ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 107 



accommodation of a summer school of marine biology, 

 attended by about fifty students, many of whom were 

 teachers of science in various parts of the country. Agassiz 

 lectured, assisted by several other younger biologists, 

 throughout the summer, and conducted all the o;^erations 

 with great enthusiasm. But it was his last effort. His 

 health was failing rapidly, and he died towards the close of 

 that year (1873). 



Now we must turn attention more closely to the son, 

 Alexander Agassiz, who may truly be said to have devoted 

 his life and fortune to marine exploring expeditions. 



Shortly after the time when Alexander Agassiz arrived as a 

 boy in the United States, he was taken by his father for a 

 voyage in the " Bibb," one of the Coast Survey vessels. 

 This was his first, and we are told that it seemed very likely 

 to be his last, experience of oceanic exploration, for after 

 coming on board he fell down a hatchway and was laid out 

 apparently dead in the saloon. However, he soon recovered, 

 and afterwards made many successive voyages in Coast 

 Survey vessels, notably the " Blake " and the " Albatross," 

 and also in other special steamers which he chartered for his 

 expeditions. His voyages covered more than 100,000 miles 

 in tropical seas, and it has been said that he personally has 

 run more lines of investigation across the great oceans and 

 has made more deep-sea soundings than all other oceano- 

 graphers taken together. His first expedition in the " Blake ' ' 

 was in 1877, when he had with him, as commander, Captain 

 C. D. Sigsbee, who was afterwards in charge of the ill-fated 

 " Maine," the exciting cause of the outbreak of the war 

 with Spain. 



Agassiz 's knowledge and experience as a mining engineer 

 were of the greatest value on board the " Blake " in devising 

 improvements in the apparatus for deep-sea work. He 

 substituted steel- wire rope for dredging in place of hemp, and 

 invented mechanical contrivances for equalizing the strain 



