The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-19
The Red Sea.

The Red sea ls 80 called from a certain
tawny tinge of its waters as well as for the
red coral In Its coast, but why the black sea
should have that epithet 1t is difficult to say,
unless on account Of the scowling, thunder
Gus appearance it presents in winter, when
it is swept by disastrous storms The sea
on the southern coast of England Is a pecu-
liar light gray green caused by the chalk
cliffs which are being constantly eroded and
washed away by the occan-billows. A very
striking instance of water colored in this
way is seen in Northumberland straight.
Gulf of st. Lawrence, especially after q
storm. The soft, reddish shores of Prince
Edwards island are eaten away and alb
sorDed by the sea, which thus assumes a
rich coffee color, very vivid, and, when
gllstcning in the sun, and tinged here and
there with reflections of the blue overhead,
extraordinarily rich in tone, and strongly
resembling polished syenite. 1t is well
known that the Amazon dyes tho sea for
hundred OF miles beyond the land with the
ochrc-tlntcd silt it washes down from the
pampas and the far-off mountains of Peru.
Inc warmth OF the water in tropical lati-
tndcs seems to have the same effect on the
monsters of the deep that the climate has
OH tho temperament of man, The barracu-
da is savage and aggressive as tiger, and
the cruel voracitY of the King of the Canni-
bal islands is quite eclipscd by the horrible,
treachcrous, stealthy nature of that sea-pir-
nte, the man-cating shark. It is stated,
and from what have heard am inclined
TO thing 1t is true, that the shark prefers
white men to negroes, and will only attack
ana eat the latter Oh rare occasions. An
English frigates crew on the edge of the
Bahama bank killed sixty of these monsters
IN one days sport few daysago, 80 ntlmer-
olls are they IN those waters This might
have been means taken by the British
Government to revenge itself, as on some
savage tribe, regardless of diplomatic re-
monstranccs and the courtesy of nations
for the liberty taken by the sharks with the
crew OF an English ship p-of-war some years
earlier. The NIagpie schooner was cruising
on Cuba for pirates when she was struck by
an "oX-cyc" squall-a wind coming with
out other warning than small round cloud
in clear sky, rushing with the rapidity of
cannon-ball. She was over In an instant.
and, to make a long story short, the whole
crew but two were devoured by school of
sharks which were lying in wait Gliding
III among the horror stricken scamen, they
played with them for while as a cat does
with her prey. But the first taste of blood
was like alcohol to drunkard, and in a
few moments only two of the crew sur
vived III boat which had floated Off from
the vessel rs she went down. After they
had been IN the boat several days, parched
starved and roasted by the tropic sun. a
brig hove in sight, slowly passing two miles
away with very light morning air Just
filling the sails. AS she did not seem to see
the boat, one of the men jumped into the
water and swan off to her. He was fol-
lowed by two sharks, which kept him COM
pany the whole of that long, awful SWIM
But he scared them off by Tapping his
1acket-thc shark is Il great coward Just
rs nc was about to give up the race in de-
spair, the man at the wheel looked over the
rail and he saw him. A boat was lowered
and he and his shipmate were saved. Moth
ing one secs at sea 80 sends an involuntary
shydder through him as to sec the edge of
the dorsal fin of shark floating like an up
right spar Oh the surface of the water. Yo,,
know at once that mischief is lurking near.