OCEAN DEPTHS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2025, 9 March 1907, Page 3

OCEAN DEPTHS.

In reference to our answer to a correspondent a few days ago that the greatest ocean depth known was the Nero Deep nearly 6 miles. Mr Higgs, le *.araka, forwards a clipping from some m known journal which reads asif_lm ., s .__“The greatest known depths I”, th. J .A H» South Attato. Ocean, midway between the island of Tristan d’Acliuna and the mouth o the Rio de la Plata. The bottom was there reached at a depth of 40 236 ft, or 8| miles, exceeding bj more than 17,000 ft the height of Mount Everest, the loftiest mountain in the world. In tlio North A lantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland, soundings have been made to a depth of 4580 fathoms or 2? 48 °ft, while depths equalling 34,000 ft or 6, miles are reported south of tie Bermuda Islands. The average depth of the Pacific Ocean between Japan and California is a little over 2000 fathoms, and between Clnli and New Zealand 1500 fathoms. The average depths of all the oceans is from 2000 to 2500 fathoms.” This seems to destroy the authenticity of our information; but its own inaccuracies renders the extract quite unreliable. In the first place 40,236 feet is not 81 miles as stated, and 4580 fathoms equal more than 28,000 feet. The whole extract is not in accord with our authority, Mr. J. r Thursfield, M.A., who records that the “deepest soundings on record is 5269 fathoms at a point east of the Ladrones,” but the latest record was tlio one wo quoted as having been discovered by the Nerq last year, which is evidently only a. few fathoms deeper than Mr. Tlmrsfield’s record of a couple of years earlier, because his required only 11 fathoms to reach the six miles, and that fact in itself adds its corroboration. We prefer to take our information from authorities rather than from erratic newspaper clippings.—Ed. G.T.