[101] XT. S. FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 103 



When the vessel reaches the intended station the officer of the deck 

 stops her with her stern to the wind, has the patent log hauled in, and 

 tben takes his station on the grating at the sounding machine, where he 

 superintends tlie sounding, and maneuvers the vessel to keep the wire 

 vertical during the descent. Having satished himself that the specimen 

 cup is properly bent to the stray line, the sinker adjusted, the ther- 

 mometer and water bottle clamped, the friction rope properly attended 

 by a careful man detailed for the purpose, a man forward of the machine 

 at the brake, one abaft it with the crank shipped, and another on the 

 grating to attend the guide pulley, he will lower away gently until the 

 apparatus is under water, then seize the small lead to the stray line, 

 caution the record keeper to look out, have the pawl thrown back and 

 the crank unshipped, and order "Lower away!" The speed of descent 

 is regidated by him, and the record keeiJer reports and records the time 

 at every 100 fathoms, the average being about V^ 8« with a 30-pound 

 sinker, which would be used in the depth mentioned above. 



The navigator determines the position. As soon as the sinker reaches 

 bottom the reel is stopped by the friction rope, the record keeper notes 

 the number of turns indicated by the register, the men stationed at the 

 right and left of the machine ship the cranks and heave in a few turns 

 to clear the specimen cup from the bottom, then throw the pawl into 

 action, unshii) the cranks, unreeve the friction rope, and throw the belt 

 on and set it up by means of the tightening pulley and belt tightener. A 

 fireman, or machinist, has in the meantime prepared the reeling engine 

 and shipped the ratchet crank on the crank shaft. When all is ready, 

 and after the thermometer has had time to record the bottom tempera- 

 ture, the throttle is opened gradually, the engine being assisted over 

 the centers with the ratchet crank, until a uniform speed is attained. 

 The wire is reeled in at the rate of 100 to 125 fathoms per minute, each 

 100 fathoms being reported and the time noted by the record keeper. 



When the stray line ajjpears above water the engine is stopped, the 

 cranks shipped, and the remaining few fathoms reeled in carefully by 

 hand, stopping first to take off the small lead, then the water bottle, 

 which is unclamped by the officer and handed to the man at the guide 

 ]>ulley to be delivered to the medical officer, who either takes its specific 

 gravity or carefully seals it in a bottle prepared for the purpose to be 

 forwarded to the laboratory at Washington for analysis. 



The officer then unclamps the thermometer, reads the temperature, 

 which is verified by the record keeper, who resets the instrument and 

 sends it to the pilot-house, where it is suspended from a hook provided 

 for the purpose. 



The specimen cup is next removed from the end of the stray line and 

 sent to the laboratory, where its contents are examined bj'' a naturalist 

 who informs the record keeper of the character of the bottom to be 

 entered in his book. The officer of the deck makes this examination 

 himself at times when the naturalists are otherwise engaged. 



