l8 DEEP-SEA SOUNDING. 



lat. 4° 06' S., long. 29° 04' 22" W.; brown mud with 

 occasional small shells — a decided change in the character 

 of the bottom since the last specimen was taken. The 

 southeast trades were well to the southward and very 

 light. 



On the 2ist, sounded in the afternoon in 2801 fath- 

 oms, lat. 5°28' S., long. 30° 14' 22" W. In reeling in, 

 the belt, which had shown no signs of weakness, parted 

 suddenly, causing the wire to jump from the reel, thereby 

 losing 2687 fathoms of wire and our last specimen cup. 

 A new belt of rattling stuff was fitted and an improvised 

 specimen cup made as follows : A piece of i^-inch iron 

 pipe was cut to the right length, one end pointed, and 

 a large hole made in the side. The detacher was screwed 

 into a nipple secured in the upper end of the pipe, and 

 a tin sleeve was fitted with a wire spring to cause it to 

 close over the aperture in the cup when the sinker was 

 detached. This cup was therefore a modification of the 

 Belknap No. i. 



On the 2 2d the ship was dressed with flags at the 

 mastheads and peak, and at noon a salute of twenty-one 

 _guns was fired in honor of Washington's birthday. 



The next cast was taken on the 24th in 2898 fath- 

 'oms, lat. 10° 25' S., long. 32° 19' 36'' W., the cup just 

 described bringing up a specimen of brown ooze. 



Being near the magnetic equator on the afternoon 

 of the 25th, the ship was swung with port helm for 

 compass deviations. 



On the 26th we swung ship in the afternoon with 



