XVI -RESULTS OF THE EXPLORATIONS MADE BY THE STEAMER 

 "ALBATROSS," OFF THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE UNITED 



STATES, IN 1883. 



By A. E. Verrill. 



During the summer of 1883, the new United States Fish Commission 

 steamer "Albatross," Lieut. Z. L. Tanner, commander, continued the 

 work of dredging in the region of the Gulf Stream, along our coast, from 

 off Cape Hatteras to Nova Scotia.* She is, in construction, well adapted 

 to do deep-sea work, and fully equipped with improved apparatus, and 

 therefore was able to carry the dredgings much farther out to sea 

 than the " Fish Hawk " had been able to in previous years. The stations 

 most distant from the coast were more than a third of the way to the 

 Bermudas. The greatest depth successfully dredged was in 2,949 fath- 

 oms, at station 2099, I^. latitude 37o 12' 20", W. longitude 69° 39', Au- 

 gust 2. Besides this, there were four successful hauls in 2,033 to 2,369 

 fathoms, and twenty-seven between 1,000 and 2,000 fathoms. Between 

 oOO and 1,000 fathoms there were nineteen hauls, and in less than 500 

 fathoms, sixty-three, making a total of one hundred and sixteen stations. 

 At nearly all the localities, except on the rocky bottoms off Nova Scotia, 

 a large beam- trawl was used, and in most cases large quantities of speci- 

 mens were obtained, even at great depths. The bottom temperatures 

 between 1,000 and 2,000 fathoms were usually between 37° F. and 39° 

 F., and rarely 40°. 

 The minimum temperatures at the bottom, in this region, are between 



* It is but just to say that the unusual thoroughness and reniakable success of these 

 explorations of the Gulf Stream region have been due to the great skifl and untiring 

 zeal and energy of Captain Tanner, who has personally superintended all our deep- 

 sea dredging operations during the past live years. It is proper to add that his efforts 

 have been well supported by the other officers associated with him. 



The naturalists associated with the writer in this work in 1883 were: Prof. S. 

 I. Smith, Mr. Sanderson Smith, Prof. L. A. Leo, Mr. Richard Rathbun, Mr. J. H. 

 Emerton (also as artist), Mr. B. F. Koons, Pro£ Edwin Linton, Mr. H. L. Bruner, 

 Mr. J. E. Benedict (naturalist attached to the steamer), Mr. R. S. Tarr, W. E. Safford, 

 ensign U. S. N., and others, more or less. Mr. Peter Parker, Mr. John A. Ryder, Dr. 

 Theodose Gill, and R. H. Miner, ensign U. S. N., worked on the fishes. The parties 

 who went out di-edgiug on the the steamer varied from time to time. Usually only 

 three or four naturalists, besides Mr. Benedict, could be properly accommodated on 

 board. I took no part in this portion of the work, in 1-83, not going out on the steamer 

 at all. 



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