The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-28
CORAL BUILDING.
Prof. AgassiZ Describes
the Process.
Interesting Remarks Regarding the
Hawaiian Group.

Professor Agassiz delivered very in
teresting lecture last evening to an appre-
ciatiYe audience.
The distinguished lecturer, after pre-
Stunning that his audience were necessarily
somewhat familiar with the general ap-
pearance of coral, inasmuch as specimens
were to be found on the reefs of these
islands, proceeded to tell them what q
coral is. He explained that it was a
popular error to suppose that the con-
glomeration of cells that make up mass
of coral was the home of the animal that
secreted it. 1t was his skeleton, as much
as the bones of any animal is its skeleton,
and its mode of growth was by the sue
cessive growth of minute creatures upon
the surface of whatever it might be at
tached to.
The different varieties found around
these islands were described briefly, and
the meagerness of the list, as compared
with other localities, was explained by the
fact that the oral-bearing zone of the
world was quite narrow, and these islands
but just within that space.
The theories of Chammissoi and OAR
win in regard to coral formations were
mentioned, and then the speaker gave
description of some of the fringing coral
barriers and atolls, and reefs. The fact
was mentioned that reef-making coral is
not found below depth of fifteen fathoms,
and its presence below that depth is now
attributed to other causes than the subsid-
ence of the reef upon which it had grown;
a graphic descrintio1------
the making Of land upon coral founda-
tions, and of the reefs of Tortugas. Ex-
amples of exceptions to certain we'll
founded theories were given, and several
authorities cited whose conclusions do not
agree with those of Prof. Darwin. The
observations of Prof. A. Agassiz in 1877
so on the Florida banks and in the CARR
bean sea during the cruise of the Blake,
of the Deep-sea Exploring Expedition,
were cited, and some interesting remarks
made in this connection.
The lecturer touched briefly on some OF
the more remarkable coral structures scat
tered throughout the two great oceans,
such as the atolls of the Marquesas,
Florida and Tortugas the elevated reefs
of Cuba and the Barbados, the Pomalis
Plateau, and the huge modern limestone
banks which are of ancient origin. The
Rosalind and Bahama banks were alluded
to, and it was shown that coral structures,
and certain forms of animal life always
follow the line of the great equatorial
current.
In abiding to the Gulf stream of the
Atlantic, the Professor explained the old
time course of that wonderful current.
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia was
described, and it was shown that that, as
well as the Carolines, the Gilbert Islands,
and Marshall group, were all coral, and
coral sand compacted, or else of coral
resting on base of volcanic origin raised
gradually and steadily. An example OF
this latter is to be found in Kaneohi bay,
on the windward side of this island, on 6
small scale.
The elevation to be found at various
places exhibit many features. In deep
sea soundings the results have shown tina
below a depth of 1000 feet there has always
been sea. The fauna is simple, and ha
undergone but little change from thu
earliest periods.
The Professors idea of the formation O
these islands is that they rest on lime
stone bank, their volcanoes forming hug
whale-back. The borings brought u
in sinking the artesian wells on this 1slan'
have shown this. There may be yolcani
formation below the limestone, but it is a
great depth.
As for the presence of vegetable an
animal life here, it has probably bee1
brought by the great ocean currents, an
the speaker was of the opinion that al
the phenomena of coral life could be traces
to simpler causes than those that make
necessary to imagine great cataclysis ms
and that the residents of this group coul'
satisfy themselves with much simple
theory, although they lived where thos
cataclysisms were SO frequent and grand.
At the conclusion of the lecture, tn
audience (Which completely filled the hall
rendered the Professor a vote of thank
for his interesting and instructive address
The receipts of the evening were abou
$50