The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-11-19
The Eo.tom of the Ocean.

The Bottom OF the Ocean.
+ In 1853 Lieutenant Brooke obtained
mud from the North Atlantic, between
Newfoundland and the Azores, at depth
Of moro than ten thousand feet, or two
miles, by the help of his sounding appara-
tus. The specimens were sen. for exami-
nation to Ehrenoerg, of Berlin, and to
Bailey, of West point, and those able mi
croscopists found that this deep sea mud
was almost entirely composed of skeletons
of living orgauism-the greater portion
Of these baing just like the Glob;gerinse
already known to occur in the chalk.
Thus far the work has been carried on
simply in the interests of science, but
Lieutenant Brooke's method Of sounding
acquired high commercial value when
the enterprise of laying down the tele-
graphic cable was undertaken. For it
became matter Of immense Importance
to know, not only the depth of the sea
over the whole line along which the ca
BILE was to run. but the exact nature Of the
bottom, so as to guard against chances of
cutting or fraying the strands Of that costly
rope.
The admiralty consequently ordered
Captain Dayman to ascertain the depth
of the whole line of the cable, and to bring
back specimens Of the bottom. La former
days such a command as this might have
sounded very much like one of the impos-
siblc things which the young prince in
the Fairy Tales is ordered to do before lie
can obtain the hand of the princess. How
ever, in the month of June and July,
1857, the task assigned to him was per-
formed with great precision. The speci-
mems of Atlantic mud which he produced
!, wsre examined and reported upon.
The result of all these operations is that
/ We know the contours and nature Of the
surface soil covered by the North Atlantic
for distance of 700 miles from cast tc
west as we'll as we know that Of any par,
of the dry land.
1t is a prodigious plain, one of the
widest ard most even plains in the world
If the sea were drained off you might
drive wagon all the way from Valentia
on the west coast Of Ireland, to Trinity
Bay, in Newfoundland And, except one
t sharp incline, about two hundred miles
from Valentia, L am not quite sure that il
t would even be necessary to put the skid
on, SO gentle are the asceuts and descents
! upon that route. From Valentia
the road would lie down hill for about two
hundred mile to the point at which the
! bottom is now covered by 100 fathoms 0
seawater. Then would come the centra
e plain, more than 1000 miles wide, tn,
t inequalities of the surface Of which woulC
be hardly pcrceptible, though the deptl
: of the water upon it varies from 10, 600 tt
e $4,000 feet; and there are places wher,
e Mont Blanc might be sunk without show
), ing its peak above water. Beyond this
t the ascent On the American side commen
), ces, and gradually leads, for about thre
Y hundred miles, to the NewfoundanC
9 shore.
t Almest the whole of the bottom of thi
e central plain--which extends for man,
). hundred miles in a north and south di
rection-is covered by fine mud, whicl
e when brought to the surface, dries into
: grayish white friable substance. You ca
( write with this on black board, if you ar
i, so inclined, and to the eye it is quite lik
very soft, grayish chalk Examine,
n chemically, it proved to be composed al
S most wholly of carbonate of line; and
i you make section of it in the same wa
8 as that of piece Of chalk was made, ar
# view it with the microscope, it present
!. innumerable globigerina imbadded in th
o granular matrix.
n Thus this deep sea mud is substantial
Il chalk. Substantially, because there are
r good many minor differences but as thes
1t have no bearing upon the question imme
A. dately before us-which Is the nature {
r. the globigerine of the chalk-it is unnet
n essary to speak of them.
i
|. The secretary Of the New Englan