TEMPERATURES, SPECIFIC GRAVITIES, AND SALINITIES OF CERTAIN SEAS. 73 



weathers and temperatures down to zero Fahrenheit, and especially for those on the 

 flying platform, that the work was not carried out without great discomfort, because 

 the rapidly incoming sounding-wire carried with it a continuous spray, which in low 

 temperatures congealed as it fell and covered them from head to foot with ice. These 

 conditions were intensified owing to the fact that all such work has to be carried out 

 on the weather side of the ship. 



In spite of the high speed which the Scotia's scientific winch was able to attain, all 

 these operations meant long and arduous deck work, as will be seenbysomeactual records 

 here quoted, and more fully dealt with under " Scientific Equipment." * The usual time 

 for winding in was 80 to 90 fathoms per minute (although in a speed trial the great speed 

 of over 140 fathoms per minute was attained), which for the Scotia's deepest sounding of 

 2900 fathoms meant continuous heaving in for thirty-four minutes. This, when added 

 to necessary halts for reading the temperatures, collecting the water samples, and taking 

 the instrument aboard, would amount to fully an hour's deck work for heaving in alone. 

 In addition to this there was fully another hour's work " letting go " and attaching and 

 setting the sounder and deep-sea water-bottles. Repeating the operation once or twice 

 more for lesser depths, in order to obtain a more complete series, furthermore propor- 

 tionately added to the time. 



For this work there was always used a special three-stranded wire on the Lucas 

 sounding machine. This wire naturally was not only more reliable than the single wire, 

 but was very suitable for holding a temporary seizing which gave instruments a better 

 hold and prevented them from slipping down the sounding-wire. The water-bottle 

 generally used was the Buchanan-Richard water-bottle, and the thermometer the 

 most recent pattern Negretti & Zambra reversing thermometer. The sounder was 

 the Buchanan sounder, and immediately above it was fixed a reversing thermometer. 

 Only two, or at the most three, Buchanan-Richard bottles were fixed on the wire at the 

 same time, and usually at a distance of 500 fathoms apart. This practice risked the 

 loss of fewer instruments in the event of the wire carrying away, and also had the 

 advantage of giving the use of the same instruments for the next series of observa- 

 tions, thus making the observations more directly comparable. For the same reason 

 it also was endeavoured, as far as possible, to use the same instruments on every 

 occasion. 



Occasionally the Pettersson-Nansen insulated water-bottle was used with the 

 direct-reading Richter thermometer. This instrument is a very beautiful one, but 

 there are serious objections to its general use, especially in low temperatures. These 

 objections are — 



1. Its cost. 



2. The manipulating of several metal levers and fine screws — a serious handicap 

 when working with numb fingers. 



* " Scientific Equipment," " Scotia " Reports, vol. i. 



