Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1865-03-08
THE OCEAN BOTTOM.

Mr.. Green, the famous diver, tells singu-
lar stories of his adventures when making
search in the deep waters of the ocean.
lie gives some new sketches of what he saw
at the Silver Banks, near Hayti:
The banks of the coral on which my. di-
wings were made are about forty miles in
length, and from ten to twenty In breadth.
On this bank of coral is presented to the di-
Yer one Of the most beautiful and sublime
scenes the eye ever beheld The water
varies from ten to one hundred feet in depth,
and is so clear that the diver can see from
two to three Hundred feet when submerged,
with but little obstruction to the sight.
The bottom OF the ocean, in many places,
IN as smooth as a marble floor IN others il
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 myriads of pyrimid-
al pendants, each forming Il myriad more,
giving the reality to the imaginary abode of
some water aymph. In other places the
pendants form arch after arch; and Is the
diver stands on the bottom Of the ocean and
gazes through in the deep winding avenue,
he finds that they fill him with as sacred an
awe as if he were in some old cathedral.
which had long been buried beneath old
ocean S waves. Here and there the coral
extends even to the surface OF the water, as
If the loftier columns were towers belonging
to these stately temples that are now in ruins.
There were countless varieties of diminu-
tive trees, shrubs, and plants in every crev-
ice OF corals where the water had deposited
the earth. They were all OF a faint hue,
owing to the pale light they received, al
though Of every shade, and entirely differ
ent from plants that | am familiar with
that vegetate upon dry land. One in par
tlcular attracted my attention. 1t resem5led
a sea fan of immense size, of variegated col
ors and the most brillient hue
The fish which inhabit these ''Silver
Banks" [ found as different in kind as the
scenery was varied They were of all forms,
colors, and sizes-from the symmetrical GO
by to the globelke sunfish; 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 voracicus shark.
Some have heads like squirrels, others like
cats and dogs, one small size resembled the
bull terrier. Some darted through the
water like meteors, while others could scarce
" be seen 10 move, TO enumerate and ex-
PLAIN all the various kind. of fish | beheid
while diving on these banks would, were | e.
nough of naturalist to do so, require more
than my limits would allow, for | am con
vinced that most of the kinds of fish which
inhabit the tropical seas, can be found there.
The sunfish, sawfish, white shark, blue or
shovel-nose shark, were often seen.
There were also fish which resembled
plants, and remained as fixed in their osi-
ton as shrub; the only power they possess
ed was to open and shut when in danger.
Some of them resembled the rose when in
full bloom, and were of all hues These
were the ribbon fish, from four to FIVE inches
large and protrude like those Of frog.
Another fish was spotted ike 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 hatches | saw many
specimens Of the green turtle, some FIVE feet
long, which | should think would weigh
from 400 to 500 pounds.