The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-11-17
DEEP-SEA DESOLATION.
The Ocean Bed IA DeserI OF slime
After the First lille ia Depth.

Despite the fanciful pictures which
some writers have drawn OF the ocean
bed, its aesolation, ,at least in it's deepest
parts, must be extreme, says the Cath
olic Magazine. Beyond the frat milo
il 10 a vast desert of slime and oSze,
upon which is cOnstantly dripping 4
rain OF dead carcasses from the surface,
which carcasses supply the nourish-
ment for the scanty fauna inhabiting
the abyssal region, in some places
more than five miles from the sunshine;
and the microscope reveals that the
slimy mater covering this deepest
ocean bed is very similar in composition
to the ancient chalk of the cretaceOus
period, while mixed with it here and
there are minute metallic and magnetic
bodice, which have been proved TO he
dust from meteorites. AT long inter-
walls phosphorescent light CLEANS
from the head OF some passing tish
which has strayed hither from 4 higher
zone. But it is not until we have
mounted good deal nearer the sur
face that the scene changes for the
better. We now meet with forests OF
brilliantly colored spJnges, while the
about are much more numerous; and
the nearer we get to the iittoral zone
mere and more phosphOrescent lights
appear, till at length the scene becomes
truly animated. When only | 200 teet
separates us from the Sunshine we come
upon the first sea weed and kelp 200
feet is the deepest limit of plant life in
watsr); but we must rise still another
1000 feet aud more, and get AS near
the top as 100 feet before we find any
reef building corals. AS plants do not
live in deep sea, the deep sea animals
either prey on one another or get their
food from dead organism and plants
which sink down to them. Thus
Maury says: "rhe sea, like the snow
cloud with its fakes in q calm, ia
always letting fall upon its bed showers
of microscopic shells" And expert
ment proves that a tiny shell would
take about a week to fall from The sur
face to the deepest depths. Since sun
light does not penetrate much farther
than the littorsl zone there would bG
beyond this but perpetual darkness
except for phosphorescence. Many of
the animals inhabiting the continental
and abyssal zones have merely rudi
mentary eyes; but these blind creatures
have very long feelers, which help
them TO grope their way along the
bottom. Other deep-sea animals, on
the contrary, have enormous eyes, and
these very likely congregate around
such of their number as are phospho-
resent, and may perhaps follow the
moving lamp posts about wherever
they go. Aud 80 bright is this light on
many of the fish brought up by tho
drsdge that during the briet space the
animals survive it is not difficult TO read
by ii.
The reason why fishes and molmsks
living more than three miles under
water are able TO bear = pressure ot
several tons is that they have exceed
ingly loose tissues. which allow the
water to flow through every interstice
and thus TO equslize the weight. When
the pressure is removed they perish. In
the Challender expedition sent out by
the British government all the sharks
brought up from depth OF little less
than three quarters OF mile were ,losd
when they got TO the surface