Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-08-13
OVER FIVE MILES DEEP.
SOMETHING ABOUT the tByssGs
or THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

sabm.siss valleys Aisas the California
C..ss-'.shaiisw Water STA Thousand
vs.s ia Dspss--A Horn shsrsd risssss
That serves 90 . Cesssetiss Linh.
The popularity 20 thu Pacific ocean 10
that Il can he divided into two distinct
parts. the dividing line being tho merid'
Ian % $50 degs. west The eastern hail.
that which laves our shores. IL remark
allie for tho absence % islands and the
uniform nature Of it, depth. for, with the
exception ~ the narrow strip Of shallow
water surrounding ,he AieutiAn Islands.
and running along tho American coast
tho sounding line shows an average dspth
Of FROM 1900 TO 5000 fathoms. undiversi-
iicd by any remarkable elevations of de-
prcssions. The only noteworthy esceP-
ton 10 this grea, and equal depth IL a
great submarine plateau. which extends
out from tho Paiagonlan coast, and which
rises To b~,wecn 2.0oo and 200 fatboms
from the surface This plateau IL horn
shaped. and IL evidently q connecting
link between the South American con-
,inent and the Australian archipelago
PARTIALLY iNciosEp srAs
Tho western half % the Pacific ocean
/. q complete contrast IA the eastern
Archlp.lagos and scattered Islands are
oxcccJingly numerous, and the depth OF
tho osean Is uniform. shadows occurring
scattered over II nj irregular inisryalA
Along the Asiatio coast and between the
Island groups there arr number OF par
italy incio~ed scas. and the-e arc seIa-
rated from thu great ocean by submarine
plaieaus ~ sufficient extent and height
10 warrant tho suppo~ition that mod
crate uphsaval would extend tho Asiaiio
continent a. Tar south a. Australia,
Transforming the seas into inland ALT
lake. Considerations % tho peculiar
animal and vegetable life % New zea-
land and Austu,lia lend probability TO
the speculation that thess islands wcrc
Joined 30 the main continent 81 Asia at
some remote period. and 10 IL even posi-.
bio to trace tho Submerged coast line Of
the great continent which then existed
The same upheayal acting upon the pla-
,eau extending cut from the Patagonian
shore would almost make the Pacific =
land locked ocean. the entrance 10 70 b.
Ing bstwccn tho point Of the new land
stretching cut Ia isi degs. east latitude
and another hcadlAnd formed by what 10
now Ducic island. lying In the same lat
i,ude. bat about 10 degS- further north
A has teen aid. there runs along the
American shoro narrow strip OF shal.
Low water. but the term shallow "a only
~ b. taken In ia comparative sense IL
/. from ~ % go miles wide. the depth
running from nothing to loo fathoms.
Outsldo this again IA another strip Of not
qul,o a. uniform a width. wherein the
dcrth reached 2.o0O fAthoms, quite deep
,nough a. drown tall man. The una.
form character Of tho sea's depth is
quite marked Aiong the Californian
shor,. but even here there are ups and
downs. shadows and depths The coast
line has a strip - water a. it, imm~ii.
ate border. Ia which the depth KEEPS at
about twelve fathoms along ledge OF
plateau for few miles cut, and then
drop. sheer down for 500. COO AMI 1000
faihomS This shoc ledge l. quite well
defined and generally unbrokcn. but In
u there sometimes occurs c9evasss or
valley. whose exploration 10 n matter Of
much curious interest Directly OF
Point Iluensme. at the entrance to the
santa DaTlara channel. there l. found a
rcrnArkable example u one of thee sub
marine valleys Commencing with a
depth u ten faihoms 900 yards from the
beach. u increases 30 hfty fathoms In
fiyc-sighths oi mile and then drops
suddenly % ii9 fathom., or 6is feot, In
lie. than two miles. It, general dlrrc-
ton Il south. and IL 1. bounded AL round
by depths Of from twelve To hftcsn
fathoms
Another remarkable example of the
submarine valley has bccn discovered.
and Ia some extent traced on. la Mon.
terey bay by Commodoro James Alden.
The head ~ this valley u hye-slghths VI
a mile south % the Salinas river. and the
twenty fathom line l. only quarter al
a mile OH the beach. the depth incrcas-
ing Ia ffiy faihoms In the next quarter
~ mile. AZ this distance from shore
the twenty fathom line. are thr~-eighth.
Of a mile apart The general direction
~ the valley for tho next two miles u
southeast. where ther, u depth of IL
fathoms. the fifty fathom lines running
about iivc-eighths u n mile apart; thence
tho valley runs about west, reaching the
depth Of 10 fathoms In a mile and &c
faihoms In thrce and onc-quarter miles,
with foriy-two fathoms les than mile
to the north Tho soundings are no,
numerous enough 10 trace Its outlines In
deep water. but the indications arc for
ten miles of Its length that u runs south
west. with no bottom at Sl5 fAthoma II
would appear from this description that
this valley u really an enormous canyon
tina, opens through the shore line ledge
clear out and down into the deep water
" the l 200 fathom belt
Here again the terms deep and creya~s
are 10 10 taken In their comparative
sense. These submarine valleys OF the
coast line ledge have their dimensions,
IL l. true. but they sink into utter In
significance beside the abysses which
mark the I'D Of the great ocean. abysse-
which seem To drop clear TO Tophes OF
Davy Jones locker. To the east OF the
Rurile Islands and Japan there lies a
crescent shaped spaceof deep water that
really merits the term. II extends from
ffty degrees north latitude 10 nearly
twenty degrees north latitude, or for
|, $50 miles, although 1t Is Of no great
breadth. The average depth Of this area
IL nearly 1900 faihoms-that Is, nearly
9i.Oco feet This Is deep enough In all
conscience. but along its western margin.
and lying like ditch across the entrances
to the sea Of okhoisk. Is an abyss where
the United States ship Tuscarora found
depths Of over Zoo fAthoms-that Is. OF
over 27.60o feet. or hole about deep
enough To hold Mount Everest II turned
upside down and placed within it-san
Francisco Chronicle.
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