11 



undersøge det mellem Norge, Færøerne, bland, Jan Mayen 

 og Spitsbergen beliggende Hav. vare heller ikke de paa 

 den engelske ChaUengerexpedition udførte Observationer 

 offentliggjorte, saaat de Data. der den Gang forelaa, i l!iu- 

 holdighed paa ingen Maade kunde sammenlignes med dem. 

 som nu staa til Raadighed. [sær var del med Hensyn paa 

 den geografiske Udbredning, at Observationerne ikke kunde 

 give synderlg omfattende Oplysninger, idet det eneste Hav, 

 som endnu var grundigt undersøgt, nemlig Nordsøen, baåde 

 med Hensyn paa Dybde og øvrige pbysikalske Forholde afveg 

 i hoi Grad fra det store Verdenshav, forsaavidt man kjendte 

 dit. Da der forst var fattet Beslutning, om at der ogsaa paa 

 den norske Nordhavsexpedition skulde udføres chemiske 

 Undersøgelser af samme Art som paa de tidligere Expedi- 

 tioner, maatte det derfor .for Hr. S. Svendsen, hvem disse 

 Arbeider oprindelig vare overdragne, fremstille sig som eii 

 meget vigtig, ja man kan sige. som den vigtigste Opgave 

 at tilveiebringe de fornødne Oplysninger mn Gasarterne i 

 Søvandet, hvad angaar den Del af Verdenshavet, somJNorge 

 havde paataget sig at gjøre til Gjenstand for videifskabelig 

 Undersøgelse. Med Hensyn paa de Midler, der skulde be- 

 Qyttes til Lasningen af denne Opgave, da kunde Valget af 

 disse ikke falde vanskeligt. da de af Dr. Jacobsen benyt- 

 tede Methoder og Apparater strax maatte udpege sig som 

 de hensigtsmæssigste fremfor Alt. hvad der for E esten stod 

 til Raadighed, selv om ikke Hensynet til Resultaternes 

 Sammenlignelighed havde gjort deres Anvendelse dnskelig. 

 Svendsen besluttede derfor uden Modificationer at optage 

 de paa Pomeraniaexpeditionen benyttede Arbeidsmethoder, 

 og var det i Henseende til Expeditionens Udrustring et 

 sturt Held. at Professor Dr. Jacobsen velvilligen tilbød sig 

 at anskaffe de til de chemiske Undersøgelser fornødne 

 Apparater. 



Det var dog ikke alle de ved Pomeraniaexpeditionen 

 benyttede Apparater, som ogsaa kom til Anvendelse paa 

 den norske Xordliavsexpedition. idet man der besluttede at 

 anvende en af Capitain Wille construeret Vandhenter, som 

 især i en Henseende maatte være at foretrække for den 

 af Dr. H. A. Meyer angivne. Paa denne maatte nemlig, 

 naar den skulde optage Vandprover fra intermediære Dyb. 

 Cylinderen udloses ved et langs Linen nedsænket Lod, 

 som aldeles udelukkede Muligheden af paa Linen, samtidig 

 at have anbragt Thermometre eller deslige. saaledes som 

 det uden mindste Ulempe kan forenes med Brugen af Willes 

 Vandhenter. 



Willes Vandhenter, som tindes afbildet i Fig. 2. er af 

 Opfinderen bleven beskrevet paa følgende Maade: 



"Vandprøven indesluttes i dette Instrument i et for 

 Pladsens Skvld spiralformig ljoiet Ror. der under Ned- 

 firingen i Våndet holdes aabent i begge Ender, saaledes at 

 Våndet frit kan strømme igjennem; men naar Instrumentet 

 ophales et kort Stykke, lukkes Enderne af Roret med to 

 Ventiler, hvorved det da i Roret staaenxle Vand afstænges 

 Og kan bringes op. 



the sea ly ing between Norway, the Feroe Islands, [celand, 

 .lan Maven, and Spitzbergen, the results of the observa- 

 tions instituted on the 'Challenger' Expedition had not vet 

 heeii made public; and hence the data then obtained 

 were few compared to those of which we 'are now in 

 possession. It was more particularly with respect to 

 geographical distribution, that the information former ob- 

 servat ions could supply had proved hut meagre, inasmuch 

 as the only sea thoroughly investigated, vi/ the Ger- 

 man Ocean, was found to differ widely in regard to depth 

 aud other physical conditions from the Atlantic and Pacific, 

 so far at least as our knowledge of botb ma.y be said 

 to extend. The resolutiou once formed. of instituting on 

 the Norwegian North-Atlantic Expedition a series ol' chem- 

 ical experiments similar to those performed on former 

 Expeditions, Mr. S. Svendsen, the gentleman on whom the 

 execution of this task was to have devolved, could not 

 hut regard as an important, nav the most important, part 

 of his lahours. accurate determinations of the gases pre- 

 sent in that tract of the Atlantic Ocean which the Nor- 

 wegian Expedition was to make the subject of scientific 

 investigation. Respecting the means whereby to solve this 

 problem, no difficulty could be experienced in making a 

 choice, since Dr. Jacobsens methods and apparatus must 

 at once suggest themselves as by far the best. even apart 

 from the consideration. that. for the hetter comparing 

 of bis results with those obtained. their adoption was desi- 

 rable,. ' Svendsen, therefore. decided in favour of the pro- 

 cess - - without mocbfication - - resorted to on the -Pom- 

 erania' Expedition; and it was a fortunate concurrence, 

 that Professor Jacobsen should kindly volunteer bis assist- 

 ance in procuring the various apparatus necessary for the 

 chemical experiments. 



All the apparatus made use of on the •Pomerania' 

 Expedition. were not. however. adopted on the Norwegian 

 North- Atlantic Expedition: the instrument, for instance, 

 employed to collect water, which. particularly in one respect. 

 must he held preferable to that described by Dr. H. A. 

 Meyer, had been constructed by Captain C. Wille R. N. 

 When drawing water from intermediate depths, the cylin- 

 der in the latter is detached by running a weight down 

 the line. which precludes the possibilty of having a ther- 

 mometer, or anv other instrument, attached to it. an ad- 

 vantage which may. without the slightest drawback, be 

 combined with Willes ajjparatus. 



Wille's instrument for collecting water, of which Fig. 2 

 is a represention, has been described by the inventor as 

 folio ws : — 



••The samples of water drawn with this instrument are. 

 to save space. brought up in a spiral tube. which, when 

 sunk through the water, is kept open åt both ends. to admit 

 of the free passage of the fluid; hut. on the instrument, 

 at the reijuired depth. being hauled in a few fathoms, the 

 ends of the tube are closed by means of two valves, and 

 the water it contains. thus prevented from escaping, may 

 be broiurht to the surface. 



