Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-07-08
CURlOsITlEs OF THE OCEAN
ROTsTOM I'D r"-r 'ts.

Mr.. Green, the famous diver, tells singular
stories Of his adventures when making search
in the deep waters Of the ocean. He gives
some new sketches of what he saw at the
" Silver Banks near Hayti: '''.
!" The banks of the coral on which my
divings were made, are about forty miles in
length, and from ten to twenty in breadth
On this bank of coral is presented to the
diver one of the most beautiful and sublime
scenes the eye ever beheld. The water varies
from ten to one hundred feet in depth, and
so clear that the diver can see from two to
three hundred feet when he is submerged,
with but little obstruction to tho sight The
bottom Of the ocean, in many places, is as
smooth as a marble floor in others it is
studded with coral columns, from ten to one
hundred feet in height, and from one to
eighty feet in diameter. The tops of those
more lofty support myriad Of pyramdal
pendants, each forming myriad more Civ
ing the reality to the imaginary abode Of
some water nymph. In other places the
pendants form arch after arch; and as the
diver stands on the bottom of the ocean and
gazes through these in the deep winding
avenue, he finds that they FIJI him with as
sacred awe as if he were in some old cathe
dral, which had long been buried beneath
old oceans wave. Here and there the coral
extends even TO the surface Of the water, as
if those loftier columns were towers belong
ing to those stately temples that are now Il,
ruins. There were countless varieties Of d..
minutive trees, shrubs and plants in every
crevice of the corals where the water bad de-
posted the least earth. They were all Of a
faint hue, owing to the pale light they re.
ceived, although Of every shade. and entirely
different from plants am familiar with that
vegetate upon dry land. One in particular
attracted my attention; it resemhled sea
fan of immense size, but variegated colors,
and the most brilliant h;.e The fish which,
inhabited those Silver Banks l found as
different in kind as the scenery was varied.
They we've Of all forms, colors and sizes
from the symetrical goby to the globe. like
sun fish; from those Of the dullest hue to
the changeable dolphin; from the spots of the
leopard to the hues of the sunbeam; from
the harmless minnow to the voracious shark.
Some had heads like squirrels, others like
cats and dogs; one Of small size resem.
bled tina bull terrier. Some darted through
the water like meteors, while others could
scarcely be seen 10 move. To cnumerate
and explain all the various kinds of fish I
bcheld. while diving on these banks, would,
were enough Of naturalist SO to do, re-.
qulre more than my limits will allcw, for l
am convinced that most Of the kinds of fish
which inhabit the tropical seas can BE- found
there. The suntish, sawHsh, starfish, white
shark, blue or shovelnose shark, were often
seen. There re also fish which resembled
plants, and remained as fixed in, their DO.
sition as shrub the only power they po.
sessed was to open and lshut when In
danger. Some of them resembled tho rose
in full bloom, and were of all hues. There.
were the ribbon fish, from four or five inches
to three fee; in length; their eyes are very
large, and protrudc like those of the frog.
Another fish was spotted like the leopard,
from three to ten feet in length. They build
their houses like beavers, in which they
spawn, and the male or female watches the
egg until it matches. saw many specimens
Of the green turtle, some Ave feet long, which
should think would weigh from 400 to 500
pounds" s,.,...f