The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-02-10
Facts About the Sea.

The sea IS the reservoir into which
run all the rivers Of the world. II IL
the cistern which finally catches all the
rain that falls, not only upon its own
surface, but upon the surface OF the
land and upon the roofs of our hC m =.
All this water is removed again by
evaporation as fast as it is supplied. 1t
is estimated that every year a layer of
the entire sea fourteen feet thick is
taken up into the clouds. This vapor
is fresh, and il all the water could be
moved in the same way and none of It
returned IL is calculated that there
would be left layer of pare salt 23O
feet thick on the bed Of the Atlantic.
This isuponthe supposition that three
depth OF water contains one inch depth
OF salt, and that the average depth o:
the ocean Is three miles.
At the depth of about $500 feet the
temperature is uniform, varying but
trihe between the poles and the equator.
The colder water is below. 1t is re-
ported that in many deep bays on the
coas. OF Norway tie water often begins
to freeze at the bottom before it does at
the surface.
At this depth waves are not teit.
Waves do not travel-tbat is, the wa
ter does not move forward, although 1t
seems to do so it stays In the same
place: The rising and falling moves
on.
We measure waves by the height and
by the distance from crest TO crest. In
deep water this latter distancs is about
fifteen times the height of the waves.
In shallow water the proportion Is less,
and this makes a chOppy sea.
The force OF the waves is in proper
tio1 to their height. 1t is said that the
sea strikes on Bell rock with the sorce
of seventeen tons TO each square yard.
The pressure OF the water Increases
as we go down. At the depth of mile
this pressure is reckoned at more than a
'tou to the square inch-thst is, more
than 1873 times the pressure Of the at
mOsphere.
To get correct sounding in deep wa
ter is difficult a shot weighing thirty
pounds carries down the line. Through
this siuker hole is bored, and through
the hole is passed a rod of iron which
moves easily back and forth. In the
end of the bar cup Is dug out, and the
inside is coated with lard. The bar is
made fas: to the line and a sling holds
the shot on. When the bar, which ex-
tends below the shot, touches the bot
tom, the sling unhooks and the shot
slides off. The cup in the end OF the
bar holds some Of the sand, or what.
ever may be on the bottom, and cover
shuts over the cup to keep the water
from washing the sand out. In this
way we learn the character of the deeI
sea bottom.
1t will be seen at once that we car
know the depressions of the bottom CT
the ocean more easily and more accur-
Gtely than we can learn the elevation OF
the land, AS a consequence we have a
better typographical map of much OF
that surface than we have OF the conti-
nents.
The depth Of tie sea presents some
interesting considerations. If the At
lantic were lowered G5Gi feet it would
be reduced to half its present width II
were lowered a little more than three
miles there would be dry lani all the
'ay between Newfoundland and Ire
md. IL tie Mediterranean were low
ed GGO feet, Africa would be joIaed 10
ally and three sSparate seas wodld re-
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