Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-05-03
The Depth of the Ocean.

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with the modern improvement is in tax
ing soundings. Not only have skillful
seamen known how to reach the bottom
and fetch parts of it up to the top from
great depths, but mathematicians have
given Themselves the trouble to calcu-
late theoretically its average depth,
Button gave this at 240 fathoms, or
lao feet; Lacaille gives from 164 to
273 fathoms Laplace, enormously es-
timated the mean elevation of the land
at $3.50 feet-three times the height
now allowed by physical geographers-
thought the waters of the sea must be
of about equal depth-Young assigned
a depth of 2, 745 fathomA to the Allan
tic AMI about $500 tathoms to the great
South SaL According to this estimate,
other mathematicians add, the Pacific
must be at its deepest point fifteen and
a half miles in depth, which is scarce.
" probable. But though little is
known of the greatest depths of the
oceans, we do know that their bottoms
are of unequal depth, and that they
contain mountains as we'll MS vast roll
ing plains and Mr.. Reelus takes ad,
vantage of such sounds as have been
male to illustrate the wonderful inc
qualities of the bottom. If, he remarks,
the waters of the Mediterranean were
suddenly lowered about 10 fathoms, it
would be divided into three distinct
sheets of water Italy would be Joined
to Sicily, Sicily would be united by an
Isthmus to Africa, the Dardanelles and
the Bosph rus would be classed, butthe
outlet of Gibraltar would remain in
free communication with the Atlantic
Deem. If the level were lowered by
about $50 fathoms, tine Eyean, Euxime,
and the Adriatic would wholly disap-
pear, or only leave in their b DIS unim-
portant pools the remainder of tn,
Mediterranean would be divided into
seas like the Caspian, either isolated,
or communicating with each other by
narrow channels, and the terminal
p%romontory OF Europe would be Joined
by the isthmus of Gibraltar to the
mountains Of Africa. A depression of
about !, 100 fathoms would leave moth
ing but three inl nd lakes-to the west,
a triangular basin occupying the center
of the depression between France and
Algeria; in the middle, a long cavity
extending from Crete to Sicily and
eastward, a hollow lying in front OF the
Egyptian coast. The greatest depth of
the Mediterranean, exceeding 2 200 faith.
oms, lies to the north of the Syrtes, al
most in the geometrical center of the
basin.
Again, the British channel, that least
agreeable of seas to good Americans
wishing to reach Paris from London, is
a narrow arm of the sea, which may BE-
considered as a mere accident Of tn
earth's surface, as a kind of maritime
trench, so inconsiderable is its depth
compared with that of the ocean. In
order to form a true notion of the
depth of the Channel, compared with
its width, one must imagine a miniature
of this sea drawn on a scale of one yard
for two-thirds of a mile, on a perfectly
horizontal surface. This sheet of water
would not have less than SAT yards Of
length, and its width would vary, &C.
cording to the coast lines, between SO
and 24O yards. And yet, notwithstand
ing this considerable surface, the great.
est depth would be less than two inches
at the entrance. In the deepest hol.
low of the Channel, between the hillock
rep esenting Start Point and that of the
Sept-Isles, it would be less than two
and a half inches. A sparrow could
hop this miniature sea-.
Considered as a whole, the North At
lantic is a depression whose sides de-.
scend gradually toward a central hollow
situated between the coasts of the Uni.
ted States, the Bermudas, and the Bank
of Newfoundland. A fall OF the waters
of less than ITO fathoms would revea
the submarine ground work upon which
France, Spain and the British Isles rest.
This is indeed the true foundation Of
the European continent, for immediate
ly beyond this basement, which forms
the extreme angle of the Old World,
the bed of the sea, at an inclination Of
about eight degrees, descends gradually
from 10 fathoms to 1,640 and 2,lS7
fathoms below the waves. A fall in its
level of 1904 fathoms would diminish
the width of the Atlantic more than
half would leave the Gulf of Mexico
completely dry, and leave only ar
elongated lake in the central part Of thu
Caribbean Sea. II the present leve
we're lowered by 21S7 fatholns, a cont
nent separated from Europe and Ameri
ca by two narrow channels, and extend
ing over a space Of from about 1850 t.
1850 miles, would stretch into the tor
rid zone and, by a remarkable eoinci
dence, would affect that peninsular con
formation and southerly direction pre-
sented by Greenland, Scandinavia
Italy, Greece, Arabia, India, and til,
three great continents of the South.
lowering Of 1880 fathoms would com
pletely unite Newfoundland to Ireland
aud consequently form a bridge betweei
the Old aud New Worlds. Even Of tn
Central Atlantic there would renal
only a narrow Mediterranean" sea i
front of the Antilles and Guiana. Fiua
ly, let the waters be lowered 4,37
fathoms, and the northern part Of th