[75] FISHEKIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 587 



by means of thumb screws, and between the two wronght-iron rings, 

 already mentioned, which form the joint, a washer of rubber or sennit 

 is interposed to prevent leakage of the oil in a sea-way." 



A model of this storage tank is exhibited in connection with the Sigs- 

 bee deep-sea sounding machine. 



Splices in Sounding Wire. Samples showing the method of splicing the 

 sounding wire together and to the stray line, as employed by the 

 United States Coast and Geodetic survey. 



Commander Charles D. Sigsbee, United States Navy. 



The method of splicing the sounding wire employed on the steamer 

 Blake was devised by commander J. A. Howell, United States Navy, 

 and is as follows : 



Overlap the ends of the wire at least a foot ; cross them and wrap 

 each free end tightly about the opposite wire in a close spiral twist, 

 making the whole splice about 3 inches long. Although the spirals 

 should begin close up to the cross, the " nip" of the latter should not be 

 so abrupt as to weaken the wire by torsional strain. Plate 41 will serve 

 as a model. Eub the whole splice with resin or soldering fluid, prefer- 

 ably the latter, and apply soft solder over all, either with a soldering- 

 iron or as follows : In a block of wood cut a groove, in which melt the 

 solder ; then draw the splice to and fro in the groove. Scrape or file off 

 any superfluous solder, but caution must be exercised in using a file. 

 In using a soldering iron care must be taken not to overheat the wire. 

 At the end of each spiral the solder should be gradually tapered from 

 the thickness of the spiral to the thickness of the single wire, to avoid a 

 sudden change in area of cross-section, which would cause weakness. 

 These splices are neat and compact ; they are quickly made and have 

 been used in thousands of casts, down to a depth of more than 5 miles. 



The sounding wire is spliced to the stray line in the following manner, 

 introduced by Commander Sigsbee : 



" To splice the wire into the stray line, make a single wall knot in the 

 latter, and whip the rope with twine for a half inch below the knot ; 

 tuck the end of the wire down through the middle of the single wall, 

 and complete the knot by jamming the strands, working close down to 

 the whipping. Beginning close up under the knot, take ten or twelve 

 turns of the wire around the rope against the lay ; then tuck it through 

 under a strand, and make another set of turns below the first set, this 

 time with the lay of the rope ; then tuck and repeat against the lay, 

 and expend the end of the wire. Taper and whip the ends of the 

 strands about the wire above the knot and the splice will be complete." 



These splices have been used successfully on the Blake for a number 

 of years. It is best that they should not be as strong as the wire 

 itself, in order to afford a chance of parting at the stray line, should 

 the rod or lead foul irretrievably on the bottom. On the Blake the 



