OCEANOGRAPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS 5 



Scoresby in 181 1 recorded some soundings off the coast of Deep 

 Greenland, and Sir John Ross during his voyage to Baffin's ^^""'^'"ss- 

 Bay in 181 7-1 8 took some deep soundings by means of an /r*^!^' 

 apparatus, designed by him and made on board, called " deep- 

 sea clamms," in depths of 450, 650, 1000, and 1050 fathoms, 

 bringing up from the last-mentioned depth several pounds of 

 greenish mud. With the deposit -samples worms and other Deep-sea 

 animals were brought up, and when sounding in 1000 fathoms ^n""^'^- 

 a star-fish was found entangled in the line a little distance above 

 the mud, thus proving that animal life was present in deep 

 water. 



In 181 7 Romme published in Paris a work on winds, tides, Romme. 

 and currents, and Risso in 1826, Lowe from 1843 to i860, ^^isso. 

 Johnson from 1862 to 1866, and Giinther from i860 to 1870, ^°'^''- 

 published important papers dealing with deep-sea and pelagic Jo^"^^"- 

 fishes. In 1832 James Rennell published an investigation of ^""^^^'' 

 the currents of the Atlantic Ocean, based upon the observations 

 recorded by sailors up to that time. 



During the United States Exploring Expedition in 1839- wiikes and 

 1842 under Captain Wilkes, accompanied by Dana, several ^^"^■ 

 deep soundings were taken with the aid of a copper wire, and 

 a few dredgings in shallow water were also made. 



Important sounding and dredging work was carried out by 

 Sir James Clark Ross, accompanied by Hooker, during the 

 British Antarctic Expedition in 1839 to 1843, the first truly British 

 oceanic soundings in depths exceedino; 2000 fathoms being^ :^"''^''f5\^ 



o r^ o ^ <-> li,xpedition. 



taken. After many unsuccessful attempts to sound in deep r^^^^^ ^^^.j^ 

 water, due to the want of a proper line, Ross had a line 3600 Ross and 

 fathoms in length specially constructed on board. It was fitted °°^^'' 

 with swivels here and there, strong enough to carry a weight of 

 76 lbs., and was allowed to run out from an enormous reel in 

 one of the ship's boats. With this line the first abysmal Soundings in 

 sounding on record was taken in 2425 fathoms on the 3rd ^4Ter'^^^' 

 January 1840, in lat. 27"" 26' S., long. 17° 29' W., and frequently 

 during the cruise similar and greater depths were sounded. 

 Such deep soundings could only be attempted in calm weather, introduction 

 and a note was kept of the time each lOO-fathoms mark left the °i[te,"!^is j,^ 

 reel, a lengthening of the time-interval indicating when the sounding. 

 weight had reached the bottom. The dredge also was success- Dredgings in 

 fully used during this expedition in depths down to 400 ^^'^^i^ ^'''^^'^'■• 

 fathoms, abundant evidence of animal life being forthcoming, 

 though unfortunately the deep-sea zoological collections were 



