Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-01-24
BELOW THE SURFACE.
Great Caverns In the Earth From Which
Hot Rivers May Flow.

Hot Rivers May FLOW.
Has 1t ever occurred to the reader |
that the earth is not solid" as we COM
monty say, but "honeycombed" with
enormous cavities, or cavorns, OF all d.
mansions? If So why should these
caverns not be numerous everywhere in |
the crust of the earth, some easily dis
covered, as the Great Mammoth Gage OF
Kentucky and others never yet seen by
mortal eye? These huge cavities,
originally formed when those portions
o. the earth's crust we're in melted
state, and results Of the unequal cooling
Of different materials of the compost
ton and of other causes, if so situated
may form the basis of very interesting
theories. For instance, they may be
generally filled with water, and there
may exist great underground inland
seas.
The source Of the Gulf Stream has al
ways been disputed question. This
great body OF warm water Is nothing
more nor less than a stream or river in
the ocean, flowing through the colder
water. 1t was formerly thought that
this stream was formed in the eQuato-
rial 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 advanced that
this stream, which is just as
we'll defined of the Florida coast
as of the Grand Banks, is a stream OF
hot water which issues from an or
iilce at the bottom OF the sea some
where among the Florida reefs. Recent
ly the photographic Office Of the Navy
Department has been endeavoring to de-
termine il it is so, and efforts have been
made to find this orifce by the use Of the
sounding line. But If stream of hot
water Of the proportions of the gulf
stream does issue from an orifice in the
bed Of the sea, then what a mighty boil
er there must be somewhere in the bow
els Of the earth, and wherever these
enormous fires burn through the rocky
walls of tho boiler, and the water rush
} ing in Is instantly converted into steam,
no wonder itexplosions ensue that cause
the everything waters and the earth's
J 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 con-
tact Of fire and water when the earth's
crust was first commencing to form is
everywhere apparent only the effect of
atmospheric changes has covered the
hardness Of the face of the earth with a
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 explosions.
There is one great rock in the Yosem'
lite Valley, several thousands of feet
, high, standing alone, from which some
great convulsion of nature has split of
. a hugh fragment and hurled it no one
knows whittier. But in the course Of
time the earth's crust has grown thick
or, and we at present know little o.
these subterranean explosions, excep
q when the solid earth trembles in ar
earthquake. Or, perhaps, it is the
! formation of steam that raises the Law;
q to the mouth of the volcano and forces
it out upon the plain, until another wal
7 has been built between the fire and thu
!. water in the depths of the earth. Then
q too the hot springs may show the ex
istence of the subterraneous waters
q There are numerous other peculiar
:. circumstances which seem to be ex
planned by this theory For instance, i
- is said that great storm on the Atlantis
:. coast of the United States is accompani
~ ed by action of the geysers of the Vel
y lowstone Valley, and this might be ex
: planned if it could be proved that sub
e .erraneous water way from ocean t
springs existed, 1t may be that thi
saltwater protects the surface of tn
earth from a great heat. However,
the earth be not solid" as we generall
suppose, but permeated with seas, chan
nels and passageways Of various kinds
~ it gives reasonable basis for some c
Q. Jules Verne's stories, and probably eN
ID plains many occurrences that at presen
lg are only mysteries 1t remains for tn
9, future submarine vessel to solve thi
Id problem. Boston journal.