New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-09
A MILKY SEA.

Some interesting Information has been lately
published by Lieutenant POrDaln, OF the trcnCh
irOnclnd LAlmlde which, III February last,
met with Il milky s-a IN the passage from
Point de- Gale to Adcu. The nights Of Febru-
arv 9, 10. II and 13 were characterized nv the
phenomenon in all lis splcndOr, the snip during
this time travcrSng Goo mites 1,lOO klIomc-
trcS), in mean latitude Oi - morrill, between
the mcIidins Of 81 and u east ionEliuuc.
There was no thunderstorm the sky was clear,
the moon new, the barometer, thermometer ana
hygYOmcter were regular, and Il gentle nothcaSt
monsoon was blowing. The temperature OF
the surface OF the water was constant at - I.
The sea was like e snow covered held on
clear night, and all trace of undulatiOnS was
lost sight Of. The milky look was hardly
disturbed by tie mOton oil the ship and work
ing OF the screw (Which shows that the layer
had considerable thlckneSS). by day, all DIS
appeared; but the nue. o! thc sea- was some
what altered.
Looked at attcntIvcly over the ships side at
night, the water WAS seen to contain an eiOr-
mOuS number OF luminous PARTICLES pressed clOSt
together, and more Brilliant ClOse to the side
where disturbed. Some 400 Of these cor
DuSccs. one to TWO C'niim@trcS long, could be
counted in bucket holding ten lltreS OF
water Drawn out, tines" were seen to be OF
gclatinOuS substance, which quickly dried anu
diSappearcd leaving a dark gOGuIe one NIL
linctrc in diameter, winch, IN the ME! OScypc,
presented Il transparent ovCid anlmalcu!c,
filled with eggs, and moving It's fins and
tcntace sincCsSantly. ~ drop OF water added
10 the dark glObulO brought back It's lnmin-
osty; and when the creature WAS bruised IN
the hand il gave Il bright mark, which was
quickly cXtinguishcd and which had no smell
The milky water kept till day, and locked 1T lii
the dark, showed no luminosity, even though
agitatcd; nor dld the water procured by day
and brought into darkness. Several OF tho
officers on board L'Amide had Witnessed the
phpuomenOn before, but never 50 brilliant or
so continuous. The Armide, III going ont, had
passed thirty leagues further north III Fcbrnc.
ary, 1878, without cncUunterlng yil:nS OF
the kind
HOW TIE OCEANS WERE MADE.
II has been commonly assumed that the
water of the ocean was originally 1rtsA, and
that it became gradually salicr rs the
rivers carried down 10 il the salts held in
solution. Mr.. II. y. Moscily in Il recent Ice
turc before the London Royal Institution
thinks that even the print i've sea must have
been highly charged with saline matters 81 al
kinds. When the earth Was sulI mt ns"ly
heated, the whole Of the water now on Its sur
face mast have been present as Gas ~ lis at
mOsuhcrp, al first no douhj dlS>OCiatcd, but
aItciWad IN aqu. Gus YaTOr. Nnrc II tic
sea-hottom and continents were sm9qthci
down to Il uniform level, the sea- would Siil
suffice to cover the entire earth 10 depth oI
over 900 iathoms, aqueous Nap"r equal To Il
LAYER Of water of that Thickness must have cX-
istcd In the atmosphere and have pT0nuccd q
uIcsSmc of more than Il tom on the square lnch
nj the cmths surface To this pressure mast
have been added that produced by all the other
vapors with which the primitive atmosphere
must have been filled.
As the earth cooled the water condensed Oh
the coolest spots from time to time, boiled, and
rose ms yapOr again. Mr.. MalIct cOEjcctures
that the ti!st water formed on the eartI's sur
face may have b. en- even as hot as molten cast
iron. At last permanent seas were established.
The waters cf these, heated to an intensely
HIGH temperature under great pressure, must
have dissolved salts in abundance from the
freshly consolidated caIths crust, and beng
constantly in n state OF cbullitiOn as the pres
sue diminished at the surface with the growth
of the seas, or the temperature of the carhs
surface varied in different places, must have
taken ND vast quantities OF rock matter III
sIfspcnsion and become thickly charged with
volcanic mud. Intensely hot rain must have
fallen on the land and have washed down
more salts and mud into the sea. The whole
ocean must have consisted of Il vast mass OF
srcthing mud. 1t must have required pro-
fracted period for the ocean to become clear,
and for its deposit, which was perhaps some
what like the present deep-sea red mud, to set
tie, and POSSIBLY the deeper water long remained
uninhabitable, being Overcharged with various
eases and salts and suspended mud