^Mv^'^S 



Vol. III. 



OCTOBER, 1894. 



Copyright 1894. All Rights Reserved. 



No. 83. 



A DREDGING EXCURSION. 



Among the various excursions that 

 had been arranged by the local com- 

 mittee for the entertainment of the vis- 

 iting members at the annual meeting 

 of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, at Brooklyn, 

 were two " Dredging Excursions." The 

 United States Fish Commission steamer 

 " Fish Hawk," which had been placed 

 at the disposal of the association for the 

 purpose, had come from Wood's Holl, 

 Mass., its summer station, to New 

 York esjiecially for the purpose. 



We were among the party of thirteen 

 who availed themselves of this rare op- 

 portunity of witnessing deep-sea dredg- 

 ing, executed by experienced hands, 

 with all the apparatus and machinery 

 that modern science has produced, and 

 on board of a vessel built for the pur- 

 pose. 



In the morning* of August 18tli we 

 left New York city by ferry boat 

 bound for Staten Island. When we ar- 

 rived at its landing, Dr. Patten, the 

 scientist in charge of the biological part 

 aboard the "Fish Hawk" during our 

 trip, received us and guided us to the 

 United States lighthouse pier, where 

 the " Fish Hawk " was lying, under 



steam, awaiting our arrival. We were 

 received by the commander of the ves- 

 sel, Capt. Pratt, U. S. N. , who ' led us 

 aft ' and presented us to United States 

 Fish Commissioner M. McDonald. 



Just twenty minutes after ten o'clock 

 we left the pier, taking the direct 

 course to the selected " grounds," which 

 were on the famous " Cholera Banks," 

 twelve miles from Sandy Hook, and 

 about ten miles from Rockaway Beach. 



Steaming down the bay, the hand- 

 some North German Lloyd steamer 

 " Kaiser Wilhelm II," passed us, fairly 

 loaded with passengers going to Eu- 

 rope, and when in the lower bay the 

 scenery became less interesting, the 

 captain showed us one of his pets, as 

 he called it. This was the jaw of a 

 huge shark, a so-called man-eater; it 

 was yet fresh and was spread over a 

 Avooden frame to dry. The jaw was 

 wide enough to swallow a twelve-year- 

 old boy right easily. The monster had 

 been caught accidentally a few days be- 

 fore, and when it was opened its stom- 

 ach was found to contain about half a 

 barrel full of beef bones, ribs, etc., 

 and about a barrelful of codfish. The 

 bones he may have picked up while 

 following one of the large steamers 



