METHOD OF SOUNDING 321 



On the morning of the 17th, then, the sails were 

 clewed up, and the Fram began to roll even worse than 

 with the sails set. We first tried taking soundings with 

 a sinker of 66 pounds, and a tube for taking specimens 

 of the sea-bed. At 2,000 metres (1,093 fathoms) or 

 more the line (piano wire) broke, so that sinker, tube, 

 and over 2,000 metres of line continued their way 

 unhindered to the bottom. I had thought of taking 

 samples of water at 4,000,3,000, and 2,000 metres (2,187, 

 1,639, 1,093 fathoms), and so on, and water-cylinders 

 were put on from to 2,000 metres. This, however, 

 took six hours. Next day, on account of the heavy sea, 

 only a few samples from to 100 metres (54 fathoms) 

 were taken. On the third day we made another attempt 

 to get the bottom. This time we got specimens of the 

 sea-bed from about 4,500 metres (about 2,500 fathoms) ; 

 but the heaving in and taking of water samples and 

 temperatures occupied eight hours, from 7 a.m. till 

 3 p.m., or a third part of the twenty-four hours. In this 

 way we should want at least nine months on the route 

 that had been laid down; but as, unfortunately, this 

 time was not at our disposal, we at once gave up taking 

 specimens of the bottom and samples of water at greater 

 depths than 1,000 metres (546 fathoms). For the 

 remainder of the trip we took temperatures and samples 

 of water at the following depths: 0, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 

 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 750, and 1,000 metres 

 (0, 2f, 5h ISh 27, 41, 54, 81, 108, 135, 164, 218, 273, 



