INTRODUCTION. ix 



were lost before the ship could be floated and again in condition 

 to resume work, the following lines were run during the season 

 of 1877-78 : — 



1. One line from Havana to Sand Key, in depths of from 320 

 fathoms to 951 fathoms. 



2. A second line along the coast of Cuba, from Havana to 

 a short distance west of Bahia Honda, from 292 fathoms to 850 

 fathoms. 



3. A short line of about 40 miles northerly from the Tortu- 

 gas, from 111 fathoms to 37 fathoms, to examine the character 

 of the fauna of the Florida Bank to the westward of the main- 

 land as far as the hundred-fathom curve. 



4. A line from the hundred-fathom curve on the west side of 

 the Florida Bank about 30 miles north of the Tortuoas, across 

 to the hundred-fathom curve on the northeastern side of the 

 Yucatan Bank, from 110 fathoms to 1,920 fathoms, and back 

 to 95 fathoms. 



5. A line from 1,568 fathoms north of the Alacran Reef, 

 from the deep basin extending from the northern slope of the 

 Yucatan Bank toward Vera Cruz up to 84 fathoms on the north- 

 ern edofe of the Yucatan Bank. 



6. A line from the hundred-fathom curve on the north side of 

 the Yucatan Bank to Alacran Reef, and from there in a south- 

 east direction into 20 fathoms off the Joblos Islands, diagonally 

 across the Yucatan Bank. 



7. A line in the trough of the Gulf Stream from north of 

 Cape San Antonio to Sand Key, Florida, from 1,323 fathoms to 

 339 fathoms. 



In all, about 1,100 miles of lines, taking the shortest distances 

 from point to point. 



In this first season the number of casts made with dredofe and 

 trawl were over fifty, from 300 fathoms to 1,920 fathoms ; of 

 these forty-three were successful hauls. In making 'them we 

 lost only 200 fathoms of steel rope. 



8. Our operations were confined to dredging along a line to 

 the northward of the Tortugas, running, in a general way, par- 

 allel to the hundred-fathom curve of the western edge of the 

 Florida Bank. This line was extended northward to about 

 the latitude of Tampa Bay, a distance of some 200 miles. 



