256 : The Atlantic 



interest or of insight. It was under Maury's direction that the first 

 series of deep-sea soundings in the open ocean was consistently car- 

 ried out. Up to Maury's time soundings were taken by dropping over- 

 board a cannon ball fastened to a hemp cord; the shot was usually 

 lost together with the cord; the method was uncertain and sound- 

 ings were infrequent. 



While Maury was in charge of the Naval Observatory, Lieutenant 

 John Mercer Brooke invented a simple but practical deep-sea sound- 

 ing apparatus. It was under Maury's direction that this apparatus was 

 put into use by O. H. Berryman on the Dolphin, and that in 1853 a 

 complete set of soundings was built up between Nova Scotia and Ire- 

 land which permitted Maury to construct an orographic map and an 

 underwater profile. It was with the apparatus also that the first satis- 

 factory samples of ocean bottom were secured. Maury sent the sam- 

 ples to Professor J. W. Bailey of West Point for analysis. This analysis 

 demonstrated for the first time that the bottom of the open ocean was 

 not simply composed of mud or silt but of undisturbed and unbro- 

 ken, though minute, shells of tiny marine organisms. Deposits of this 

 kind were later given the name of ooze, but Maury's seem to have 

 been the first samples procured and examined. 



We have already referred to the fact that the first international 

 meeting to bring about a co-operative study of the sea was organized 

 under Maury's direction and took place in 1853 at Brussels. Scientists 

 interested in the study of the sea were officially present representing a 

 number of the most important governments of Europe. Before these 

 meetings adjourned most of the government representatives had 

 agreed to a form of scientific log which was to be carried and to be 

 used on all the naval vessels of each subscribing country and had 

 agreed to the conventions for the presentation of such records even 

 in time of war. 



Maury's essential genius rested in the fact that he was able to view 

 the ocean in a manner both scientific and philosophic. He began with 

 the practical needs of a young midshipman serving as a sailing master 

 of a small naval vessel. As we have seen, it took him years to assemble 

 the facts and he had to invent the scientific methods for handling and 

 presenting them. His patience and his scientific attitude are well 

 recorded in the following passage: "To keep the mind unbiased by 

 theories and speculations; never to have any wish that an investiga- 

 tion would result in this view in preference to that, and never to 

 attempt by premature speculation to anticipate the results of the 

 investigation, but always to trust to the observations." 



