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History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications |
1890 CS Westmeath Cable Survey |
CS Westmeath, built in 1882, was owned and operated by W.T. Henley's Telegraph Works and was chartered in 1887 to La Societe Française des Télégraphes Sous-Marins to lay cables in the Antilles.
In 1890-1, cables were laid from Para, Brazil-Cayenne, French Guiana-Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana-Fort de France, Martinique-Charlotte Amélie, St Thomas, DWI-Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic: Martinique-Guadelope-Marie Galante: Guadelope-The Saints. System lengths: 556 + 278 + 704 + 403 + 403 nm. Henley's made half the core; the French company La Société Générale des Téléphones (formerly Rattier et Cie.) made the other half. Henley's did all the armouring and cable laying. As with every cable, a survey was made of the ocean floor for each part of the route. For the section of the route in the vicinity of British Guiana, Martinique, and Barbados, site contributor Julian Sahu has a case of glass-tubed sounding samples, a chart showing the position of each sounding, and detailed notes on the soundings, which were made in November and December of 1890.
Julian notes that in the 1970s he had an interest in geology, and his father bought the set for him at a junk shop in Leicester. “There are in total 47 soundings (one was broken when my father purchased the box) - each one has its original label, a detailed description of where the sounding was taken, and what the sample contains. The material is all by a D. Wilson Barker who I presume was the ship's ‘geologist’. I also have the original cheque that D. Wilson Barker was paid for his work - two pounds nine shillings and ten pence which is dated 3rd May 1892. “The soundings appear to be taken in four groupings: a set between St Lucia and Barbados, a set to the east of Tobago, a set to the east of the mouth of the Orinoco River and a set to the east of Guyana / Surinam.”
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Transcription of the six-page Preliminary Report on the Soundings shown above | ||||||
Preliminary Report on the Soundings taken by the SS "Westmeath" in the West Indies for the Société Française des Télégraphes Sous-Marins under the direction of W. Sharpey Seaton, Director of the Expedition |
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No. | Date | Latitude deg-min N |
Longitude deg-min W |
Depth Fathoms | Designation | Description of Sounding |
1 | 2/11/90 | 10-57 | 57-44.25 | 2000 | Foraminiferal ooze | Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Miliolidæ; a few fragments of small broken shells; a few minute quartz grains; & detrital mud |
2 | 2/11/90 | 10-57 | 57-51 | 1720 | ditto | Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Miliolidæ, Rotaliæ, Peneroplis; a few minute quartz grains; & fine detrital mud. |
3 | 2/11/90 | 10-57 | 58-2 | 1400 | Sand | Fine, medium & coarse grains of clear (rare) brown, & yellow sand; a number of curious little yellow-brown cones (apparently, polyzoe); foraminiferæ scarce, only orbulinæ & globigerinæ; fine sand mud |
4 | 2/11/90 | 10-57 | 58-16.5 | 1315 | Foraminiferal ooze | Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Miliolidæ; a few broken sponge spicules; a few minute grains quartz; a few broken dentalium shells; a minute bivalve & a few other minute shells; small particles of broken shell & fine detrital mud. |
5 | 2/11/90 | 10-57 | 58-7.25 | 1434 | Foraminiferal ooze & broken shells | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ; fine grains sand, broken fragments of shells (Mollusca & Scaphopoda); & fine detrital mud. |
6 | 3/11/90 | 9-13 | 56-54.5 | 1803 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Discorbinæ; with much detrital mud |
7 | 3/11/90 | 9-15.5 | 57-5 | 1700 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ, fine grains sand; broken fragments of Scaphopoda shells; fine detrital matter. |
8 | 3/11/90 | 9-17.5 | 57-15.25 | 1670 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, (rare); fine detrital matter of an unpalpable nature |
9 | 3/11/90 | 9-20 | 57-25 | 1717 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ; portions of polyzoæ; & a great deal of fine detrital matter |
10 | 3/11/90 | 9-22 | 57-36.25 | 1693 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ; & fine detrital matter |
11 | 3/11/90 | 9-24.5 | 57-47 | 1607 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Peneroplis; a few quartz grains; a few black grains; fine detrital mud and broken shells |
12 | 3/11/90 | 9-27 | 57-58 | 1580 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ; small pieces broken shell; minute lamellibranch; fine detrital mud |
13 | 3/11/90 | 9-29.5 | 58-8.75 | 1500 | Foraminiferal ooze | Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Rotaliæ; a few quartz grains; & fine detrital mud. |
15 | 4/11/90 | 11-14.25 | 57-40.5 | 1963 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ; fine quartz grains; few sponge spicules; & fine detrital matter. |
16 | 4/11/90 | 10-57 | 58-42.5 | 1134 | Foraminiferal ooze | Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Miliolidæ; fragments of dentalium shells; a few quartz grains; & fine detrital mud. |
17 | 4/11/90 | 10-57 | 59-3 | 867 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ; a few fragments of scaphopoda shells; fine detrital matter. |
19 | 5/11/90 | 13-7.5 | 59.46 | 495 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Hastigerinæ, Miliolidæ; quantities of fine grains sand & fine detrital matter |
20 | 5/11/90 | 13-9.5 | 59-51 | 826 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ (some stained red), Orbulinæ, Calcarinæ; & a good deal of fine detrital matter |
21 | 5/11/90 | 13-19.5 | 59-57.5 | 866 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ (many stained red), Orbulinæ; minute Gasteropodæ shells; minute quartz grains; and fine detrital matter. |
22 | 5/11/90 | 13-29.5 | 60-3 | 827 | Fine sand & broken shells | Chiefly fine sand; broken sponge spicules; Foraminiferæ (Miliolidæ, Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Rotaliæ); little yellow rods (probably minute worm cases) of agglutinated broken sponge spicules; broken dentalium shells; broken molluscous shells. |
23 | 5/11/90 | 13-39.5 | 60-8 | 909 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ; sand grains; sponge spicules; pieces of scaphopoda shells; small pieces of molluscous shells; & fine detrital matter |
24 | 5/11/90 | 13-45 | 60-11 | 900 | Fine sand | Fine sand, with a few black grains; Foraminiferæ (Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Miliolidæ); & fine detrital matter. |
25 | 6/11/90 | 13-49.5 | 60-14 | 980 | Fine sand | Fine sand; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Peneroplis); fine pieces of molluscous shells; a few fragments of scaphopoda shells; & fine detrital matter. |
26 | 6/11/90 | 13-54.5 | 60-17 | 920 | Fine sand | Fine sand with many black grains; Foraminiferæ {Globigerinæ, (some stained red); Orbulinæ, Miliolidæ, Dicorbinæ}; sponge spicules; pieces of scaphopoda shells; small pieces of molluscous shells; & fine detrital matter. |
27 | 6/11/90 | 14-0 | 60-20 | 972 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ; fine grains sand; pieces of scaphopoda shells; sponge spicules; fine detrital mud. |
28 | 6/11/90 | 14-5 | 60-23 | 1013 | Fine sand & Foraminiferal ooze | Fine grains sand with a few black grains; Globigerinæ; pieces of dentalium shells; & fine detrital mud. |
29 | 6/11/90 | 14-10 | 60-25.5 | 1056 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ; fine grains sand; sponge spicules; pieces of scaphopoda shells; fine detrital matter. |
33 | 6/11/90 | 14-31.5 | 60-39 | 789 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ, Rotaliæ; dentalium; minute pieces of broken shells of; sponge spicules; minute gasteropoda shells; fine quartz grains; & fine detrital mud. |
34 | 6/11/90 | 14-6.5 | 60-42 | 562 | Fine sand | Fine sand; sponge spicules; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ); pieces of dentalium shells; fine detrital mud. |
35 | 6/11/90 | 13-58.5 | 60-37.5 | 784 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Orbulinæ; small pieces of molluscous shells & of scaphopoda shells; a quantity of fine detrital mud. |
36 | 6/11/90 | 14-2 | 60-29 | 873 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ, Rotaliæ; pieces of scaphopoda shells; a few minute sand grains; & much fine detrital mud. |
37 | 6/11/90 | 14-5.5 | 60-34.5 | 745 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Orbulinæ; sponge spicules; small grains sand; pieces of scaphopoda shells; & much fine detrital matter. |
42 | 17/11/90 | 7-21 | 56-3.4 | 98 | Fine sand | Fine sand, some coarse grains stained yellowish brown; Foraminiferæ (Rotaliæ, Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ, Discorbinæ). |
43 | 17/11/90 | 7-22.8 | 56-3.4 | 230 | Mud | A fine impalpable mud, probably chiefly due to disintegration of the tests of Foraminiferæ (Orbulinæ; Textulariæ); sponge spicules; minute quartz grains. |
44 | 17/11/90 | 7-23.8 | 56-3.4 | 360 | Mud | ditto |
45 | 17/11/90 | 7-23.8 | 56-6.4 | 335 | Mud | ditto |
46 | 17/11/90 | 7-23.8 | 56-9 | 237 | Foraminiferal ooze | Globigerinæ, Textulariæ; fine grains sand; broken sponge spicules; fine detrital mud of a greasy nature. |
47 | 17/11/90 | 7-22 | 56-7.5 | 96 | Sand & broken shells | Fine colourless sand grains with sharp edges; numerous grains much larger much worn & of a brown colour, no intermediate sized grains; broken shells; sponge spicules; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ, Hastigerinæ); & fine detrital mud. |
49 | 17/11/90 | 7-21.2 | 56-4.6 | 79 | Fine sand, broken shells | Fine sand; broken shells; minute worm tubes or broken shells; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ, Rotaliæ); minute gasteropoda shells; small ????? spines & portions of tests; sponge spicules; & fine detrital matter. |
50 | 17/11/90 | 7-19.4 | 56-3.3 | 60 | Sand & broken shells | Sand; broken shells; Foraminiferæ, (Orbulinæ, Globigerinæ); sponge spicules; |
72 | 7-16.1 | 55-47.1 | 50 | Sand & shells | Sand with a few black grains; shells (broken & perfect); Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ); pieces of scaphopoda shells; Fragments of polyzoe. | |
87 | 7-18.5 | 55-45 | 75 | Polyzoe | Polyzoe; serpulæ tubes; small gasteropoda shells. | |
103 | 62 | Sand | Sand; Polyzoe; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ); minute gasteropoda shells; sponge spicules; & fine detrital mud. | |||
125 | 24/11/90 | 6-11.5 | 53-36.5 | 20 | Fine sand | Fine sand; broken sponge spicules; a few bits of vegetable debris; some grains black stuff. |
126 | 24/11/90 | 6-15 | 53-37 | 22½ | Fine sand & broken shells | Fine sand; broken shells; some fine black grains; Foraminiferæ a few; some perfect gasteropoda & lamellibranch shells. |
127 | 13/12/90 | 19-19 | 73-10 | 1054 | Fine sand | Fine sand; Foraminiferæ (Globigerinæ); nullipore; shell; one particle of pitch; fine detrital mud. |
Printed versions of the details of the soundings |
Copyright © 2007 Julian Sahu and FTL Design
Last revised: 22 January, 2008
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