July (i, 18*i. 



SCIENCE. 



iug-wire was ilovised by one of the best known 

 of English pliysicists, Sir William Tliomson ; 

 but his efforts were entirely ignored by the 

 mother government, and first bore frnit on this 

 side of the Atlantic, through the liberality of 

 the American navy. 



It is needless in this connection to discuss 

 the rapid development of this system of deep- 

 sea sounding, which has been so fully described 

 by its most zealous advocates, Messrs. lielknap 



gested by Mr. Alexander Agassiz, under whose 

 supervision it was first put to trial on the coast- 

 survey steamer Blake in 1877. To Messrs. 

 .Sigsbee and Agassiz, and the officers of the 

 Blake, is due the greater number of improve- 

 ments in deep-sea dredges, trawls, and acces- 

 sories to sounding, which are now employed 

 on the American coast ; while the IT. S. fish- 

 commission claims priority as to the appliances 

 for moderate depths of water, although many 



and Sigsbee, of the United States navy. We 

 may be pardoned, however, for recalling the 

 fact, tiiat it was early in 1874 that Capt. Bel- 

 knap made his famous sounding-vovage across 

 the Pacific Ocean in the U. S. S. Tuscarora, 

 while the Challenger was still plodding its way 

 around the world with its cumbersome hempen 

 rope, one of the Thomson machines being care- 

 fully stowed below. Since then Commander 

 Sigsbee has so perfected the sounding-machine, 

 on the proper working of which success with 

 wire depends, that further improvements seem 

 impossible. 



The use of wire rope for dredging was sug- 



of these are yet to be thoroughl^y tested in the 

 deeper parts of the ocean. 



The great desideratum in marine explora- 

 tions has alwa3-s been suitable vessels for prop- 

 erly carrying on tlie work in all its branches. 

 Our coast-survey, however, is gradually build- 

 ing ni) a fleet of steamers which are admirably' 

 adapted to their special field of surveying and 

 sounding : and several of these, among which 

 we may name the Blake, the Ilassler. and tlie 

 Bache, have already rendered distinguished 

 services in the line of deep-sea dredging and 

 trawling. The latest addition to our ex- 

 ploring-fleet has been the construction of a 



