152 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. August 



Frazer, no water was in sight in any direction ; the ice 

 was everywhere closely packed. 



A temperature sounding showed the surface-water 

 to be 29°'0 ; at a depth of thirty fathoms it was 29°'2 ; 

 from thence to the bottom it gradually increased 

 in warmth until at a depth of forty-five and seventy 

 fathoms it was 30 O- 0. The specific gravity of the 

 surface water at a temperature of 60° as determined 

 by Dr. Moss was 1 02430 ; and that at a depth of 

 seventy fathoms 1-02547. 



Coincident with the increase of warmth in the 

 bottom water, and the change in colour due to dia- 

 tomaceae, walrus, large seal and little auks were seen 

 for the first time on our way south. A dredge which 

 came up much torn showed that the bottom was 

 extremely rich in Echinoderms. 



In endeavouring to obtain some water from a 

 depth of a hundred fathoms the brass water-bottle 

 was accidentally sent down with both valves closed. As 

 the air could not escape, on recovery, the bottle was 

 found to have been completely flattened by the pressure 

 of the water. 



A common black bottle carefully stoppered with a 

 champagne cork withstood the pressure of one hundred- 

 weight to the square inch at a depth of fifty fathoms. 

 At a depth of eighty-five fathoms, with a pressure of 

 nearly two hundred pounds to the square inch, the 

 water oozed through the cork until the bottle was 

 half-full of water, without apparently affecting the 

 cork. 



During the ebb-tide in the afternoon, although the 



