xu 



INTRODUCTION. 



to put into Key West. From there, when the weather moder- 

 ated, we started for Kingston, Jamaica, calling at Havana for 

 the purpose of making a couple of hauls on the Pentacrinus 

 ground discovered by Sigsbee off the Morro Light. (Fig. B.) 



Fig. B. — Morro Castle (Havana), with modem limestone terrace in foreground. 



We made two casts of the dredge, passing from 175 to 400 

 fathoms, and obtained a few specimens of Pentacrinus. We 

 kept on along the northern shore of Cuba, through the Old 

 Bahama Channel, without stopping to sound or dredge, Pour- 

 tales having in former years dredged and sounded from the 

 " Bibb," Acting Master Piatt, U. S. N., over the greater part of 

 this line. 



In the dredgings taken off the southeastern end of Jamaica 

 we did not bring up anything of great importance. From Ja- 

 maica we were obliged, owing to the strong trades, to keep on 

 toward St. Thomas, without either sounding or trawling till off 

 Porto Rico. During the winter months the trades blow suffi- 

 ciently hard to make dredging and sounding quite uncomfortable 

 on a vessel of the size of the " Blake." We therefore had no 

 opportunity of adding anything to the hydrography of that 

 part of the Caribbean Sea. 



The region over which we chiefly worked this year reached 

 from St. Thomas to Trinidad. Over a limited area like this, it 

 was possible to cover the ground very satisfactorily. The work 

 done off the principal islands began usually at the hundred- 

 fathom line, and extended into, the deepest water off the lee side 

 of the Caribbean Islands. But little could be done in the way 

 of dredging in the passages between the islands or to the wind- 



ward of them, omno- to the strono; trades. 



While working- off 



