Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-01-09
BELOW THE SURFACE.
Great Caverns I'm the Earth From Which
Hot Rivers May Flow.

Hot Rivers May Flow.
Has it ever occurred to the reader
that the earth is not solid" as we com.
monty say, but ''hcneycombed" with
enormous cavities, or caverns, of all di-
mensionsP If so, why should these
caverns not be numerous everywhere in
the crust Of the earth, some easily dis
covered, as the Great Mammoth Cave of
Kentucky, and others never yet seen by
mortal eyeP 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 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 filed With water, and there
may exist great underground inland
seas
The source of tho Gulf Stream has al
ways been a 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
this stream, which is just as
we'll defined off the Florida coast
as off the Grand Banks, is a stream of
hot water which issues from an or
ifce 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 do
termine If it is so, and efforts have been
made to find this orifice 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
bod of the sea, then what mighty boil
or there must be somewhere in the bow
els Of the earth, and wherever these
enormous fires burn through the rocky
walls Of the boiler, and the water rush
ing in is instantly converted into steam,
no wonderif explosions ensue that cause
the everything waters and the earth's
crust to vibrate in great waves which
we call earthquakes, Very probably
IEthis 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 q
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
hugh fragment and hurled it no one
knows whittier. But in the course O.
time the earth's crust has grown thick
or, and We at present know little o
these subterranean explosions, excep
when the solid earth trembles in al
, earthquake. Or, perhaps, it is thu
formation of steam that raises the Law;
TO the mouth of the volcano and force
: it out upon the plain, until another wal
1 has been built between the fire and tn,
water in the depths of the earth. Then
J too, the hot springs may show the ex
istence of the subterraneous waters.
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 Atlanti
>, coast of the United States is accompani
ed by action of tho geysers O the Vel
= lowstone Valley, and this might be ex
~ planned if it could be proved that sub
= terraneous water way from ocean t.
springs existed. 1t may be that thi
saltwater protects the surface Of tn
earth from a great heat. However, i
:. the earth he not solid" aswe general
" suppose, but permeated with seas, chan
nels and passageways of various kinds
= it gives reasonable basis for some @
" Jules Verne's stories, and probably eS
plains many occurrences that at presen
are only mysteries. 1t remains for tn
70 future submarine vessel to solve thi
y problem. Boston Journal