THE GREAT DEEPS 105 
By the beginning of the nineteenth century 
imagination was being corrected by scientific 
investigation, and people were becoming dis- 
inclined to believe more than they could see. 
Apparatus for research was still very imper- 
fect, and we find a great English naturalist, 
Edward Forbes, in 1850, declaring his belief 
that there are no living animals below 300 
fathoms. And this in spite of the fact that in 
1818 Sir John Ross dredged a Brittle-Star 
(Astrophyton) from 800 to 1000 fathoms. 
Even when animals were brought up in the 
net from considerable depths, it was objected 
that there could be no certainty that these were 
not caught on the way up. But that living 
creatures existed at much greater depths than 
had been supposed was suddenly proved be- 
yond all doubt by an accident. A submarine 
cable broke, and when the two ends were fished 
up for repair, they were found encrusted with 
several different kinds of animals. This dis- 
covery gave a great impetus to investigation. 
It was too costly for private enterprise, but the 
Governments of various countries, Britain, 
France, Norway, Italy, and the United States, 
took the matter in hand, and expedition after 
expedition was sent out, with special equip- 
