The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1879-06-28
Wonders of the deep.

Of all the wonderful sights in this land
OF wonders there are none greater than
the wonders of the reef when tide is low
The ideas about coral which people have
who have never seen It in its living state
are generally erroneous. They know i,
Dis beautifully white ornamens unde,
ia glass shade or in delicate pink branches
! in their jewe|ry; and they imagine living
| coral is like those. Their ideas are helnel
along by the common msnomer of trees
and branches, as applied to coral. |
have never seen it in tie South Sea islands
but throughout the Eastern seas the most
common variety takes Eliminated form,
not unlike the large fungi to BE- met with
any summers day in an English wood
growing ont of the older trees. Fiat cir
cuar tables Of dingy brown, growing
one over another, with spaces under each.
These attain great size; extending for
yards without break. so that the bottom
OF the sea is perfectly level. This kinl is
much sought after BY the lime burners.
Another species grows in detached bosses,
like thick stemmed plants which the gar
dener has trimmed round the top. These
clumps grow ont of sand and stand in dull
brown against the white flooring. A third
pattern is striped like stags' horns tangled
together and is Of a lingier brown than
the first; its spikes collect the drifting
weeds and its appearance is consequently
untidy. There are scores of varieties of
corals and madrepoyes, but the three
mentioned are those which principally
make up the mass which is ever growing
under the still waters inside. the reel. At
Maheburg the reef is distant seven miles
from the shore, and the whole of this great
lagoon is in process of filling up by coral.
There are one or two holes left capri
ciously, and channel which the river
has cut to the reef which it pierces in
what is locally called "a pass" Every
where else the bottom is only few feet
under water and is always slowly rising.
The various cora's, the patches Of silver
sand, the deep winding chanel, lend each
tint to the water-sapphire blue, where
it is deepest, sea-sfeen with emerald
f}ecks or ceru'ean blue shot with opaline
tints, in the shadows. The reef is solid
wall shelving towards the ocean, and
varies in width from twenty to 100 yarda.
Against the outer face the rollers rage
necessarily. Swell follows swell smooth
y and regularly. There is no hurry, for
here is no shelving to keep them back.
On they come, separating their ink blue
masses from the tumble Of the ocean,
rearing a|oft their crests,' like living
things anxious to try their strength, and
fall with roar on It's edges as it stands
up to meet them. You can stand within
few feet Of the practically bottomess
sea aud watch them tumble, with the
water no further than your knees, the sur.
ge Of their onward rush carries across the
reef. TO stand SO and watch them
coming on appears, tp one not used to the
sight, to court destruction; the wave is 50
vast, its crest rising higher as it advances
shuts out the sea Beyond, nothing can
be seen but wall Of water rolling on; its
strength isso apparent so irresistible, and
the pause it appears to take the top curls
over seems to check your breath. The
rocks and Jumps Of dead coral with which
storms have strewn the reef are high and
dry; the pools OF Iimpid water in the holes
sink down and drain away, their surface
CLASSY and their depths full of color and
strange shaped living things, then the
roller breaks and sends surge Of water
Kissing by, and the reef has sunk beneath
the foam and bubling water.