[31] CONSTRUCTION AND WORK OF FISH-HAWK. 33 



At 1.40 p. in. we started for port, about 100 miles distant. The 

 weather was clear at this time, but about 5 p. m. a heavy bank rose 

 rapidly ahead, the wind veering to NW. At 7 p. m. the sky was 

 entirely overcast with a light mist and drizzling rain, and at 10 p. m. 

 a dense fog closed in. The speed was reduced and the fog-whistle 

 sounded at short intervals. 



At 3.30 a. m., September 5, stopped near Brenton's Reef lightship to 

 wait for daylight or the fog to lift ; and, although frequently within a 

 ship's length of the vessel, we could not see the lights. In fact, we 

 saw the vessel herself for an instant only, after daylight, wlien we 

 were less than a hundred feet from her. I mention this as an illustra- 

 tion of the density of coast fogs and the difficulties attending naviga- 

 tion during their prevalence. 



After daylight we ran in by compass, catching an occasional glimpse 

 of points as we passed up channel, and finally arrived at the wharf at 

 7.15 a. m. 



We were employed Monday and Tuesday, the 6th and 7th, coaling 

 ship ; were detained by unsettled weather till the 12th, when, at 6.40 

 p. m., we left port for another off-shore trip. 



While in port we doubled the length of our dredge rope by splicing 

 300 fathoms to that already on the reel, increased the length of wire 

 on the sounding machine to something over 600 fathoms, and adopted 

 a simple spring catch or detaching arrangement by which the Negretti 

 & Zambra thermometer could be held firmly in i)osition until the proper 

 time to register the temperature by reversing it; this being accom- 

 plished (as explained in the description of the Negrette & Zambra ther- 

 mometer as used by us at present) by sending a small weight or mes- 

 senger down on the wire, detaching the spring catch by impact, and 

 freeing the upper end, when, being inclosed in a metal case without 

 bouyancy^ it promptly reverses, thus registering the temperature. 



At 5.35 a. m. on the 13th we cast the lead in 100 fathoms — latitude 

 40° 02' jST., longitude 70° 57' W. — and sent the trawl down. Nine 

 hauls were taken during the day in from 85 to 325 fathoms, within a 

 radius of 7 or 8 miles, everything working satisfactorily in depths less 

 than 200 fathoms ; but our first attempt in deeper water resulted in 

 numerous kinks in the rope and several turns around the trawl, which, 

 of course, came up empty. A little caution in paying out the rope was 

 all that was necessary, and we had no further trouble from those causes. 



We had provided ourselves with a quantity of menhaden for bait, 

 and, during the morning, set a trawl line in 126 fathoms — latitude 39"^ 

 57' 07" K, longitude 70° 50' W. — for the purpose of catching tile-fish 

 {Lopholatihis cham(cleonticcps). The line was down 45 minutes, and on 

 hauling it up three tile-fish were taken. Three more got off the hooks 

 after coming to the surface and were lost. There were numerous skate 

 and hake on the line, and the bait was gone from most of the hooks. 



The line was set again in the afternoon in 250 fathoms — latitute 39° 

 S. Mis. 110 3 



