SMITHSONIAN-ROEBLING EXPEDITION TO CUBA 



By PAUL BARTSCH 

 Curator, Division of Mollusks, U. S. National Museum 



In November 1936 Donald Roebling offered to the Smithsonian 

 Institution the use of his newly built yacht, the Iorano, for explora- 

 tion in West Indian waters. The matter was turned over to the writer, 

 who, after visiting Mr. Roebling in December, reported favorably on 

 the project. The Iorano, with a length of 70 feet, a beam of 14 feet, 

 a draft of 3 feet 9 inches, and a displacement of 29 tons, made an 

 ideal vessel for shallow marine collecting. Mr. Roebling had made 

 the necessary installation of a small winch and hoisting gear and 

 pump for such work, as well as dredging frames. 



The expedition put to sea on April 1, 1937, from the home port of 

 the Iorano, Clearwater, Fla. After a stop at Key West and Havana, 

 we cruised along the north coast of Cuba where our first collecting 

 was done on April 5 in Bahia Honda Harbor. Here, by means of 

 outboard-motor-propelled skiff's, we explored the shallow waters of 

 the region for marine organisms, as well as the immediate shores for 

 land mollusks. After dark we used a submarine light, which attracted 

 considerable life to it and enabled us to make a catch of many marine 

 organisms, ranging from protozoa to fish. 



On April 6 we anchored off Buena Vista Light and here again we 

 used the submarine light with considerable success. The next day we 

 rounded the western end of Cuba and came to anchor in Bahia Cor- 

 rientes. In this half-moon-shaped bay the water shelves abruptly to 

 considerable depth, and a strong current sweeps the region. We 

 stopped at several stations in this bay, where we worked until the 

 morning of April 10. A number of dredge hauls were made at various 

 depths, in part on rather difficult bottom, which yielded a good series 

 of specimens. 



The most interesting phase of our work in this region, however, 

 came from the use of the submarine light after dark. This apparatus, 

 when used where life is abundant, always yields ample, exciting, and 

 fascinating results. The submarine light consists merely of a water- 

 tight glass jacket surrounding an incandescent bulb in a water-tight 

 socket attached to a water-tight submarine electric cord. Lowering 

 this to the bottom and moving it about a bit will attract myriads of 

 creatures to it. Slowly raising the light to the surface one finds a 

 cloud of microscopic plankton organisms, lending a milky aspect to 



65 



