The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-30
FICTITIOUS



The correspondent Of the London Times
ON board the Great Eastern c~ontradicts
some commonly received conclusions. thus:
'Tho line Of tho French cable flint starts
in very shallow water from Minon BAY, but
in four OF five miles il deepens from II 10
20 fathoms, and then gradually shelves
from 80 TO GO and 90 hthoms; n depth
which is pretty equally maintained over
the whole bed Of tho Engish Channel. AZ
this level, but on the whole gradually
deepening, IL continues till in q line with
the westernmost part Of the Irish coast,
where, taking q northern course, Il posses
down q gentle slope of SIND, that continues
descending till the depth increases from
200 TO 500 and 900 fathoms and thon, inn
short distance, 20 |, ROTATIONS. Over oil the
rest OF the course to mid-ocean the bottom
is mud, shells, and sand, and with q uni
form depth of about 1000 and z, 200 fifth
oms. This course would lave brought
tho Great Eastern close 70 tho %Dorthward
of tho gaunt spires known as tho fThroe
Chimneys, and which as laid down in the
Admiralty chart, were confidently beloved
TO exist. When this was mentioned some
months ago in tho Times, o controversy at
once arose IN these columns, some naval
men merely denying tho existence of those
rocks; while the other side tendered the
evidence Of eye witnesses, who averred that
they had actually seen them. The matter
is now set at rest, and IL over the Throo
Chimneys' had on existence thcyh ave mono
now. Tho Atlantic cannot afford 20 lose
tho small amount of interest which attnch-
edto tho supposed presence Of these soli-
tary peaks, but 'facts are stubborn things,
and II has now been placed beyond n doubt
that they arc not TO be found, nc least in
the latitude and longitude in which thoy
appear on tho charts. Lieut Johnstono, in
the course Of his soundings, went over the
exact spot where they are Indicted ~ the
chart, and found moro than 1000 fathoms
Of water, with deep sea oil around, and not
the slightest trpce of rock or shoal in
my direction. Tho sooner, therefore,
they come out of the admiralty map the
bottor, and il would be curious 10 know
how they ever got there ut all.
From tho locality Of these fictitious
~pinnaclcs, She cable course " kept in n
pretty regular depth of from 1900 to 1000
fathoms, and throughout over n soft bed
of mud mixed with myrinds of the most
minute shells. These shells comprise vari-
Gus forms of didtOmaci0 which, though
perfect i'm their organization, arc so eXquis-
iiely small AZ only 10 he visible under tho
most powerful microscopes. They nro
really NJ fine as flour, and tho greater part
of the bed of the Atlantic is covered with
the debris of these minute anhnalculm,
the existence of which proves conc1usivc1y,
which was long denied, that ut these great
depths there is an absolute cessation OF
NIL motion. Over such n bottom tho line
tx taken in m arc of n largo circle, tho
most southerly point of the cablo being in
AZ degrees north latitude, aud the most
northerly As degrees. Along tho southern
end of the Newfoundland bank il is SINK
in about $50 to 200 fhthoms, tho wator on
the bank itself varying from so to 90 faith
oms. Thus II IL completely sheltered from
ice, which, If the iccbergs pass tho bank
ut all, must clear the cable, which lies un-
der its lee by somo hundred fnihoms or
moro. From this point il is taken up
duo north in the channel between tho
Green bank and the st. Pierre bank In an
almost unyarying depth Of 800 fnthoms.
From this point out tho course is ovor very
regular shoal water, so 10 spcak-boing nj
no part less than 100 iathoms, and goneml-
ly over 100 10 near Boston"