[39] WORK OF FISH COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. 155 



was down at 9.37 ; began heaving up at 10.50, and it was on board 

 at 11.56 a. ni. In addition to numerous interesting forms of marine 

 life, we brought up about 1,000 pounds weight of stones from (5 to 10 

 inches in diameter. At 2 j). m,, passed a ship's boat, keel up. At 4.18 

 p. m. the trawl was lowered in 855 fathoms, latitude 41° 40' 30" N., 

 longitude 65° 35' W. It was on the bottom at 5.10, with 1,300 fathoms 

 of line out. Commenced heaving up at 6.02, and at 6.50 it was on deck. 

 We then ran 5 miles WNW., and cast the lead in 810 fathoms, intend- 

 ing to put the trawl over, but wind and sea had increased so much that 

 it was not considered prudent. 



The two hauls taken to-day were practically in the channel between 

 Brown's and George's Banks, although somewhat to the southward of 

 the former. We steamed slowly to the southward and westward dur 

 ing the night and, at 5.13 a. m. on the 4th put the trawl over iu 906 fath- 

 oms, latitude 41° 13' K, longitude 66° 00' 50" W. Seven hauls were 

 taken during the day in from 1,255 to 49 fathoms on the southeast part 

 of George's Bank. The weather was clear and pleasant, with light nortb- 

 west wind during the morning, backing to the southward in the even- 

 ing. The last hauls were taken after dark, by the aid of the arc light, 

 which was kept burning half an hour after we finished dredging for the 

 purpose of attracting some of the numerous i^etrels flying about the 

 ship, but they did not seem to mind it in the least. At 9 p. m. stood to 

 the southward and westward, and at 5.10 a. m. cast the trawl in 959 

 fathoms, latitude 40° 26' 40" 'N., longitude 67° 05' 15" W. At 9.45 

 a. m. the trawl was lowered again, 10 miles south of the former posi- 

 tion, in 1,290 fathoms, and was up at 1.27 p. m., with an enormous load 

 of mud, and many valuable specimens. 



The bottom oft the north part of George's Bank was sand, gravel, and 

 stones. In the channel between George's and Brown's Banks, stones 

 were encountered at every haul; even to the southward of Brown's 

 Bank, in deep water, they were brought up in the trawl. The south 

 part of George's on which we worked, was a smooth, hard, sand bottom 

 inside of the 100-fathom line ; in deeper water we encountered a par- 

 ticularly tenacious mud. At the southwest extremity of Brown's Bank, 

 on the slope outside the 30-fathom line, the bottom is covered with a 

 variety of coral growth. We succeeded in getting several small speci- 

 mens, but had no apparatus to grapple it successfully. 



While heaving up the trawl last spoken of, a wreck was sighted, dis- 

 masted and water-logged, the seas making a clean breach over it. As 

 soon as the trawl was up, we bore down upon it, lowered a boat, and 

 sent an officer to examine it. From his report and our own observation 

 on board it appeared to be a three-masted, square-rigged vessel of 800 

 to 1,000 tons, lying on its staxboard side, the stern frames gone and the 

 stern floating a few feet above water, the forward body entirely sub- 

 merged. The bottom was sheathed with yellow metal, hull painted black, 

 laden with petroleum, and to all, appearances a wreck of recent occur- 



