Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-04-11
9ailg Gmpire.
OuriosItIes OC the Ocean Bottom

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Id Mr.. Green, the famous diver, tells singular
stories OF bis adveutures, when making search
in the deep waters of the ocean, He give
come new sketches Of what he saw at the i'Sll-
yer Banks" near Hayti:
The banks OF the coral on which nay divings
were made, are about forty miles in length
and about ten or twenty in breadth On this
bank of coral il presented 10 the diver Que OF
the most beautiful and sublime scenes the eye
ever baheld, The water varies from ten TO
one hundred feet in depth, and is so clear that
the diver can see from two 10 three hundred
feet when be is Submerged, with bnt httle OBJ
struction TO the sight
The bottom Of the ocean, ia many places
is as smooth as marble floor; in others tits
studded with coral eolumns, from ten to enc
hundred feet in height, and from one 10 egh.
ty feet in diameter The tops OF those more
lofty support q myriad of pyramidal pendants,
each forming myriad more giving the re-
Rlity to the imaginary abode OF some water
nymphs In other places the pendants form
arch after arch; aud as the diver stands on
the bottom Of the ocean, and gazes through
these in the deep winding avenue, he finds that
they fll him with as sacred an awe as il he
we're. in some old cathedral, which had been
buried beneath "old oceans wave" Here and
there, the coral extends even to the surface Of
the water, as II those loftier columns were
towers belonging to those stately temples that
are now 10 ruins.
There were countless varieties Of diminu-
tive trees, shrubs and plants in every crevice
of the eorals, where the water had deposited
the least earth They we're all Of a faint hue,
owing to the pale light they received, although
of every shade, and entirely different from
r.. thoN loku "a
dry land, One in particular attacted my at
tention; it resembled a sea fan of immense
size, of yariegated colors, and the most brill
liant hues The fish which inhabited those
"Siver Banks found as differen in kind as
the scenery was varied. They we're of all
FERNS, colors aud sizes-fron the symmetrical
goby TO the globe like sun-fsh from those OF
the dullest hue to the changeable dolphin /;
from the spots Of the leopard to the hues oi
the sunbeam from the harmless minnow TO
the voracions shark. }f
Some had heads like squirrels, others like
cats and dogs one Of small size resembled
the bull terrier. Some darted through the wa
ter like meteors while others could be scarce
ly seen to move. To enumorate and explain
!, all the various kinds Of fish beheld, while div
ing on these banks would, we're enough OF g
natur alist so to do, require more than my lin
its will allow, for i am convinced that most o.
the kiads of fish which iuhabit the tropica
seas can be found there. The sunhsh, sawfish
white shark, blue or shovsl-nose shark, wer'
often seen. There were often fish which re
sembled plants, and remained as fixed in thei
position as shrub; the only powers they pos
sessed was to open and shut when in danger
Some of them resemebled the rose in ful
bloom, and were Of all hues. There were tn
ribbon fish, from four to Eve inches to thre
fact in length their eyes are very large, ant
protrude like those of tho frog. Another iisI
vas spotted like the leopard, from three to tel
feet In length They build their houses lik
beavers in which they spawn, and the male o
female watches the egg until It matches.
saw many specimens of the green turtle, som
Eve feet long, which | should think woul
!. weigh from four to Eve hundred pounds.