The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-03-02
The Atlantic a Gigantic Whirlpool.

II 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 rs in the
case of an atmospheric cyclone, there
exists in the middle OF this aqueous vor.
tex region where the fluid OF the SEQ
has scarcely auy motion, SO that bottles
or other floating objects entering it are
apt t. remain there indefinitely, sinking
tiually to the bottom. For miles there
about the surface OF the ocean is GOV.
cred with what is commonly known as
"gulf.weed," large areas ,f 1t having the
appearance OF Il 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
aud OF Florida, but it Is now known
that the weed grows and propagates
while freely floating on the water. 1t
teens with muItitudinous forms OF life.
Not least interesting of the myriad crea.
lures which inhabit ii are certain curious
est.buildiug fishes. They have arm.
like tote fins, with which they cling to
the weed, making their nests by binding
together globular masses of it IS big as
Dutch cheeses. This they accomplish
by means of long gelatinous strings
which they form for the purpose, finally
depositing their eggs IN the centre
OF the sphere thus composed. The
weed itself is upheld by bulbs filed With
air, which serve as floats.
Shrimps and crabs swarm in the weed,
and they as we'll as the fishes are colored
yellow and white IN spots like the weed
Itself for protective purposes. Sea
worms similarly tinted are found there
also in great numbers. All OF the aui-
mails which dwell in this strange Sar-
easso Sea seem to be either yellow and
white or else perfectly transparent.
There are transparent cuttle.iish, trans.
parent shrimps, aud transparent worms.
One can see through them as clearly as
IT, they were made of glass. There are
also pelagic sea.snemones that have the
bases by winch their kind cling - rocks
on shore so modified as to form chambers
containing air and thus acting as floats
to sustain them on the surlac.. Giant
yishes-great sacs four feet long
with walls OF transparent jelly an inch
thick-live in the weed, aud SO phos.
phorescent are they that at night one can
write his name on one of them and it
will presently come out in letters of fire.
II is very odd to find insects in the open
ocean thousands of miles from land
wingless, loug-legged, black skating
bugs of a species closely allied to those
which dash ABOUT on the surface OF fresh
water ponds. On the bottom of the
ocean, beneath this vast field OF weed
tiled with animals living aud dying, an
immense deposit of animal and vegetal
remains must be gradually forming.
Should that part of the door of the sea
be upheaved at some future time by vol
canic action, il would furnish mines OF
manure sufficient to fertiize the farms OF
the world. Supposing that it were pos.
sible economically to fetch to Europe or
America great quantities OF this water
plant which now floats useless, it would
be enormously valuable as a fertilizer.-
Boston Transcript.