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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  The 
  natural-history 
  workroom 
  corresponded 
  with 
  this 
  on 
  the 
  port 
  

   side, 
  and 
  a 
  chemical 
  laboratory 
  was 
  also 
  fitted 
  up. 
  These 
  were 
  both 
  

   in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  civilians. 
  

  

  All 
  soundings 
  were 
  taken 
  with 
  a 
  specially 
  made 
  hemp 
  line 
  wound 
  

   on 
  reels. 
  The 
  sounding 
  instrument 
  was 
  a 
  tube 
  around 
  which 
  de- 
  

   tachable 
  weights 
  were 
  fitted. 
  On 
  striking 
  the 
  bottom 
  the 
  weights 
  

   were 
  released, 
  and 
  the 
  tube 
  was 
  hauled 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  with 
  its 
  plug 
  

   of 
  sediment 
  or 
  perhaps 
  a 
  short 
  core. 
  The 
  line 
  was 
  marked 
  off 
  every 
  

   25 
  fathoms, 
  and, 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  bottom 
  was 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  the 
  slackening 
  in 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  line 
  ran 
  out. 
  

   All 
  hydrographic 
  work 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  temperatures 
  and 
  

   water 
  samples 
  — 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  this 
  same 
  line. 
  Hemp 
  rope 
  2, 
  2^, 
  

   and 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  circumference, 
  and 
  spliced 
  in 
  3,000-4,000 
  fathom 
  

   lengths, 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  trawling 
  and 
  dredging. 
  Steam 
  winches 
  were 
  

   used 
  for 
  hoisting; 
  but, 
  even 
  so, 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  handling 
  and 
  coiling 
  the 
  

   miles 
  of 
  rope 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  deep 
  tows 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  great. 
  

   However, 
  as 
  warships 
  always 
  carry 
  proportionately 
  larger 
  crews 
  than 
  

   other 
  vessels, 
  plenty 
  of 
  manpower 
  was 
  available. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  

   to 
  note 
  that 
  with 
  present-day 
  equipment 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  work 
  can 
  

   be, 
  and 
  is, 
  done 
  by 
  three 
  men 
  in 
  a 
  watch. 
  

  

  In 
  1872 
  Sir 
  William 
  Thomson, 
  later 
  Lord 
  Kelvin, 
  seeking 
  an 
  im- 
  

   provement 
  in 
  the 
  laborious 
  and 
  not 
  too 
  accurate 
  method 
  of 
  sounding 
  

   with 
  rope, 
  developed 
  a 
  machine 
  for 
  using 
  piano 
  wire. 
  The 
  great 
  

   disadvantage 
  of 
  rope 
  for 
  sounding 
  is 
  the 
  frictional 
  resistance 
  it 
  

   presents 
  to 
  water. 
  Not 
  only 
  does 
  it 
  take 
  longer 
  to 
  run 
  out 
  than 
  does 
  

   wire, 
  but 
  the 
  currents 
  encountered 
  often 
  throw 
  it 
  into 
  large 
  bights, 
  

   making 
  the 
  sounding 
  inaccurate. 
  Kelvin's 
  method 
  with 
  various 
  

   modifications 
  gradually 
  came 
  into 
  general 
  use 
  and, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  in- 
  

   vention 
  of 
  echo-sounding 
  wire, 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  all 
  surveying. 
  At 
  the 
  

   start, 
  however, 
  difficulties 
  were 
  encountered 
  in 
  securing 
  wire 
  of 
  suf- 
  

   ficient 
  tensile 
  strength 
  and 
  in 
  making 
  strong 
  splices, 
  and 
  although 
  

   the 
  Challenger 
  had 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  machines 
  on 
  board, 
  it 
  was 
  never 
  

   used. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note, 
  however, 
  that 
  only 
  2 
  years 
  later 
  

   Lieutenant 
  Commanders 
  Howell 
  and 
  Sigsbee 
  (1880), 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Navy, 
  adopted 
  wire 
  and 
  used 
  it 
  successfully 
  on 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey 
  steamer 
  Blake, 
  which 
  they 
  suc- 
  

   cessively 
  commanded. 
  Sigsbee 
  modified 
  Kelvin's 
  machine 
  and 
  in- 
  

   vented 
  another 
  which 
  bears 
  his 
  name, 
  but 
  the 
  principle 
  remained 
  

   the 
  same. 
  

  

  LOUIS 
  AND 
  ALEXANDER 
  AGASSIZ, 
  MONACO, 
  AND 
  NANSEN 
  

  

  Four 
  individuals 
  deserve 
  special 
  mention 
  in 
  this 
  historical 
  review 
  for 
  

   their 
  unique 
  accomplishments 
  : 
  Louis 
  and 
  Alexander 
  Agassiz, 
  who 
  were 
  

   responsible 
  for 
  the 
  inception 
  and 
  growth 
  of 
  oceanography 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  the 
  Prince 
  of 
  Monaco, 
  and 
  Fridtjof 
  Nansen. 
  

  

  