CAPTAIN CHARLES D. S1GSBEE, U.S.N. 



Captain Charles Dwight Sigsbee, U. S. N., whose portrait forms 

 the frontispiece of this number of the magazine, was born July 

 16, 1845, in New York. He graduated from the Naval Academy 

 in 1863 and served throughout the Civil War ; was on board the 

 Monongahela at the battle of Mobile bay, and in the Fort Fisher 

 fights. In 1868 he was made a Lieutenant-Commander. In 

 1874 he was placed in command of the Blake, and during the 

 succeeding four years was engaged in deep-sea exploration in 

 the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of Maine. During part of this 

 time Prof. Alexander Agassiz was upon the Blake directing the 

 deep-sea dredgings. 



Almost immediately after taking command of the Blake, Sigs- 

 bee instituted improvements in instruments for deep-sea sound- 

 ing, and virtually designed a new machine for that purpose, 

 which has since been adopted all over the world. The results 

 of the deep-sea soundings made by the Blake under his com- 

 mand were published as an appendix to the report of the U. S. 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey for 1880, under the title " Deep Sea 

 Sounding and Dredging. A Description and Discussion of the 

 Methods and Appliances used on board the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey Steamer Blake." This work has proved valuable in 

 many ways, especially with reference to the intricate problems 

 involved in the study of the Gulf stream. The report is a com- 

 prehensive and standard treatise on deep-sea exploration. 



For several years prior to taking command of the Maine Cap- 

 tain Sigsbee was Hydrographer of the Navy Department. While 

 thus in charge of the Hydrographic Office he developed many 

 improvements tending to simplify and strengthen the data and 

 material furnished the marine from both the practical and sci- 

 entific sides. During his detail in charge of the Hydrographic 

 Office Captain Sigsbee was a member of the U. S. Board on Geo- 

 graphic Names. 



Captain Sigsbee's contributions to our knowledge of the sea 

 bottom and its topography place him in the front rank of sci- 

 entific hydrographers. As a naval officer and an American the 

 events of the past two months have shown what manner of man 



he is. 



H. G. 



