292 BULLETIN OF THE 
introduction of new methods. The “Blake” was this year provided 
with a new, double-cylinder reeling-engine, built by Copeland & Bacon, 
placed at right angles to the reel, on which our steel rope was wound. 
A small double engine revolved the reel, so that the wire rope was 
wound independently of the main reeling-engine. The wire rope was 
led to the port side directly from the main reeling-engine, then by a 
large, wrought-iron sheave along the deck to the mainmast, thence across 
to the starboard side, and then along the deck to the reel, upon which 
it was wound. This worked admirably, relieving the reel, which thus 
became a mere spool, from all strain either in winding up or in dredg- 
ing, the whole strain being taken up by the ten turns of the wire rope 
on the surging drum of the main reeling-engine. "The arrangements 
for leading off the wire from the bow of the ship, through a large sheave 
at the end of the dredging-boom, were practically the same as last year. 
The steel-spring accumulator was, however, replaced this year by one of 
car-rubber springs, suspended along the foremast, and to this accumu- 
lator was attached the pendant running along the dredging-boom which 
carried the dredging-pulley. As Lieutenant-Commander Sigsbee is soon 
to publish, in one of the Coast Survey Reports, a full account of the 
dredging and sounding apparatus used on board the * Blake," I will not 
speak in greater detail of our apparatus. 
No change was made in our dredges. In the trawls several new 
forms were tried, but we found that the most satisfactory trawl was of 
the shape adopted last year, the only important change being the greater 
height of the runners, — 30". "The bar connecting the runners was 
used as a frame to stretch a sheet of netting across the whole beam, so 
as to divide the trawl opening into two halves, each opening into the 
trap. This enabled us to give a longer lead line to the mouth of the 
double trawl, without danger of fouling from the lead line of the other 
side. "The only change I could still suggest would be that this lead 
line should run through rings at the corners of the runners, the strain 
on the side which fell on the ground would take up the slack of the 
upper side, and thus increase still further the sweep of the trawl. Our 
trawl-nets were made much shorter than last year, and for deep work, 
when so much ooze is always likely to choke the trawl, it would be 
advisable for a ten-foot beam to have a net of not more than twelve to 
fifteen feet in length. 
We also tried dragging a heavy tow-net rapidly over the ground at 
great depths, in hopes of catching the more active Crustacea and Fishes ; 
but we found that, after all, no deep-sea machine worked better than a 
