The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-08-14
lBTssfs OF the PACIFIC.
Remarkable Inequalities Of the
Old Oceans Bottom.
sssne ~ the Tsiassis are Tsrs Of Ma.
ws.e N.~nsases-A rr~.esssens
Haie Near JarAa.

sts<ss ks&1Irs NHe G<xeltfz<< &sf& tsfs AZ the
meridian Of fsa degrees west. The
eastern hzls. that which leaves oar
shores. IS remarkable for she absence
CT islands and the uniform nature az
iss depth. for. xifh the exception Of
TIE narrow strip OF shallow water snr-
rounding the Aleussan issarsf~. and
runHirsg along the American c1xSs
the sounding lire Shoes an avsrav.
depth CT from 2.sss Ia 5000 fssho,sas
nrstsverSisi~i bv any remarkable ese
sssions or slepre<sSoss<- The only
noteworthy exception 70 this great
and equal depth = great submarine
pssteaa, which extends out iron, the
Patsrsnian coast. ard risrS Ia
between s.tsn aud | 60 fa,hosus
from the sarfar~- Tais plat~aa
Is horn-shaped. and is evidently 4 con
Meeting link between THE South Aneri-
can continent aud the Australian
archipelago. The western half az the
Pacific tcvzn i a complete contrast 10
the eastern. Arckip~ls~os and scat.
tered islands are exceedingly uunaer-
. Gus. and the depth OF the ocean i
uniform, shadows occurring scattered
over IL st irregular intervals. Along
tsse Asaattc coast and setwe~n the
island groups. there are number OF
partially enclosed seas, and these are
separated from the great ccean hy sub
marine pEateaus OF sufficient extent
aud height 70 warrant the superstition
that moderate uyhcaval wuala ex-
tend the Asiatfc continent as FAR south
as Australia. Transforming the seas
into inland salt lakes. Considerations
Of the peculiar animal and vegetable
lie Of New Zealand and Aus
traiis lend probability 20 the
speculation that these islands
we're Joined tn the main continent Of
Asia At some remote period. and il is
even possible to trace the submerged
coass-iine OF the great continent which
then existed. The same upheavaf
acting upon the plateau extending ont
from the Pstsgonian shore would
almost make the Pacific sansi-locksa
ocean. the entrance TO il being be.
tween the point of the nex land
stretching cat 10 IA degrees east lati-
tnie and another heailand formed by
what is now fsucie island. Twin in
the same latitude. bur about ten de-
grees further north. MANY OF the Is
lands of the various Pacific archipesa-
gos rise from depths OF about 800
tathonss, forming isolated mountains.
springing from the hesi of the ocean
Ia a heighth OF Is 600 feet, and several
which do not rise 90 the ssrface have
heen detected. More usually mum
ber oil islands are bound together hy
submarine elevations, frequently
within few hundred fathoms OF the
surface and extending over wide areas.
These are the great sierras of the sea.
As has been said. there runs along
the American shore narrow strip 81
shallow water. bat the term ''shal.
low" is TO be taken only in compara-
live sense. II is from 81 to 100 miles
wide, the depth running from nothing
to i.ton fathoms. Outside this again
is another strip OF no; quite 50 uniform
width, wherein the depth reached
5000 fsthoms, quite deep enough 10
drown a tall man. The uniform
character OF the seas depth II quite
marked along the California shore,
but even here there are ups and downs,
shadows and depths. The coast lire
has strip OF water as its immediate
border, in which the depth keeps at
about II fafhoms along ledge or
plateau Tor few miles out,
and then drops sheer down
for so, 90. and 100
fs,homs. This shore ledge j. quite
well defined and generally unhroken.
but In il there sometimes occurs a
creyasse or valley. whose exploration
Is matter OF much curious interest
Directly off Point Hueneme. at the
entrance OF the Santa Barbara chan
mel, there is found n remarkable
u. s.f
valleys. Commencing with a depth
of ten fathoms go yards from the
beach. il increases to ,sfty fathofns
in five-eights Of mile. and then drops
suddenly 10 lis fathoms. or b-s feet.
in less than tive miles. its general
direction Is south, aud IL is bounded
fifteen fathons- These facts are taken
from the observations and soundlagS
of Prof George Davidson.
Another remarkable example 81 the
submarine valley has been discovered,
and 20 some extent traced out. in
Monterey tay nv Commodore James
Allen. The head OF this valley il i've
esghths Of nile south of Salinas
river. and the 1Afathom Iiue il only
a quarter of mile OIL the beach,
the depth increasing IL 5ofsthoms
In the next quarter of mile. At this
distance from the shore the .s-fath-
ON lines are three-eigssths Of mile
apart. The general direction OF the
valley for the next two miles il south
west, where there is a depth OF III
istlsoms, the sslfathofu lines run
niug about fiye-eighths of a
mile apart, thence the valley
runs about west. reaching the depth
of i7n Eathoms IN mile and 30 faith
olns in three and one-quarter rifles,
with forty-tso fsthoms less than a
mile 20 the north. The sounaings are
not numerous enough Ia trace It's out-
lines in deep water. bat the indies-
tons are for ten miles Of it. length
that II runs south sess, with no bottom
AT 3i5 fathoms. II would appear from
this description that the valley IL
really an enormous canyon that opens
through the shere-l.ne ledge clear out
and down into the deep water Of the
| .tsa fathom belt.
Here again the terms deep" and
"crevasse are to ke taken In the rom
parAsiye sense These s1hElsar val
leys "a the coast-iine letige have their
dimensions. IL i true bat they sink
into utter iasiguisseanee beside the
abysses which marx the bed of the
great ocean abysses which seem 20
drop clear 20 Tophet or Davy Jones
locker. To the east Of the kuYsis
Islands and japan there hes crescent.
shaped space Of deep water that
really merits the term IL ex-
tends from 50 degrees north
latitude 20 nearly twenty ee-
greeS north latitude. or for 80 miles,
although IL il Of no great breadth
The average depth OF this area is
nearly sso fsfhons. thai L., nearly
- 40 feet. This IL deep enough. in
all conscience: hrt along It's western
margin. ard lying lske ditch sefoss
the entrance 10 the sea Of On hptsk. IL
an abyss here the United states ship
Tgscarora found dsptss Of over no
fathons. that Is, Of over e so sees.
or hose about deep ersos1gh 81 bold
Mount Everest, If turned upside down
ard placed within IL.