11 
undersøge det mellem Norge, Færøerne, Island, Jan Mayen 
og Spitsbergen beliggende Hav, vare heller ikke de paa 
den engelske Challengerexpcdition udførte Observationer 
offentliggjorte, saaat de Data. der den Gang forelaa, i Rig- 
holdighed paa ingen Maade kunde sammenlignes med dem, 
som nu staa til Raadighed. Især var det med Hensyn paa 
den geografiske Udbredning, at Observationerne ikke kunde 
give synderlg omfattende Oplysnipger, idet det eneste Hav, 
som endnu var gruiidigt undersøgt, nemlig Nordsøeu, bande 
med Hensyn paa Dybde og øvrige .physikalske Forholde iifveg 
i hoi Grad fra det store Verdenshav, forsaavidt man kjendte 
det. Da der først var. fattet Beslutning, om* at der ogsaa paa 
den norske Nordhavsexpedition skulde udføres' chemiske 
Undersøgelser af samme Art som paa de tidligere Expedi- 
tioner, maatte det derfor for Hr. S. Svendsen, hvem disse 
Arbeider oprindelig vare overdragne, fremstille sig som en 
meget vigtig, ja man kan sige, som den viktigste Opgave 
at tilveiebringe de fornødne Opiysninger om Gasarterne i 
Søvandet. hvad angaar den Del af Verdenshavet, som Norge 
havde paataget sig at gjøre til Gjenstand for videnskabelig 
Undersøgelse. Med Hensyn paa de Midler, der skulde be- 
nyttes til Løsningen af denne Opgave, da kunde Valget af 
disse ikke falde vanskeligt, da de af Dr. Jacobsen benyt- 
tede Methoder og Apparater strax maatte udpege sig som 
de hensigtsmæssigste fremfor Alt, livad der for Resten stod 
til Raadighed. selv om ikke Hensynet til Resultatcrnes 
Sammeulignelighed havde gjort deres Anvendelse ønskelig. 
Svendsen besluttede derfor uden Modificationer at optage 
de paa Pomeraniaexpeditionen benyttede Arbeidsmetlmder. 
og var det i Henseende til Expeditionens Udrustring et 
stort Held, at Professor Dr. Jacobsen velvilligen tilbød sig 
at anskaffe de til de chemiske Undersøgelser fornødne 
Apparater. 
Det var dog ikke alle de ved Pomeraniaexpeditionen 
benyttede Apparater, som ogsaa kom til Anvendelse paa 
den norske Nordhavsexpedition. idet man der besluttede at 
anvende en af Capitain Wille construeret Vand henter, som 
især i en Henseende maatte være at foretnekke for den 
af Dr. H. A. Meyer angivne. Paa denne maatte nemlig, 
naar den skulde optage Vandprøver fra intennediære Dyb, 
Cylinderen udløses ved et langs Linen nedsamket Lod. 
som aldeles udelukkede Muligbeden af paa Linen samtidig j 
at have anbragt Thermømetre eller deslige, saaledes som 
det uden mindste Ulempe . kan forenes med Brugen af Willes 
Vandhenter. 
Willes Vandhenter, som rindes afbildet i Fig. 2. er af 
Opfinderen bleven beskrevet paa følgende Maade: 
“Vandprøven indesluttes' i dette Instrument i et for 
Pladsens Skyld spiralformig bøiot Rør, der under Ned- 
firiugeu i Våndet holdes aabent i* begge Ender, saaledes at 
Våndet frit kan strømme igjennem; men naar Instrumentet 
ophales et kort Stykke, lukkes Enderne af Røret med to 
Ventiler, hvorved det da i Røret staaende Vand afstænges 
og kan bringes op. 
the sea lying between Norway, the Feroe Islands, Iceland, 
Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergou, the results of the observa- 
tions instituted on the •Challenger' Expedition had not yet 
been made public; and bonce the data then obtained 
were few compared to those of which we are now in 
possession. It was more particularly with respect to 
geographical distribution, that the information former ob- 
servations could supply had proved but meagre, inasmuch 
J as the only sea thoroughly investigated, viz the Ger- 
man Ocean, was found to differ widely in regard to depth 
and other physical conditions from the Atlantic and Pacific, 
so far at least as our knowledge of ‘both may be said 
to extend. . The resolution once formed, bf instituting on 
the Norwegian North- Atlantic Expedition a series of chem- 
i ical experiments similar to those performed on former 
Expeditions, Mr. S. Svendsen, the» gentleman on whom the 
execution of this task was to have devolved, could not 
but regard as an important, nuy the most important, part 
of his labours, accurate determinations of the. gases pre- 
sent in that tract of the Atlantic Ocean which the Nor- 
i wegian Exjjedition was to make the subject of scientific 
investigation. Respecting the means whereby to solve this 
problem, no difficulty could be experienced in making a 
choice, since Dr. Jacobsen's- methods and apparatus must 
at once suggest themselves as by far the best, even apart 
from the consideration, that, for the better comparing 
of his results with those obtained, their adoption was desi- 
rable. Svendsen, therefore, decided in favour of the pro- 
cess without modification resorted to on the •Pom- 
erania Expedition; and it was a fortunate concurrence, 
that Professor Jacobsen should kindly volunteer his assist- 
ance in procuring the various apparatus necessary for the 
chemical experiments. 
All the apparatus made use of on the •Pomerania' 
Expedition, were not, however, adopted on the* Norwegian 
North-Atlantic Expedition ; the . instrument, for instance, 
employed to collect water, which, particularly in one respect, 
must be held preferable to that described by Dr. H. A. 
Meyer, had been constructed by Captain Wille R. N. 
When drawing water from intermediate depths, the cylin- 
der in the latter is detached by running a weight down 
the line, which precludes the possibilty of having a ther- 
mometer, or any other instrument, attached to it, an ad- 
vantage which may. without the slightest drawback, be 
combined with Wille’s apparatus. 
Willed. instrument for collecting water, of which Fig. 2 
is a represention. has been described by the inventor as 
follows: — 
“The samples of water 'drawn with this instrument are, 
to save space, brought up in a spiral tube, which, when 
sunk through the water, is kept open at both ends, to admit 
of the free passage of tin* fluid; but, on the instrument, 
at the required -depth, being hauled in a few fathoms, the 
ends of the tube are closed by means of two valves, and 
the water .it contains, thus prevented from escaping, may 
be brought to the surface. 
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