Mohave County miner., 1890-12-27
In THE OCEAN DEPTHS.
A TERRIBLE souRExE Down
THERE.
isssreaalng fhisss Abest the Hshmssiss wesid
-.bssp Sea Ismys-A Prsssass fhsa
Crashes Gisss 10 Pewdsf--stlil
There's Aalmai Lifs fhsTss

AZ eht puc tRAb nhA an iheB Ah&tiNS
Stature me ocean ID perhaps the great
est d natural ~ondsrA i. 10 diHicult
TO imagine It possessed with life, or
something akin 10 It II has its moods,
Its fancies; to-day Is calm. unrufficd
and serene; tomorrow. torn by emo
tions, ront by seeming passions ver-
table demon seeking 10 destroy. beat
Ing Itself down Ia impotent rage.
80 vast body Of fluid. distributed
over different zones where opposits
conditions obtaln and preserving la
general size. evaporation and food,
seemingly equal. can but excite the
wonder oi all thinking people. Five
miles depth OF solid water. with its
zones OF temperature. lis vast rivers
hot and cold, It's strata OF deposits. It's
little understood conditions, 10 surely
a mystery difficult TO solve. and until
within few years 1t has been q sealed
book.
Twenty years ago the ocean was
thought by the majority OF people 10
be vast body of water, warm enough
at the surface TO permit lie and sup
port it, but at the greater depths life
was supposed. from the enormous
pressure. TO be impossible. Tho mathe-
matician proved II by simple calcu-
lation, so nature was here as fault
Vast areas OF inter-oceanic space were
entirely useless. devoid OF life. incap-
able OF supporting it. gloomy. dark.
unfathomable region. almost beyond
human comprehension.
Modern science has controyertad all
this, and as mysterious as the ocean
was the revelation Of It's wonders has
made II still more the object OF curious
attention. We know that IL attains a
depth In some parts OF from FIVE 70 six
miles. possibly more. We know II be-
cause It has been measured, and we
have gained some idea OF the pressure
from the fact that glass instruments
lowered into the greater depths have
been reduced to powder. and iron,
copper, wood and rope are twisted,
bent and frayed.
The temperature as these great dis
tances from the surface is Just above
the freezing point lit we're possible
for man 10 descend five miles below
the surface he Would find himself in
this low temperature. and still sup
posing him to Withstand the pressure.
he would be In the same condition
that man would be on shore with
twenty or thirty carloads Of pig iron
piled upon him. This Is OF course not
supposable. yet it may convey some
idea OF shs state Of things In the SUBJ
marine world.
The human explorer would not be
unsccompanied in his travels. As far
as be could penetrate he would pro-
baby find living creatures adapted by
nature 10 withstand these extraordin-
ary conditions. He would find this
abysmal realm. SO long considered an
abode of darkness cleaning with
lights. Every movement would result
in blaze OF illumination. as II he
were gifted with the light-producing
power. Every animal In this uncanny
world would seem consumed by some
internal fire, appearing hers and
there In fitful CLEANS. so that far from
being Involved in gloom the deep sea
Is q vsritable land OF enchantment full
OF strange and wondrous lighta
Almost every animal, or every
branch OF the animal kingdom, 10 be
more precise, contains these curious
living lamps. They are found in all
parts OF the ocean. Almost invisible
at the surface. they display their gold
en- spleEdors upon the waves crest.
are hurled aloft by the gale. and
appear 10 be the wraiths OF the ocean.
Peer into tho depths rs We float along
on some warm summer night, and the
watery armament appears dotted with
living lamps. comets, shooting stars
and spheres, while far away their
numbers multiply. and the nebula Is
reproduced.
These spectres might well seem the
reflection OF the stars overhead, but
they are parts OF the Illuminating
economy OF the ocean. In southern
seas the most remarkable scenes may
be witnessed, though 10 the cold wa
ters OF the north / have observed ex-
hibitions that excelled any have seen
In the Pacific or the Gulf OF Mexico.
As has been suggested these light
bearers belong 10 almost evory branch
or group OF animals In the deep sea
the most striking and marvellous forms
are the fishes. and judging from the
few that have been brought TO the
surface by the deep sea dredgers
and appliances OF scientists. we may
well consider them the most remarka-
bio OF all living creatures
To Withstand the pressure ut great
depths. which may be roughly stated
az amounting 70 ton weight on the
square inch for every 5000 feet OF
depth. the fishes are constructed upon
the principle Of sponge. being ex-
tremely porous or cavernous. The
bones ARE permeated by pores, and
undoubtedly water eaters every por-
ton. so they are literal living sponges,
pressure being equalized. When these
fishes are taken from the water. they