LOCH MORAR 321 



With regard to the depth of the loch, Dr. Johnston writes : " In 

 April 1887 Sir John Murray took a series of eighteen soundings 

 down the centre of the loch, the greatest depth recorded being 1050 

 feet. . . . In 1896 Sir John Murray and the late Mr. Fred. P. Pullar 

 made a bathynietrical survey of the whole loch with a wire-rope 

 machine, but the chart they prepared was not published, as it was 

 found that the machine employed was untrustworthy. It was, 

 therefore, resolved to make a complete new survey. This was carried 

 out in June and July 1902 by Dr. Johnston, Messrs. Garrett, Hewitt, 

 Parsons, and James Murray. . . . 



"The surface of the loch at the time the survey was made in 

 June 1902 was 30*5 feet above sea-level, and in March 1903 the level 

 was found to be 35 feet above the sea, a difference in level of 

 4J feet. Altogether eleven hundred soundings were taken in the 

 loch, or about one hundred soundings to the square mile ; the maxi- 

 mum depth recorded was 1017 feet. This is less than previous 

 results, but it is to be accounted for by the use of wire-rope, which 

 nearly always gives a lesser depth than the soundings with ordinary 

 sounding-lines. 



" Loch Morar is of simple conformation, the bottom falling on all 

 sides down to the deepest part, but with here and there a few minor 

 undulations of the lake floor. . . . 



" The deepest part of the loch is at the wide portion opposite the 

 mouth of the Meoble river, ... at a spot nearly midway between 

 the two ends of the loch. The area over 1000 feet in depth is not 

 large, extending only to a little over 4 acres. . . . 



" As the surface of the loch is only 30 feet above sea-level, almost 

 the entire bed of the loch is below the level of the sea. ... In the 

 sea to the west of Loch Morar there is no depth approaching 1000 

 feet, with the exception of a deep spot 834 feet (139 fathoms) 

 between the islands of Kum and Skye, so that to get a depth of 

 1000 feet one must go west of St. Kilda and Ireland, beyond the 

 100 fathom line in the Atlantic Ocean." 



The fall at the outlet precludes the ascent of any early fish, and 

 frequently causes salmon and sea-trout to congregate in great 

 numbers. On this account, i.e. the stopping of early fish, Loch 

 Morar is of little use as a salmon fishing loch. An occasional fish 

 is taken, however, in summer or autumn. 



Loch Beoraid, on the south, drains into the loch by the Meoble river, 

 but is rendered inaccessible to salmon by reason of a fall a short 

 distance from the outlet. The Meoble and the two small streams 



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