Morris tribune., 1893-01-04
OCEANS GRAVEYARD.
THE WONDERFUL SARGASSO SEA OF
THE GREAT ATLANTIC.

Tho Enormous Floating Semi-island To-
ward Which Nearly Everything on the
Mighty Deep Drifts and Is Held as
Prisoner-Its Inhabitants.
For several years past the hydro
graphic bureau at Washington has been
trying to acquire amore intimate knowl-
edge of the movements of the waters Of
the ocean, ard q great number OF bot
ties. containing messages and securely
corked. have been dropped overheard by
vessels. Many of these have hoated
thousands of miles before they were
picked up, and while some were washed
upon native and foreign shores others
have found their way into the great Sar-
gasso sea.
From the courses taken by these diff
ferent bottles it has been found that the
ocean currents move around in a vast
circle. Those which were dropped over
board on the American coast took a
northerly course, while those on the
European side foated toward the south.
Bottles dropped overheard in the North
Atlantic started toward the northeast,
and those from the African or Spanish
coast foated almost directly west until
they reached the West India islands.
Tbs general directions of the currents
were thus ascertained, showing that the
waters acted upon by winds and cur
rents circulated round and round like a
pool.
In all pools floating objects are quick
ly cast outside Of the revolving currents,
or they are carried with them in their
circular route for some time until they
arc washed nearer the center or side of
The pool. The bottles that were forced
outside of the currents of the ocean were
cast upon the shores of some country,
but those which were worked toward
the center eventually found their way In
the calm waters of the Sargasso sea.
Here they remain peacefully until
picked up by some vessel, or until some
storm casts them back into the great
pool.
Vessels very rarely visit the great sea
in the middle of the ocean, but occa-
sionally they are driven there by storms
or adverse winds. Strange sights meet
the gaze of the sailors at such times.
Wonderful stories-partly true and part
ly false-have been told by sailors re-
turning from forced trip to the Sar-
gasso sea. The surface Of the sea is Gov
cred with floating wrecks, spars, sea-
weed, boxes, fruits and a thousand other
innumerable articles. 1t is the great re-
pository or storehouse Of the ocean, and
all things which do not sink to the bot
tom OF are not washed upon the shores
are carried to this center of the sea.
When one considers the vast number of
wrecks on the ocean and the quantity of
floating material that is thrown over
board, faint idea Of the wreckage in
the Sargasso sea may be conceived.
Derelicts or abandoned vessels fire.
quently disappear in mysterious ways,
and no accounts are given OF them for
years by passing vessels. Then sudden
ly, years later, they appear again in
some we'll Travelled route to the astonish-
ment of all. The wrecks are covered
with mould and green slime, showing
the long, lonesome voyage which they
have passed through. It is generally
supposed that such derelicts have been
swept into the center of the pool and re-
manned in the Sargasso sea until finally
cast out by some unusually violent
storm.
The life in this sea is interesting. Soil
tary and alone the acres Of waters, COW
cred with the debris, stretch out as the
vast graveyard of the ocean, seldom
being visited by vessels or human beings.
Far from all trading routes of vessels,
the sight of a sail or steamship is
something unusual. The fishes of the
sea form the chief life of those watery
solitudes. Attracted by the vast guam
titles of wreckage floating in the sea,
and also by the gulfweed on which many
of them live, they swarm around in
great numbers. The smaller fishes live
in the intricate avenues formed by the
seaweed, and the more ferocious deni-
zens of the deep come hither to feed up
on the quantities of small fish. In this
way the submarine life of the Sargasso
sea is made interesting and lively.
The only life overhead is that made
by few sea birds, which occasionally
reach the solitudes of this midocean
cemetery. A few Of the long flyers Of
the air penetrate to the very middle Of
the ocean, but it is very rarely that this
occurs. Some have been known to fol-
low vessels across the ocean, keeping at
respectful distance from the stern.
Other birds have been swept out to sea
by storms, and have finally sought ref
uge in the Sargasso sea. Still others,
taking refuge on some derelict, have
been gradually carried to the same mid
ocean scene.
There is sufficient food floating on the
surface or to be obtained from the fishes
which live among the forests of seaweed
to support large colony of BIRDS It is
surmised that many of those found in
the sea have inhabited those regions for
years, partly from choice and partly
from necessity. Birds swept out there
by storms would not care to venture the
long return trip to land, and finding an
abundance of food and wrecks on which
to rest and rear their young they might
easily become contented with their
strange lot Just how far the strong
winged sea birds can fly without resting
is all conjectural, but it is doubtful if
many Of them would undertake such
long Journey seward with no better
prospects ahead than dreary wastes of