66 



WORK OF THE CARhJEGIE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE SCIENTIFIC CRUISES 



would be feasible because this bottle could be operated, 

 at small depths at least, while the Nansen series is being 

 taken. Such bottle samples would be useful only for mi- 

 croplankton studies, however, but this is true of sam- 

 ples collected with the pump also. There are a number 

 of other objections to the pump. Its weight is too great 

 for convenient and safe handling, especially in rough 

 weather, and mechanical troubles often develop. For 

 general plankton work the old townet apparently has not 

 yet been replaced as the most satisfactory collecting ap- 

 paratus. The Carnegie staff now devotes about sixhours 

 at each oceanographic station, or an average of about 

 three hours daily, to biological collecting work. 



Bacteriology. --This subject is not investigated by 

 Carnegie nor has it ever been investigated by any simi- 

 lar expedition. In fact it is doubtful if bacteriological 

 technique, except that of collecting samples, has ever 

 been used on board ship. For this reason no doubt it 

 will be more difficult to plan a program for this subject 

 than for any of the others. 



Before incorporating such a subject in the program 

 of a cruise, it should be determined whether it will be 

 possible to obtain results that will justify allotting the 

 space --laboratory and quarters- -necessary for includ- 

 ing bacteriology in the program. It appears that the fol- 

 lowing matters will need further attention: media for 

 growing marine organisms, laboratory technique suitable 

 for work on board ship, and collecting methods. 



In developing the laboratory technique various fac- 

 tors must be borne in mind, such as the amount of space 

 available, what quantities of either fresh or distilled 

 water can be carried, whether gas is available, and 

 whether electricity can be used in large or only small 

 amounts. For heating purposes alcohol and gasoline 

 burners can be used. 



The collecting methods must be such that a suffi- 

 cient number of samples can be obtained while not de- 

 laying the rest of the station work. If samples are to be 

 obtained at great depths, a collecting apparatus that can 

 be attached to the Nansen bottles should be devised. 



In view of the fact that bacteriology is a new subject 

 as far as the ocean is concerned, it might be advisable 

 to vary the investigations somewhat during a cruise. 

 For example, one part of a cruise might be devoted to 

 the bacteria in the water, a second to bacteria in the 

 muds, a third to a specific group of organisms, and so 

 on. Such a program, however, would increase, rather 

 than decrease, the amount of work necessary before the 

 start of the cruise. 



Geology . --The methods for collecting bottom sam- 

 ples appear to be satisfactory. Since usually it is not 

 necessary to analyze bottom samples immediately after 

 collecting, that work is done largely in a laboratory on 

 shore, but a preliminary inspection is made on ship- 

 board. 



Factors Affecting the Itinerary 

 of a Sailing Ve ssel 



From the point of view of oceanography, it is unfor- 

 tunate that with a sailing vessel the itinerary must be 

 determined by the tradewinds and the seasons. The im- 

 portance of the tradewinds becomes obvious when one 

 considers that for a sailing vessel it is seldom possible 

 to follow a course exactly along a meridian or parallel 

 of latitude and perhaps never possible to return over a 



course parallel to the original one, unless the two courses 

 are several hundred miles apart. In the case of a vessel 

 like the Carnegie , then, comparatively straight lines, 

 such as were followed by the Meteor in the South Atlan- 

 tic, cannot be followed. Even If a more efficient engine 

 than the present one is installed, the fuel capacity can- 

 not be increased sufficiently to eliminate the need of 

 making use of the winds. 



Seasons cannot be disregarded because in most lat- 

 itudes the sea is too rough during the winter to make 

 collecting work practicable. Near latitude 60° south, 

 oceanographic stations seldom can be occupied even in 

 January. Low temperature itself considerably decreases 

 the efficiency of the entire personnel. 



Although the itinerary of an expedition must be de- 

 termined largely by weather conditions, and the number 

 of stations occupied or the number of samples taken, 

 determined by the time allotted for a day's run and by 

 the number of men available for the scientific work, it 

 usually will be possible to vary the program within cer- 

 tain relatively narrow limits, and this possibility should 

 be taken advantage of to the fullest extent. For cruise 

 Vn of the Carnegie the courses, as well as the number 

 of oceanographic stations, were determined in advance. 

 The advisability of such an arrangement for a cruise in- 

 tended primarily for oceanographic investigations was 

 discussed with Captain Ault and he agreed that a flexible 

 schedule would be much more productive of results than 

 a rigid one, provided the men on board possess sufficient 

 knowledge of oceanography to plan the work to best ad- 

 vantage as the cruise progresses. 



A few conditions under which a flexible schedule 

 would be an advantage may be mentioned. If an unchart- 

 ed irregularity of the sea bottom is found, it should be 

 developed even if a delay of several days were necessary. 

 An area with unusual physical, chemical, or biological 

 conditions should be more thoroughly investigated than 

 one where conditions are normal. Where a marked cur- 

 rent is encountered, the oceanographic stations should 

 be located close together. 



Comments on Ship's Equipment 



The Main Engine. --The Carnegie engine has only 

 one raison d'etre, namely, that it is nonmagnetic. The 

 main objection to it probably is that it is not powerful 

 enough. The horsepower is 125 and it is capable of pro- 

 pelling the boat at the rate of about four knots. This 

 speed is insufficient in many harbors and channels 

 where the tidal current is often considerable. Conse- 

 quently sometimes it is unsafe for the Carnegie to enter 

 a harbor without being towed, which, of course, is ex- 

 pensive and often inconvenient. Nor is a speed of four 

 knots sufficient when running against a strong wind, a 

 fact which renders working or sailing near shore dan- 

 gerous. 



Another serious objection to the present engine is 

 the cost of operation and maintenance. Because it is 

 built entirely of bronze, it wears more rapidly than one 

 made of steel and all parts for replacements must be 

 made to order and of material more expensive than steel. 

 Another considerable item of expense is fuel. In most 

 foreign ports the price of gasoline is two or three times 

 the domestic price. 



The Anchor Winch. --The equipment for anchor- 

 ing, utilizing nonmagnetic materials, is not the most 



