142 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



were hove-to for the oceanographic station. Eleven Nansen 

 bottles, twenty-two thermometers, a bottom-sampler, and 4000 

 meters of wire, were suddenly snatched away from us through 

 the parting of the aluminum-bronze wire. For a fraction of a 

 second the attention of the observer had been distracted from the 

 incoming bottles, and one of them jammed into the meter-wheel. 

 There was an agonized shout from Captain Ault, then sudden 

 silence. No one had been injured, and there was nothing to 

 do about it, but for several seconds everyone stood in a daze. 

 This was an appalling loss of equipment, but by using the 

 reserve bottles twice at each station, and employing spare 

 thermometers, we managed to carry on until replacements were 

 made from Norway. It was well that we had taken aboard an 

 extra spool of bronze wire in Hamburg! 



Approaching Colon we passed through great wind-rows of 

 seaweed, teeming with animal life. It was impossible to tow a 

 silk-net, so great was the accumulation of weed. But we dipped 

 up many curious creatures — pipe-fish, sea-snakes, porcupine-fish, 

 and many others. These spiny porcupine-fish caused great amus- 

 ment on board. Placed in a bucket of water where they are al- 

 most invisible, they swim about on the bottom like brown domi- 

 noes tapered off astern. But tease them with a pencil and they 

 puff up into absurd white globes completely covered with spines, 

 and float on the surface upside down in utter helplessness. One 

 must search carefully to distinguish where the head and tail are 

 located, so perfectly do they perform their trick. 



The wind failed us just outside Colon, and we were forced to 

 use the engine. This spot is one of the Carnegie's most evil mem- 

 ories. It was here that in 1915 she had battled a sixty -mile wind 

 with her anchors dragging. 



We were riding outside Cristobal at daybreak on October 11, 

 having made the 1360-mile passage in less than ten days. A few 

 of the party spent an hour or two ashore while a tug was engaged 

 to take us through the Canal. It goes without saying that those 

 who had never before crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 

 made the most of it. Cameras snapped from every corner of the 

 deck, and from the rigging. Everyone was impressed by the 



