Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-01-10
ruE GULF STREAM.
L. ft . Volume OF Water Rushing Out of
the Earth?

Ii &c q Volume OF Water Rushing Out OF
the Earth?
Has it ever occurred to the reader,
saws the Boston Journal, that the earth
is not ~solld," as we commonly say, but
~honey-combed" with enormous ca7i-
ties, or cayerns, of all dimensions? II
SO, why should these caverns not be
numerous everywhere in the crust of
the earth, some easily discovered, as the
great Mammoth cave of Kentucky, and
others never yet seen by mortal eye?
These huge cavities, originally formed
when those portions of the earth's crust
were in melted state, and results of
the unequal cooling of different mater
ials of the composition and of other
causes, il so situated may form the
basis of very interesting theories For
instance, they may be generally filed
with water, and there may exist great
underground inland seas.
The source of the gulf stream has
always been disputed question. This
great body of warm water is nothing
more nor less than astream or river in the
ocean flowing through the colder water.
1t was formerly thought that this stream
was formed In the equatorial regions,
where the surface water of the ocean
was heated by the sun, and then began
to flow northward.
But of late theory has been ad-
vanced that this stream, which is Just as
we'll defined off the Florida coast as off
the Grand banks, is stream of hot
water which issues from an orifce at the
bottom of the sea somewhere among the
Florida reefs.
Recently the photographic Office of
the Navy Department has been endeav-
oring to determine if it is so, and efforts
have been made to find this orifce by
the use of the sounding line But if a
stream of hot water of the proportions
of the gulf stream does issue from an
orifice in the bed of the sea then what
mighty boiler there must be somewhere
in the bowels of the earth, and when
ever these enormous fires burn through
the rocky walls of the boiler and the
water rushing in is instantly converted
into steam, no wonder if explosions en-
sue that cause the everything waters and
the earth's crust to Vibrate in great
waves, which we call earthquakes.
Very probably this is the case, for
abundant evidence of these explosions
caused by the contact of fire and water
when the earth's crust was first COM
menced to form is everywhere apparent,
onlythe effect of atmospheric changes has
covered the hardness of the face of the
earth with kindly soil, and vegetation
has clothed this soil with the smile of
life. But wherever the mountains are
we see the evidences of these steam ex-
plosions.
There is one great rock in the Yose-
mite valley several thousands of feet
high, standing alone, from which some
great CONFUSION of nature has split off
huge fragment and hurled it no one
knows whittier. But in the course of
time the earth's crust has grown thicker,
and we at present know little of these
subterranean explosions, except when
the solid earth trembles in an earth
quake. Or perhaps it is the formation
of steam that raises the lava to the
mouth of the volcano and forces it out
upon the plain until another wall has
been built between the fire and
water in the depths of the earth. Then,
too, the hot springs may show the exist
ence of of subterraneous waters.
There are numerous other peculiar
circumstances which seem to be ex-
planned by this theory. For instance,
it is said that a great storm on the
Atlantic coast of the United States is ac
companied by action of the geysers of
the Yellowstone valley, aud this might
be explained if it could be proved that
a subterraneous waterway from ocean
to springs existed. 1t may be that this
saltwater protects the surface of the
earth from great heat. However, if
the earth be not solid, as we generally
suppose, but permeated with seas, chan
nels, and passageways of various kinds
it gives a reasonable basis for some of
Jules Verne's stories and probably ex-
plains many occurrences that at present
are only mysteries. It remains for the
future submarine vessel to solve this