Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-01-29
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 sketch,
es Of what he saw at the ''SilVer Bank,
near Hayti:
The banks of 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 pre-
sented to the diver one of the most
beautiful and sublime scenes the eye
eYef beheld. The water varies from
ten to one hundred feet in depth, and
so clear that the diver can see from two
to three hundred feet W hen 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 studded with coral columns,
from ten to one hundred feet in height,
and from one to eighty feet 10 diane
ter. The tops of those more lofty sup
port myriad Of pyramedial pendants,
each forming 8 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, and gazes through in the deep
winding avenues, he finds that they
\ fill him with as sacred an awe as If no
were in some old cathedral which had
long been buried beneath old oceans
wave. Here and there the coral ex-
tends even to the surface of the water,
as if the loftier columns were towers
! belonging to those stately temples that
J are now in ruins.
There was countless varieties of
diminutiYe trees, shrubs, and plants in
every creYice of the corals where wat
!. er had deposited the earth. They were
all of a faint hue, owing to the pale
light they received, although of every
shade, ,Snd entirely different from plsntl
that / am familiar with that Vegetate
upon dry land One in particular at
traeted my attention it resembled 8
saa-fsa of immensersize of Varisgsted
colors, and the most brilliant hue. The
fish which inhabit these "Silver Banks
|, found assdifferentin kind as the see
merry was varied. They were of al
i forms, colors and size-from the sym
metrieal gobg TO the globe.l like suntish
q from the ,dulfest hue to the changes
p bic dolphin = from the spots of the
.lieopard to the hues- of the sunbeam
from the harness minnow to The vora
teious shark. z7a- -n.r. e. r.at-
. Some had heads like squirr,lss 9th
: ers like cats and dogs, some OF small
size Iesembled the bull terriers. Som
J ,darted through the water like mete
5 ora, while others could scarcely be seel
; Tomorrow at ALL El
! T. To enumerate and explain all the va
rious kinds of-6sh beheld while di
/ wing on these banks would, were
! enough of naturalist 50 to do, require
more than my limits allow !; for | an
! convinced that most Of the kinds o
{ fab which inhabit the tropical seas cal
, be found there. The sun fish, star fish
, white shark and blue or shoTel-nos
{ shark were often seen.
There were also fish which resembles
q plants, and remained as 6sh in thei
: position as q shrub, the only poUe
| they possessed was 10 open and shu
[ when in danger. Some Of them re
; sembled the rose when in full bloom
and were Of all hues. There were rib
bon fish, from four 70 FIVE inches t
! three feet in length; their eyes ar
very large, and protrude like those o
q frog.
, Another fish is spotted like leoparC
from three to ten feet in length. The,
build their houses like beavers, in Ehicl
/ they spawn, sad the male or femal
, watches the egg until it matches.
saw many specimens of the green tur
tie, some FIVE feet long, which | shoulC
think Eonld weigh from 400 to so
pounds.