﻿220 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  HISTORICAL 
  BACKGROUND 
  

   BIRTH 
  OF 
  THE 
  SCIENCE 
  

  

  On 
  December 
  21, 
  1872, 
  H. 
  M. 
  S. 
  Challenger 
  sailed 
  from 
  Portsmouth, 
  

   England, 
  on 
  what 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  memorable 
  voyages 
  of 
  his- 
  

   tory. 
  It 
  lasted 
  dy 
  2 
  years, 
  circumnavigated 
  the 
  globe, 
  and 
  investiga- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  every 
  ocean 
  except 
  the 
  Arctic. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  

   combined 
  assault 
  on 
  the 
  ocean 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  techniques 
  which 
  were 
  then 
  

   available. 
  Nothing 
  approaching 
  this 
  undertaking 
  in 
  detail 
  and 
  com- 
  

   pleteness 
  had 
  been 
  attempted 
  heretofore 
  or 
  even 
  contemplated. 
  At 
  

   each 
  station 
  the 
  following 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  insofar 
  as 
  practi- 
  

   cable 
  : 
  The 
  depth 
  was 
  determined 
  and 
  a 
  bottom 
  sample 
  taken 
  ; 
  serial 
  

   samples 
  of 
  water 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  for 
  

   chemical 
  and 
  physical 
  examination; 
  serial 
  temperatures 
  were 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  ; 
  a 
  fair 
  sample 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  fauna 
  was 
  

   dredged, 
  and 
  samples 
  from 
  intermediate 
  depths 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  

   were 
  taken 
  in 
  townets; 
  atmospheric 
  and 
  meteorological 
  conditions 
  

   were 
  noted; 
  and 
  the 
  direction 
  and 
  rate 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  currents 
  were 
  

   observed, 
  and 
  at 
  some 
  stations 
  attempts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  

   movement 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  various 
  depths. 
  

  

  The 
  initiative 
  for 
  this 
  undertaking 
  was 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  interest 
  and 
  

   enthusiasm 
  of 
  two 
  British 
  naturalists, 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  B. 
  Carpenter 
  and 
  Prof. 
  

   C. 
  Wyville 
  Thomson. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  before, 
  through 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  the 
  Admiralty 
  was 
  persuaded 
  to 
  fit 
  out 
  an 
  old 
  gun- 
  

   boat, 
  the 
  Lightning, 
  for 
  a 
  dredging 
  and 
  sounding 
  trip 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  the 
  Faroe 
  Islands. 
  Biological 
  dredging 
  was 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  

   more 
  than 
  600 
  fathoms, 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  record 
  for 
  that 
  time. 
  This 
  voyage 
  

   proved 
  so 
  successful, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  bad 
  weather, 
  limited 
  equipment, 
  and 
  

   a 
  poorly 
  found 
  ship, 
  that 
  in 
  1869 
  the 
  Admiralty 
  was 
  again 
  persuaded 
  

   through 
  the 
  same 
  channels 
  to 
  fit 
  out 
  another 
  ship 
  for 
  similar 
  purposes. 
  

   The 
  Porcupine 
  was 
  a 
  better 
  vessel, 
  and 
  more 
  extended 
  cruises 
  were 
  

   taken 
  around 
  the 
  British 
  Isles, 
  into 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Biscay, 
  and 
  the 
  Medi- 
  

   terranean. 
  Successful 
  dredging 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  to 
  over 
  2,400 
  fathoms, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  all 
  done 
  with 
  hemp 
  rope. 
  On 
  these 
  cruises 
  temperatures 
  

   were 
  taken 
  at 
  various 
  depths 
  on 
  the 
  dredging 
  stations. 
  Having 
  demon- 
  

   strated 
  the 
  feasibility 
  and 
  the 
  scientific 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  

   research 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  attempts 
  to 
  lay 
  transoceanic 
  telegraph 
  cables 
  

   were 
  drawing 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  ocean 
  basins 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  

   more 
  accurate 
  knowledge 
  of 
  their 
  topography, 
  the 
  moment 
  was 
  oppor- 
  

   tune 
  for 
  projecting 
  a 
  major 
  expedition. 
  

  

  Wyville 
  Thomson, 
  who 
  was 
  knighted 
  for 
  his 
  leadership 
  of 
  the 
  

   expedition, 
  died 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  after 
  its 
  return, 
  and 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  preparing 
  

   the 
  reports 
  fell 
  to 
  John 
  Murray. 
  The 
  50 
  quarto 
  volumes, 
  with 
  many 
  

   specialists 
  contributing, 
  are 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  huge 
  quantity 
  of 
  data 
  

  

  