Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-07-28
FICTITIOUS PINNACLES.
Our Ocean Mountains.


The correspondent of the London Times
on board the Great Eastern contradicts
some commonly received conclusions, thus:
''The line of the French cable first starts
in very shallow water from Minon Bay, but
in four or five miles it deepens from II to
20 fathoms, and then gradually shelves
from 80 to 60 and 90 fathoms; a depth
which is pretty equally maintained oyer
the whole bed of the English Channel. At
this level, but on the whole gradually
deepening, 1t continues till in q line with
the westernmost part Of the Irish coast,
where, taking northern course, 1t passes
down gentle slope of sand that continues
descending till the depth increases from
200 to 500 and 900 fathoms and then, IN
short distance, to |, 700iathoms. Over all the
rest of the course to mid-ocean the bottom
is mud, shells, and sand, and with uni
form depth of about 1000 and 1900 faith
oms. This course would have brought
the Great Eastern close to the Dorthward
of the gaunt spires known as the 'Three
Chimneys,' and which as laid down in the
admiralty chart, were confidently believed
to exist When this was mentioned some
months AGO in the Times, a controversy at
once arose in these columns, some naval
mon merely denying the existence Of these
rocks; while the other side rendered the
evidence of eye witnesses, who averred that
they had actually seen them. The matter
is now set at rest, and if ever the Three
Chimneys' had on existence they have none
now. The Atlantic cannot afford to lose
the small amount of interest which attach
ed to the supposed presence of these soil
| tary peaks, but facts are stubborn things,
and it has now been placed beyond q doubt
that they are not to be found, at least in
the latitude and longitude in which they
appear on the charts. Lieut. tombstone, in
the course of his soundlngs, went over the
exact spot where they are indicated Ill the
chart, and found moro than 2, 600 fathoms
of water, with deep sea all around, and not
the slightest trace Of rock or shoal III
any direction. The sooner therefore,
they come out of the admiralty map the
better, and it would be curious to know
how they ever got there at all
From the locality of these fictitious
pinnacles, the cable course is kept in a
pretty regular depth of from l, 800 to 2, 900
f;lthoms, and throughout over a soft bed
of mud mixed with myriads of the most
minute shells. These shells comprise vaIi-
GUS forms of didtOmacie which, though
perfect in their organization, are so eXquis-
itely small as only to be visible under the
most powerful microscopes. They are
really as fine as flour, and the greater part
of the bed of the Atlantic is covered with
the debris of these minute animalcule,
the existence of which proves conclusively,
which was long denied, that at these great
depths there is an absolute cessation Of
all motion. Over such bottom the line
is taken in an arc of large circle, the
most southerly point of the cable being in
10 degrees north latitude, and the most
northerly As degrees. Along the southern
end of the Newfoundland bank it is sunk
in about $50 to 200 fathoms, the water on
the bank itself varying from so to 80 faith
oms. Thus it is completely sheltered from
ice, which, if the icebergs pass the bank
at all, must clear the cable, which lies I'M
der its lee by some hundred fathoms OF
more. From this point it is taken up
due north in the channel between the
Green bank and the st. Pierre bank in an
almost unvarying depth of 500 fathoms.
From this point out the course is over very
regular shoai water, SO to speak-being at
no part less than 100 fathoms, and general
~ over $50 to near Boston"