
Photographic plate and it is there
fore possible to make picture of
depths which could not be seen even
il man could safely go to them.
Below all of this is absolute dark-I
ness. Many of the creatures of the
deep are without eyes, for there is,
no light with which they may see.
Others of them have eyes made use
full by the fact that they have their
own lighting plants and their own
installations which they carry around
with them. They possess a phos-l
phorescence which lights their way
and eyes that are adapted to it. There
is one of these fishes Of the deep with
little phosphorescent light pro-
truding from it's head and serving the
purpose a torch bearer does in a.
parade.
Mysterious Worlds.
| These tiny wires that reach into
the blue have brought back many
messages of the life that exists there.
In the first place, it is demonstrated
that plant life does not reach beyond
the influence Of the sun, and is there
| fore a phenomenon of the regions
near the surface. Below that is
world after world, each inha bited by
creatures that are peculiarly adapted
to it, There are no depths so great
that they are not abundantly sup
| piled with animal life-Strange crea-
i lures of eternal darkness that have
\ never seen nor been seen except In
i their own mysterious sphere, and
that would explode like fire cracker
If brought suddenly to the surface
/ When a wire goes down five miles
4 there is always an instrument on the
end of it that brings back a sample
| of the ocean bottom. 1t may carry
| a drag net that will accumulate
! specimens of the life at the bottom.
Nets have been dragged through the
waters at the various depths and
everywhere an abundance of life hasl
been found.
These were but small nets, of
course, and not capable of snaringi
monsters of the deep If there be any.
No evidence has been gathered that
would indicate that there are crea-
lures in the holes In the ocean that
would dwarf the whale and put thel
mammoth to shame. 1t has not, how !
ever. been proved that such crea-
lures do not exist. and 1t is stated
that SO slight an exploration into
the region in which man dwells migA
not have shown his existence nor that
of the biggest animal or the eartn 8
surface The ocean bottom Is still
mystery which may eventually re-
veal secrets that are beyond the con-
ception of the most imaginative.
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