The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-03
A HIDDEN REEF.

A HIDDEN REEF.
THE REPORTS or SEA cAPTAIN-AN uN-
KNOWN REEF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
ATLANTIC OCEAN-THE POSSIBLE SOLUTION
OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MANY YES
Sells.
A dispatch to the Chicago Times from New
York gives the following account of recent
marine discovery of particular interest
There is considerable attention attracted i'm
marine interests and among ship owners
here by the recent remarkable discovery
by Capt. Picasso, of the bark Teresa.
of dangerous rock in the Atlantic
ocean. Farther particulars in regard to hid
den danger lying in the track OF our COM
merce viii be given in one of the New York
papers o-morrow. The mystery of the Presi-
dent, City of Boston, Pacific, United King
dom, and many other noble vessels which
have been lost without leaving behind them
the slightest trace of their fate. has at
length received solution in the report
OF Capt. Picasso. The rock is located
in latitude 40 north, and longitude
81 west. Though Capt. Picasso dsclaimed
being the first disc0verer of the rock, as he
mentions its being marked on an old chart.
long Ignorance of its existence among nauti-
cal men and the constant danger to which
they have unwittingly been subject, will
cause him to receive all the credit of dis
cOvery. The knowledge of such dangerous
reef, situated in such a position, is of the
greatest importance to the commerce of the
whole world. 1t might be argued that
the seeming rock was an over
turned vessel, but the length
of the obstruction-some 500 feet
-precludes the possibility of its being the
wreck of a ship. None but iron vessels are
this length, and one Of these would certainly
not float. Seaweed proves the rock, as this
excresence would not attach itself rapidly to
anything else, and is of very slow growth
The evident truthfulness of the captain is ap-
parent, through his naming the chart which
marks the rock upon it, thereby taking any
credit of discovery away from hims elf. His
reliability is further illustrated by the fact
that the rock can be found on none of
THE MORE RECENT CHARTS.
The serious difference of two degrees of
longitude between the location of the spot
on Norney's chart and the actual location by
Capt. Picasso, is one which every sea cap
tain should become acquainted with. The
rock lies, according to Capt. Picasso, within
a few seconds of the same degree as New
York is situated in, and on straight line
from west to east. The rock must lie about
$50 miles from New York harbor, and is di-
rectly in the course of ocean steamers, in
what is known as the southern
P paTsb of ,be fq Bynu0S 800 is %ss
and is, therefore. in the course from here to
Europe (but more particularly from Europe
here) of lines of steamers, excepting one or
two, which still adhere to the dangerous
northern passage, for the sake of gaining
time. In the vicinity of the rock soundings
have not been made to any great extent, as
the various sub-Atlantic cables are all to
the north of this point, the nearest be-
ing some four hundred miles away-the st.
Pierre cable. The spot where the reef
is placed has been believed to
be, ever since extensive soundings of
the Atlantic, which have been prosecuted
since 1865, continuation of the great sub
marine valley which is said to extend some
200 miles of the coast of Newfoundland to
the Gulf of Mexico, with some deviations off
Bermuda. The depth of this portion of the
ocean is given, by the best authorities, rs
some 900 iathoms, or nearly three miles
1t is evident, then. that either some serious
error has been made by marine photograph
ers, they have totally miscalculated the
direction of the submarine valley they he
lieve to exist at this spot, or that the exist
ence of the rock proves to be some
SUDDEN AND EXTRAORDINARY PEAK,
rising from the bottom of the ocean. Capt.
Picasso states in his report, that he made
sOundings around the place, and could find
no bottom; but this would not prove any
thing, as the captain was probably unpro-
vided with any deep sea sounding leads or
apparatus. Still it would go far to prove
the theory that the rise is very sudden, and.
therefore, all the more alarming. The
theory that it might be coral formation is,
of course, unsupported, as coral
insects are unknown in these lati-
tude, and do not work in mid-ocean. The
theory OF a sudden upheaval from the
oceans bottom is plausible, but unnecessa-
ry, from the fact that Norney's chart shows
the rock to be no new existence. The rock,
according to Capt. Picasso's calculation, at
distance of four miles. was six metres, or
Is feet out of water at the time of mean low
water. AC high water the rock would be
sight; and even when at its full
height out of water, the motion of the
sea would. under general circumstances,
cover it, as the waves 1ise from dead
level Is feet high without any special result
of tempest or storm. It was calm when
the master of the Teresa sighted il, or else
be would have been able to beat up to it,
which, he states in his account, he was un-
able to do. Aud then, on the other hand,
the rock would not be visible, of course, at
night. BY many it may have been taken to
be a wreck.
AS final argument to account for its not
being discovered before, thousands of vessels
might steer the course in which the rock is
situated without actually coming within six
or eight miles of it.
The Rev. Robert Collyer has published
card in Chicago setting forth his reasons for
.0f In Of fl,<ar hrrro &I&<,