THE CAPTAIN'S REPORT 



15 



a south to north true direction and was 9 miles wide at 

 8600 meters, 20 miles at 8000 meters, 34 at 7000 me- 

 ters, 47 at 6000 meters, 74 at 5000 meters, 106 at 4000 

 meters, and 162 miles wide at 3000 meters. Only five 

 localities are known to be deeper than the FlemingDeep, 

 namely, Kermadec, Guam, Philippines, Juril Islands, 

 and off the southern islands of Japan. 



Bottom samples were secured with the new cable 

 and sounding tube installed at Guam, at each of the five 

 ocean stations. At station 111, 6385 meters of piano 

 wire were paid out before bottom was reached. The one 

 drawback in using the winch is that the bearings become 

 somewhat warm, so that when the deep bottle series is 

 hauled in, the tremendous pressure against the clutch 

 bearing necessary to maintain the clutch's grip on the 

 reel, because of the heavy weight of wire and bottles, 

 dragging at some speed through the water, overheats 

 this bearing, and a delay is necessary for cooling to 

 avoid ruining the bearing surface. Some changes to 



overcome this difficulty will be made at Yokohama. 



The second Coast and Geodetic Survey propeller- 

 type reversing frame was modified to hold two Richter 

 and Wiese thermometers, and this frame, called Z2, 

 was used at the last four stations. Bottom temperatures 

 were secured at these four stations and at the last three 

 the depth was determined by means of an unprotected 

 thermometer used together with one protected thermom- 

 eter. 



The Japan Stream was entered on June 4, at 19h30m 

 at 33fO north, 141.°8 east. The temperature began to 

 rise suddenly and in twelve hours it had risen three de- 

 grees. 



Comment must be made on the excellent spirit of 

 cooperation maintained among the members of the party 

 since Apia. Owing to concerted action, practically all 

 records were ready to mail on June 5, two days before 

 arrival at Yokohama. 



YOKOHAMA, JAPAN TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, JUNE 24 TO JULY 28, 1929 



After leaving Yokohama June 24, the first ten days 

 were characterized by light variable winds and calms. 

 The engine was operated frequently and the average 

 day's run was about ninety miles. Advantage was taken 

 of a smooth calm sea on June 27 and 28 to swing the ves- 

 sel for magnetic deviations. One helm for declination 

 observations was made on June 27 before the clouds 

 covered the sun; all the next day was spent in making a 

 swing with both helms for inclination and horizontal in- 

 tensity. 



About July 4 the region of cold surface water was 

 entered with practically one hundred per cent of clouds, 

 mist, fog, drizzle, and rain, which continued until July 

 21. The wind was somewhat stronger, but not favorable. 

 Adverse winds during July 9 to 12 drove the vessel three 

 hundred miles to the southward of the proposed track. 

 From July 5 to 26 the weather was so cold that the cop- 

 per heating stove was used in the cabin. On July 14 the 

 wind freshened from the southwest and for sixteen days 

 the average daily run was about two hundred miles. 

 Better weather was met between July 22 and 29, the wind 

 still continuing fair and strong. 



During the cloudy, foggy weather the program for 

 declination was sadly interrupted. No observations 

 could be obtained on July 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, and 19. On 

 some of the other days, the observations were made with 

 the sun at such high altitudes anu with such rough seas 

 that the accuracy was seriously impaired. 



During the same period no balloon flights could be 

 made. The alternation of ocean stations with magnetic 

 stations was maintained throughout the trip, except that 

 July 14 and 15 were interchanged, on account of strong 

 wind and rough sea. The ocean station on July 15 was 

 not successful below 500 meters. The messengers 

 would not reverse the bottles, owing to large wire angle. 

 For the later stations with strong wind, 170-pound lead 

 weights were used on the end of the bottle wire, and the 

 newer and heavier messengers were made stUl heavier 

 by filling two drill holes with lead, bringing the weight 

 per messenger up to thirteen ounces, as compared with 

 seven ounces for the ones previously used. These 

 changes enabled us to secure temperatures and salini- 

 ties down to 3500 meters during wind force 6. 



The sonic-depth program was carried out as usual. 

 Some difficulty was experienced owing to noisy micro- 

 phones during high speed of the vessel through the water. 

 No unusual variations in the depths were noted, except 

 that on July 24 some irregularities were observed indi- 

 cating the existence of several surfaces and some rapid 

 changes in depth. 



Tests with the new balloon sextant chair gave good 

 results. The azimuths given by the chair differed from 

 the regular theodolite by l.°5 with an extreme range of 

 5° in thirty-five readings. A few improvements and 

 more experience will decrease this range. Thus, in 

 rough weather, when the balloon becomes lost to the ob- 

 server at the theodolite, the observer at the sextant can 

 carry on imtil the balloon disappears. Even now when 

 the observer at the theodolite loses the balloon for a 

 moment, a glance at the azimuth circle of the chair gives 

 him the approximate theodolite readings and enables him 

 to relocate the balloon. 



The first ocean station alter leaving Yokohama re- 

 quired seven hours to complete. Owing to strong cur- 

 rents the bottom- sampler wire fouled the bottle wire and 

 required some time and care to untangle and to avoid 

 breakage and loss of wire, thermometers, and snapper. 

 The current took the wires underneath the vessel, and 

 the sampler wire caught on the sonic depth-oscillator 

 also. In an effort to locate and remedy the trouble the 

 "divinhood" (fig. 31) '-as used, but the rolling of the 

 vessel made the attempt dangerous because of the like- 

 lihood of the helmet being lifted off the head. Sufficient 

 depth was reached to show the trouble, however, and a 

 lead weight was then lowered along the piano wire, thus 

 clearing it from the oscillator. 



The new scheme of leaving the lead weights on the 

 ocean bottom has increased the efficiency of the bottom 

 sampling and decreased the time required. The 60-pound 

 weight is in two halves, and each is suspended by a wire 

 from the hook on the Sigsbee releasing device which has 

 been installed on the end of the shaft of the Ross-tjrpe 

 snapper. The bottoms Of the two weights are fastened 

 together by two staples driven in fairly tight. When the 

 snapper hits bottom, the hook releases the wires, allow- 

 ing the two weights to fall apart outward from the top, 



