Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1864-1865, 1865-05-25

THE OCEAN BOTTOM.
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 Oh which
ny diving9 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 sub
lime 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, is as smooth as a marble
floor; in others it is studded with
coral columns from ten to one hun
dred feet in height, and from one to
eighty feet in diameter. The tops
of those more lofty support a myriad
OF pyramid pendants, each forming
myriad more, giving 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 in the deep
winding avenue, he finds that they
will ill him with as sacred an awe
as if he were in some old cathedral
which had long been buried beneath
old oceans wave. Here and there
the coral extends even to the surface
of the later, as If the leftier columns
were towers belonging to these state
ly temples that a:e now in ruins.
There were countless varieties of
aiminutive trees, shrubs and plants
in every creyice of the corals where
water had deposited the earth. They
were Ell of faint hue, owing to the
pale light they received, although Of
every shade, and entirely different
from plants that / am familiar with
that yegetate upon dry land, One in
particular attracted my attention; it
resembled sea fan of immense size,
of varieoated colors and the most
brilliant hue. The fish which inhabit
these "Silyer Banks" / found as
different in kind as the scenery was
varied. They were OF all forms, col
ors and sizes-from those of the
symmetrical 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
snail size resembled the bull terrier.
Some dartcd through the water like
metoors, while others could scarcely
be seen to move. To enumerate and
explain all the various kinds of fish
! beheld while diving on these banks
would, were | enough of naturalist
to do so, require more than my limits
would allow, for ! am convinced that
most Of the kinds of fish which in
habit the tropical seas, can be found
there. The sun-fsh, saw fish, white
shark, blue or shovel sharks,
were often seen.
There were also fish which resem-
bled plants, and remained as fixed
in their positions as shruo; the
only power they possessed was to
open and shut when in danger.
! Some of them resembled the rose
when in full bloom, ard We're OF al
hues. There we're the ribbon fish,
from four or fye inches to three feet
in length; their eyes are very large,
and protrude like those Of frog.
Another fish was spotted like 2
leopard, from three to ia feet III
length They build their houses
ike beavers IL which they spawn,
and the male or female watches the
egg until it matches. saw many
specimens OF the green turtle, some
five feet long, which l should think
would weigh from 400 to 50C
pounds.