[35 J WORK OF STEAMER ALBATROSS. 639 



" The throttle valve of the engine, the friction crank F, and the friction 

 lever G are close together, and under the control of one man, who can 

 readily regulate and manage them. The counter or register, which 

 measures the quantity of wire paid out or reeled in, is on the opposite 

 side of the machine, convenient for the inspection of the officer in charge 

 of the sounding." 



The vessel has not been at sea since the completion of the new reel, 

 but we have tested it at the wharf with a few fathoms of wire and a 35- 

 pound lead, which demonstrated the advantage of the new arrangement 

 over the old as far as rapidity of working is concerned. The strength 

 of the reel can be demonstrated only by practical operations in deep 

 water. 



DREDGE ROPE. 



The dredge rope furnished by the Hazard Manufacturing Company 

 has not been uniform in tensile strength or length of lay, and the result 

 has been that we have lost several thousand fathoms, with trawls and 

 appurtenances. One lot of 4,000 fathoms was so imperfect that we had 

 to reject it. Crucible steel has been used in the manufacture of our 

 rope heretofore, but the requirements are so great that it has been diffi- 

 cult to fulfill them, and we are now getting estimates for the best mild 

 extra plow steel, which should give much better results. With a supe- 

 rior quality of rope and an improved accumulator we hope to be more 

 economical in the expenditure of dredging apparatus. 



DEEP-SEA TEMPERATURES AND THERMOMETERS. 



Deep-sea temperatures have been observed with great care during 

 the year, and much thought has been given to the improvement of deep- 

 sea thermometers with a view of attaining still greater accuracy. The 

 following remarks on this subject are by Dr. J. II. Kidder, who has 

 charge of the Fish Commission and Smithsonian Institution instru- 

 ments, and to whom we are indebted for the suggestion of the special 

 thermometer referred to : 



" The Negretti-Zambra deep-sea thermometers now in general use by 

 the Fish Commission, while doubtless the best instruments yet devised, 

 cannot probably be depended upon for differences of temperature less 

 than one-half degree Fahrenheit. Being pointed only to full degrees, 

 upon short stems, the degree spaces are so small that estimation of 

 small fractions is almost as much a matter of opinion as a fact of obser- 

 vation. As heretofore furnished, the individual thermometers have 

 furthermore shown a wide difference in range, some readiug froin —30° 

 to +100°, others from +31° to +92° ; the results being that scarcely 

 any two instruments showed degree spaces of the same width, and that 

 the observer gained nothing by his experience with o;><> thermometer 

 in estimating fractions of a degree with another. The slight depar- 

 tures from uniformity in breaking column shown by some of theiustru- 



