Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-04-04
IS THERE A MALESTRoM ?

The Boston journal saws:
This question has again been raised by cor.
respondent of the Scientific American. Every
school boy Of the last century has been tauob,
TO believe that there is wonderful vor,ax nj,
the coast Of Norway, with an eddy seve,ol
miles in diameter, and that ships and even buoe
whales were someimcs dragged within its ter
rlble liquid coils, and buried forever "in oceans :
awful depths" The correspondent of the Sci.
entifc American says 81 have been informed
bya European acquaintance that the Malesirom.
that great whirlpool on the coast of Norway,
lald down in all Biographies and Of which we
have heard such wonderful stories. has no ex-
isience. He told me that a nautical and scicn.
ii6c commission, composed of several gentle
men appointed by the King of Denmark was
sent TO approach as near as possible to the edge
of the whirlpool, sail around it, measures its
circumference, observe its action and make a
report. They went out and sailed all around
and all over where the Males,rom was said
to be, but could not find IT the sea was as
smooth where The whirlpool ought 10 be as arv
other part Of the German Ocean,
We presume the above is correct. The la,-
est Biographies and gazetteers barely alude to
The Maleslrom. Cotton, in his large atlas
gives the sight upon his map, but does moi al
ludc to II in his description of Norway. Har-
per Gazetteer in its article on Norway saws
that "among the numerous islands on the ives,
coast there are violent and irregular currents.
which render the coast navicaiion dangerous -
Among these is the celebrated Nal Srobi, Mes
kenas-Stron. the danger from which has been
greatly exaggerated, since il can, at nearly all
times, be passed over even by boa,s.'' The
romance of the Maleslrom has been pretty eff.
fec,ually destroyed
This seems 10 us too much like jumping at
a conclusion upon matter of considerable sci
enti6c and practical importance, and one which
has always been point of wonder and curos-
ity tn navlgators and schoolboys. In reference
TO this subject, correspondent of the Post
says -
''Sometme since | saw statement do no,
now remember where, that it Uhe Maestrom)
is caused by two currents coming in contact,
which huctuaie in force and perhaps in direc-
tion, and consequently the danger was al times
imminent, and while at others ships can sail
over the spot without difficulty and also that
the fishermen of the coast were aware of this.
and could generally tell when danger was TO
be apprehended. Knowing nothing of its
truth. give this for what it is worth.
This is in consonance with the more rational
theories Of all those who have believed in the
existence Of this great "sucker" of the North,
as 10 its origin. |, is quite rational to believe,
ioo-admIting the general fact of the existence
Of this marine tcrror-the explanation given
by the fishermen and il NAV he that the time
at which the Danish Commission sailed on
their y9yags af discovery was lime ..lr. III, II.
IND nothlng OF this oceanc phenomenon, while
in twenty-four hours after their search was
abandoned this universal tunnel might have been
"taking things in" with all lis iradnionaTy and
irresistible fatality.
Bnt suppose no such phenomenon now exists
TO any dangerous degree, il is by no means nee
essary TO conclude that it never existed in all
its reputed terror and overwhelming force. On
the contrary, the marvelously high and fearful
ly rapid tides Of this region-iides rising so
rapidly as 10 overiake the race horse on the
beach-sweeping as they do through the Ger
man Ocean, around and among the Loiloden Isles,
in the midst Of the southern portion of which
the Malesiom is situated, the water meeting in
trightful fnry from different directions, would
naturally and almost inevitably create such
phenomenon, il there was no submarine "bIeak-
WAFER 10 check the current. And if the
Males,rom absolutely does no, exist now, il is
only necessary 10 conclude, that after its greedy
devastation through centuries, il has at last
formed a submarine isle, so 10 speak, in the
very focus Of its power from the "wrecks Of
matter" it has gathered together, which, by the
long growth Of ages, has at length assumed a
height and size Sufficient to Gil the vacuum and
stay the fury Of the awful whirlpool forever.
and thus the Malestrom has wrought out its
own destruction. Either Of these theories will
reconcile the past with the present, and relieve
the explorers of the present and the geographers
of tho past generations from any question of
veracity.-N. Y. Times
IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE AT
SCHOOL.