. An account of the Arctic regions [microform] : with a history and description of the northern whale-fishery. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. I la;!. m â :! mm . :*â 190 ACCOUNT OF THE AIICTIC UEGIOXS. persons liavc iiiia.:?incd that even lead cannot sink, but will be suspended mid-way in the sea! I have conversed, indeed, with very intelligent persons, who could not be persuaded that any dependence could be placed on soundings obtained at a depth exceeding 300 fathoms. W^crc water a compressi- ble substance, like air, it would be possible, that, under a certain pressure, it might becom
. An account of the Arctic regions [microform] : with a history and description of the northern whale-fishery. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. I la;!. m â :! mm . :*â 190 ACCOUNT OF THE AIICTIC UEGIOXS. persons liavc iiiia.:?incd that even lead cannot sink, but will be suspended mid-way in the sea! I have conversed, indeed, with very intelligent persons, who could not be persuaded that any dependence could be placed on soundings obtained at a depth exceeding 300 fathoms. W^crc water a compressi- ble substance, like air, it would be possible, that, under a certain pressure, it might become as heavy as lead; so that lead, or any other ponderous body, could only sink to a certain depth ; but water being incompressible, or nearly so, it is clear, however great the pressure may be, that it must be the same down- ward as upward, on any body suspended in it; conse- quently, bodies specifically heavier, will continue to gravitate downward, whatever be the depth, or the weight of the column of water above them. The difficulty of getting satisfactory soundings, at great depths, arises, principally, from the uncer- tain intimation given, when the lead strikes the bottom. This uncertainty is increased by using a thick line : for, if a lead of a hundi'ed pounds weight were used, the rope attached to it would require to be so thick, that, at the depth of six or eight hun- dred fathoms, the weight of the line, even in water, would be so many times greater than that of the lead, that scarcely any effect could be observed when it should reach the bottom. Hence I always prefer a light lead, and a very small line. Wi;l^ a lead of 20 pounds, 1 have sounded in above 1000. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Scoresby, William, 1789-1857. Edinburgh; [London] : Printed for Archibald Constable and Co.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectsciencesn
