THE VESSEL, THE APPARATUSES AND THEIR APPLICATION. I 7 



showed could not be exceeded, when it was to be avoided to have kinks on the wire in consequence 

 of its sinking faster than the trawl. 



When the trawl approached the bottom, the vessel went a speed of 0.2 — 1.0 knot, while the 

 paying out was continued till the necessary length of the wire was out. The rule followed by the 

 paying out was, that up to depths of 1,200 fathoms, i*/ a time the depth was paid out, and for depths 

 over 1,200 fathoms the depth and a surplus of 600 fathoms. 



The trawl now followed the bottom, but now and then the vessel had to stop or go back, 

 when a sudden contraction of the accumulator showed that the trawl had caught the bottom. 



The trawl was dragged 20 — 30 minutes, whereon the heaving in by means of the trawl-winch 

 commenced with a velocity of 100 fathoms in 6 minutes till the trawl had slipped the bottom, when 

 the velocity was increased to 100 fathoms in 5 minutes. 



As soon as the trawl had reached the surface of the water, the boom was lifted by means of 

 the boom-lift to facilitate the shipping of the trawl. When the trawling was finished, the different 

 appliances were used for collection of Plankton, whereafter the boom was steadied to drag the 

 cylinder-net, wind and weather permitting, and the course was laid for the next station. 



DEPTHS. 



Depths. As to these, the chart is to be referred to (table I); in this is put down all the 

 stations with the corresponding depths and other soundings. The curves are drawn with graphic 

 interpolation, which is made on vertical sections through the stations. 



The depths of the Arctic seas, such as represented on the chart in the 18 th volume of (The 

 Norwegian North-Atlantic Expedition 1876 — 78», have not — even if the curves of soundings in the seas 

 northeast and east of Iceland and in the vicinity of Jan Mayen may have been somewhat modified 

 as they hitherto have been drawn on the basis of defective data — been subject to any alterations of 

 importance in consequence of the soundings undertaken by the Ingolf-Expedition. 



On the other hand, it has been a different thing with the seas south and southwest of Iceland, 

 of which a proper knowledge of the depths was nearly entirely wanting, and of which curves have 

 now been drawn in accordance with the soundings taken. 



The great Atlantic Deep approaches closely to the southcoast of Iceland, which, as will be 

 seen, already was signified on the aforesaid chart, but of greater interest are the conditions southwest 

 of Iceland. 



As will be seen by the chart (table I), a submarine ridge is extending from Cape Reykjances in 

 a southwesterly direction, the existence of which had not been substantiated until the voyage in 1896. 

 Before I speak of the ridge, I shall premise a few historical remarks. 



When Frobishcr in 1578 returned from his third voyage to find The Northwest-Passage, one 

 of his vessels called the Emanuel, was separated from his squadron under Greenland, but afterwards 

 arrived safely in England. The Emanuel, which belonged to BHdgewater in Somersetshire , was one 

 of those vessels, which at that time went by the name of Busse — small strong built vessels 



The Ingolf-Expedition. I. i. 3 



