﻿122 
  JOURNAL 
  OP 
  the; 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  5 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean, 
  beyond 
  the 
  1000-fathom 
  depth, 
  there 
  is 
  

   now 
  one 
  sounding 
  for 
  about 
  each 
  12,000 
  square 
  miles; 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  

   one 
  sounding 
  for 
  each 
  25,000 
  square 
  miles 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean 
  

   one 
  sounding 
  for 
  each 
  26,000 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  polar 
  

   seas 
  have 
  been 
  explored 
  only 
  to 
  a 
  most 
  limited 
  extent 
  or 
  virtually 
  not 
  

   at 
  all. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  navigation 
  and 
  of 
  deep 
  sea 
  sounding, 
  

   when 
  the 
  earlier 
  of 
  these 
  soundings 
  were 
  recorded, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  possible 
  

   that 
  their 
  positions 
  and 
  depths 
  now 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  verified 
  by 
  modern 
  

   methods. 
  

  

  The 
  major 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  coasts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  surveyed 
  

   and 
  charted 
  with 
  the 
  accuracy 
  now 
  needed, 
  and 
  many 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  lines 
  are 
  not 
  surveyed 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  still 
  other 
  parts 
  

   not 
  even 
  approximately 
  sketched. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  own 
  country 
  nine-tenths 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Alaska 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  

   surveyed, 
  and 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  of 
  Continental 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  for 
  

   the 
  large 
  part 
  yet 
  undone, 
  while 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  surveys 
  is 
  urgent 
  and 
  

   commercial 
  development 
  is 
  retarded 
  and 
  delayed. 
  

  

  Only 
  about 
  one-seventh 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  is 
  in 
  any 
  wise 
  

   adequately 
  mapped, 
  and 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  bottom 
  is 
  proportion- 
  

   ately 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  The 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea 
  holds 
  less 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  mankind 
  than 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   land; 
  however, 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  of 
  science, 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  oceans, 
  if 
  it 
  

   could 
  be 
  exposed 
  to 
  view, 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  reveal 
  equally 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  

   scientific 
  and 
  popular 
  interest 
  as 
  the 
  land 
  surfaces. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  been 
  mapping 
  the 
  land 
  by 
  various 
  means 
  and 
  methods 
  

   for 
  many 
  centuries, 
  while 
  the 
  mapping 
  of 
  the 
  coasts 
  and 
  ocean 
  basins 
  

   has 
  been 
  undertaken 
  seriously 
  for 
  a 
  bare 
  century 
  and 
  a 
  third, 
  and 
  

   with 
  only 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  and 
  by 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   nations. 
  So 
  it 
  is 
  readily 
  understood 
  why 
  the 
  undersea 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  

   earth 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  known 
  to 
  any 
  very 
  conclusive 
  extent. 
  In 
  the 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  charting 
  the 
  sea 
  coasts 
  and 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  oceans, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  

   that 
  all 
  nations 
  are 
  lagging 
  far 
  behind 
  the 
  practical 
  needs 
  of 
  ocean 
  

   commerce. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Columbus' 
  voyage 
  of 
  discovery 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  world 
  

   there 
  were 
  no 
  charts 
  showing 
  the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  nor 
  the 
  exact 
  

   boundaries 
  of 
  any 
  ocean. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  1504 
  Juan 
  de 
  la 
  Cosa 
  made 
  a 
  

   map 
  showing 
  soundings 
  in 
  shallow 
  waters. 
  Magellan, 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  

   1521, 
  was 
  probably 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  sound 
  the 
  ocean 
  depths. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  soundings 
  that 
  have 
  

   been 
  charted 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  larger 
  oceans 
  beyond 
  the 
  1000-fathom 
  

  

  