Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-04-04
THE DEPTH OF THE OCE.s.y..


The ocean is not "bottomless deep"
except TO the poets and to young ladies,
neither of whom are familiar with the
modern improvements in taking sound
ings. Not only have skilful seamen
known how to reach the bottom and fetch
parts of 1t up 10 the top from great depths,
but mathematicians have given themselves
the trouble TO calculate theoretically its
average depth. Button gave this at 24O
fathoms, or l440 feet; Lacaille gives from
1854 to 273 fathoms Laplace enormously
| estimating the mean elevation of the land
at $3.50 feet-three times the height now al
lowed by physical geographers- thought
the waters of the sea must be of almost E.
quail depth. Young assigned depth Of
2735 fathoms to the Atlantic and about
$500 fathoms TO the great South Sea. Ac-
cording TO this estimate, other mathema-
| ticians add, the Pacific must be at its deep
est point fifteen and half miles in depth,
which is scarcely 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 rolling plains;
and Mr.. Reclus takes advantage of such
| soundngs as have been made to illustrate
in striking manner the inequalities of th @
bottom. If, he remarks, the waters of the
Mediterranean were suddenly lowered a.
bout ITO fathoms, it would be divided into
three distinct sheets of water Italy would
be Joined to Sicily, Sicily would be united
| nv n n TSfbnnc IN fri tho r..
and the Bosphorus would be closed. but
the outlet of Gibraltar would remain in free
communication with the Atlantic Ocean.
If the level were lowered by about $50
rathoms, the Hgean, the Euxinc, and the
Adriatic would wholly disappear, or only
leave in their beds unimportant pools the
remainder of the Mediterranean would be
divided into several 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 10 the
mountains of Africa. A depression of about
100 fathoms would leave nothing but three
inland lakes: to the west a triangular basin
occupying the centre of The depression be-
tween France and Algeria /; in the middle,
a long cavity extending from Crete to Sici-
ly; and eastward, a hollow lying in front
of the Egyptian coast. The grea est depth
of the Mediterranean, exceeding 220O faith
oms, lies to the north of the Syrtes, almost
in the geometrical centre of the basin.
Again, the British Channel, that least
agreeable OF seas TO good Americans wish
ing 10 reach Paris from London, is mar
row arm Of the sea, which may be consid-
cred as mere accident of the earth's sur
face, as kind of maritime trench, so in
considerable is its depth compared with
that OF the ocean. In order to form a true
notion of the depth of the Channel, COM
pared with its width, one must imagine a
miniature of this sea drawn on scale OF
one yard for two-thirds OF mile
on perfectly horizontal surface. This
sheet of water would not have less than
547 yards of length, and its width would
vary, according to the coast-lines, between
SO and 240 yards. And yet, notwithstand-
ing this considerable surface, the greatest
depth would be less than two inches at the
entrance. In the deepest hollow of the
Channel, between the hilock representing
Start Point and that of the Sept lies, il
would be less than two and half inches
, A sparrow could hop this miniature sea.
Considered as a whole, the North Allan.
tic is depression whose sides descend
gradually toward central hollow situated
between the coasts of the United States, the
Bermudas, and the Bank of Newfoundland
A fall of the waters of less than ITO fathoms
would reveal the submarine groundwork
: upon which France, Spain, and the British
: Isles rest. This is indeed the true founda.
! ton of the European continent, for immed.
, lately 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 III
fathoms to 1040 and 2ls7 fathoms below the
waves. A fall in its level of 1904 fathom.
would diminish the width of the Atlanti,
more than half, would leave the Gulf o.
Mexico completely dry, and leave only an
elongated lake in the central part of the
Caribbean Sea. If the present level were
lowered by 21S7 fathoms, continent sep
araled from Europe and America by two
narrow channels, and extending over 9
space OF from about 1850 to 1869 miles,
would stretch into the torrid zone and, by
a remarkable coincidence, would affect that
peninsular conformation and southerly d.
} rection presented by Greenland, ..Scandina-
via, Spain, Italy, Greece, Arabia, India
and the three great continents of the South.
A lowering of $3.50 fathoms would COM
pletely unite Newfoundland to Ireland
and consequently form bridge between
the Old and New Worlds. Even of the
central Atlantic there would remain only
a narrow mediterranean" sea in front OF
! tho niillaa and Guiana FINALLY LAT fha