Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-12-31
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 cav AZ the
"SIlver Bank, /" near Hayti:
The banks of coral on which my divincs
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, aud so clear that
the diver can see from two to three hundred
feet when submerged, With but little obstruc-
tion to the sight.
The bottom Cf the ocean in many places is
rs smooth a marble floor; in others it is
studded with coral columns, from ten to one
hHadred feet in height, and from one to eighty
feet in diameter. The tops Of these more
lofty support myriad of pyramidal pendants,
each forming u myriad more, giving 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, aud gaZes through in the deep
winding avenues he finds that they fill him
with as sacred awe rs if he were in some
old cathedral which had long been buried be-
meath old oceans wave. Here and there the
coral extends even to me surface of the water
Us 1t the lottiest columns were towers belong
ing to those stately temples that are now in
ruins.
There were countless varieties of trees,
shrubs aud plants in every crcvice of the
corals where water had deposited the earth.
They were all Of faint hue, owing TO the
pale tight they received, although of every
shade, and entirely different from plants that
| am familiar with that vegetate upon dry
land. One IN particular attracted nv atten-
ton; 1t rcsemblcd sea fan Of immense size.
Ofvariegatcd colors and the most brilliant hue.
The fish which inhabit these "Silver Banks"
l found as different in kind as the scenery
was varied. They were all forms. colors. and
sIzes-trom the symmetrical goby to the
glube-liEe sunfish from the dullest hue to
the changeable dolphin from the spots Of
the leopard to the hues of sun beams; from
the harmless minnow to the voracous shark.
Some had heads like squirrels others like
cats aud dogs, some of small size resembled
the bull terrier. Some dartcd through the
water like mctcOrs, while others could scarce.
ly be seen TO move.
To enumerate and explain all the various
kinds OF fish l beheld while diving on these
banks would, were | enough Of naturalist
so to do, require more than my limits allow,
Tor am convinced that most of the kinds of
fish which inhaJit the tropical seas can be
found there. The sun fish, star fish. white
shark and blue or shovel nose shark were
often seen.
There were also FISH which rcscmbled
plants, and remained as fixed in their posi-
uon as shrub; the only power they pos
sessed was to open and shut when in danger.
Some of them resemble the rose when in iull
bloom, and were of all hues. These were the
ribbon fish, from four to five inches to three
feet in length: their eyes are very large and
protrude like those of a frog.
Another fish is spotted like 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 five feet long, which l should
think would weigh from 400 to 500 pounds.