IO 



As already mentioned the swinging boom was always carried on the starboard side, as 

 the arrangement of the awning did not permit of it being constantly changed about. It was 

 proved however that on account of the variableness of the currents in the Archipelago, it would be 

 advisable to be able to draw the net from either port or starboard. For not only must the rope 

 swing clear of the ship, but the net should also be kept in the direction of the shallower rather 

 than of the deeper water, which direction may be judged fairly accurately in the Archipelago. 

 W'hen the boom is only fitted for one side it is not always possible to comply with both these 

 demands. As a rule the course steered when dredging was such that the current met the ship 

 on the starboardquarter. The trawling was always done with the ship steaming ahead, as this 

 insured a steady course, the free play of the rope, and the covering of a good distance. 



W'hen dredging near the coast and reefs, steep inclines were of frequent occurrence, and 

 it was found that owing to the nature of the bottom on those inclines, the ground nets often 

 ran great risk of being torn or caught. When dredging or trawling in such neighbourhoods 

 ii is therefore always advisable to drag the net only over short distances at a time, and bring 

 the ship carefully over the place where the net lies, and when this is lifted from the bottom 

 and during the process of hauling it in, the ship should steam slowly back into deeper water. 



The nature of the bottom in the Archipelago, puts a great strain upon the nets. In 

 shallow water and at moderate depths coralsand is frequently found. At greater depths the 

 ground is often rockv, with boulders and pumice-stone, while at all depths fair sized tree trunks 

 are to be found which naturally play havoc with the nets. 



Finally the mud, even that found at the greatest depths, is generally far more tenacious 

 than that found in the open seas owing to it consisting almost exclusively of calcareous or silicious 

 remains of former living organisms. Where this kind of sediments is found in the Archipelago it 

 is always mixed with a considerable amount of other elements, chiefly mineral, originating from the 

 coast. Such terrigenous sediments are characterised by their tenacity and consequently the mud passes 

 with difhVultv through the mashes of the nets. Sometimes the net becomes filled with mud in a very 

 short time, and this involves not only the risk of the net being broken, but the accumulated soil 

 keeps il)'- mouth of the net open, allowing the animals which are caught to easily escape again. 



Bearing in mind therefore the nature of the sea-bottom in these parts, it is of the utmost 

 importance to see that the nets are in good condition, and also to avoid paying out too great 

 a length of rope, so as to obviate as far as possible the too rapid rilling of the net. 



On the other hand there is the danger of the net not reaching the bottom, and 

 whether it luis actually touched the ground or not, is not always easy to ascertain. Neither the 

 indicator of the dynamometer, nor the feel of the hand, nor even the slant of the rope are 

 sufficiently definite indications, in the case of very great depths. W iih regard to the first of 

 these it lias happened that the dynamometer showed no sign of the bottom having been reached, 

 and yet the net afterwards proved to have dredged well. As for the second, it has been noticed 

 that with a great length of rope paid out, the vibration of the rope with floating net can not 

 be distinguished from its motion when dredging at a great depth over level and soft ground. 



Perhaps in such cases the slant of the rope, controlled according to the directions of 

 Taxner is the most reliable indicator as to whether the bottom has been reached, provided 



