Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-02-25
The Atlantic Gigantic VII rlpOol

The Atlantic Gigantic VII rlpool.
1t has long been known that waters OF
| the Atlantic Ocean are sort of whirl
pool on gigantic scale, the central
point OF which is short distance to the
southwest Of the Azores. Just as in the
: case Of an atmospheric cyclone. there
EXISTS 10 the middle of this aqueous vor-
tex a region where the fluid OF the sea
has scarcely any motion, SO that bottles
or other floating objects entering it ere
apt to remain there indefinitely, sinking
| finally to the bottom, For miles there
about the surface of the ocean is COW
cred with what is commonly known as
"gulf.weed, large areas of 1T having the
appearance of drowned meadow, on
which one might imagine it possible to
walk. This enormous vegetal accumu-
lation was formerly supposed to be made
up of plants torn away by the Gulf
Stream from the shores OF the Bahamas
that the weed grows and propagates
while freely floating on the water. 1t
teens with multitudinous forms of life.
Not least interesting of the myriad crea-
lures which inhabit it are certain curious
nest.building fishes. They have arm.
like ore.tins, with which they cling to
the weed. making their nests by binding
| together g!obular masses of it as big as
Dutch cheeses. This they accomplish
by means of long gelatinous strings
which they form for the purpose, finally
depositiug their eggs IN the centre
OF the sphere thus composed. The
weed itself is upheld by bulbs filled with
air, which serve as floats.
Sbrimps and crabs swarm in the weed,
and they as we'll as the fishes are colored
yellow aud white in spots like the weef
itself, for protective purposes. Sea
worms similarly tinted are found there
also in great numbers. All Of the AMI
mails which dwell in tnis strange Sar-
gasso Sea seem to be either yellow and
white or else perfectly transparent.
There are transparent cutie fish, trans
parent shrimps, and transparent worms.
One can see through them as clearly as
if they were made of glass. Tnere are
also pelagic sea .anenones that have the
bases by which their kind cling to rocks
| on shore so modified as to form chambers
containing air aud thus acting as floats
to sustain them on the surface. Giant
jellyishes-great sacs four feet long
with walls of transparent jelly sa inca
thicS-!ive ia the weed, aud so phos-
phorescent are they that at night one eau
write his name On one of them and it
will presently come out in letters of fire.
1t is very odd to find insects in the open
ocean thousands Of miles from land
wingless, long-leggel, black skating
bugs, of species closely allie 1 to those
which dash about on the surface OF fresh
water ponds, On the bottom of the
ocean, beneath this vast field of weed
filed with animals living aud dying, al
immense deposit of animal aad vegetal
remains mist be gradually forming.
Should that part OF the fio1r OF the sea
| be upheaved at some future time By VOL
clnic action, 1t would furaish mines Of
manure sufficient to fertilize the farms Of
the world. Surprising that it were pos
slble economically to fetch to Europe or
America great quantities OF this water
plant which nov floats useless, it would
be enormously valuable as fertilizer. -
Boston Transcript.