The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-04-25
The Depth of the Ocean.

uGSp, GAcSDb 10 Iu5 pOeGS anu TO young
ladies, neither of whom are familiar
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 themselvee the trouble to calcu-
late theoretically it's average depth,
Button gave this at 24O fathoms, or
/, 40 feet; Lacaille gives from 164 to
273 fathoms Laplace, enormously es-
timated the mean elevation of the land |
at 8, $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 fathoms TO the Allan |
tic and about $500 fathoms to the great |
South Sen. According to this estimate,
other mathematicians add, the Pacific |
must be at its deepest point fifteen and
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 well as vast roll
ing plains and Mr., Reelus takes ad-
vantage of such sounds as have been
made tn 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 BOsph9rus would be classed, butthe
outlet of Gibraltar would remain in
free communication with the Atlantic
Ocean. If the level were lowered by
about $50 fathoms, the Hgean, Euxime,
and the Adriatic would wholly disap-
pear, or only leave in their beds unim-
portant pools the remainder of the
Mediterranean would be divided into
seas like the Caspian, either isolated,
or communicating with each other by
narrow channels, and the terminal
promontory 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 md lakes-to the west
a triangular basin occupying the center
of the depression between France and
Algeria; in the middle, 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.
earths surface. as a kind of maritime
trench, so inconsiderable is it's 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 240 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
req. esenting Start Point and that of the
Sept-Isles, it would be less than two
and 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 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 10 fathoms would reveal
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
" 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 ITO fathoms to 1,640 and 2, 49,
fathoms below the waves A fall IN It's
level of 1,O94 fathoms would diminish
the width OF the Atlantic more thar
half would leave the Gulf of Mexico
completely dry, and leave only al
elongated lake in the central part of the
Caribbean Sea. If the present leve
were lowered by 2187 fathoins, 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 remarkable coinci
dence, would affect that peninsular con
formation and southerly direction pre-
scented by Greenland, Scandinavia
Italy, Greece, Arabia, India, and tn
three great continents of the South. /
lowering of $3.50 fathoms would com
pletely unite Newfoundland to Ireland
end consequently form a bridge betweel
the Old aud New Worlds. Even of tn
Central Atlantic there would remai
only a narrow Mediterranean sea i
front Of the Antilles and Guiana Final
", let the waters be lowered 4,37
fathoms, and the Northern part of tn
Atlantic would be reduced to a smaI
triangular " Caspian, " situated betwee
the Azores, the Bank of Newfoundland
av1 kba Rarpor1as