The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-01
Neither Sea Nor Land.

The surface of it seems, says the
writer, like a perfect meadow of sea-
weed. 1t is supposed that this enor-
nous mass of gulf weed may have
been partly grown at the bottom Of
the shallower parts of the sea and
partly torn from the shores of Florida
Ind the Bahama islands by the force
of the gulf stream. 1t is then swept
round by the same agency into the
Sargasso sea, where it lives and prop
hgates, floating freely in midocean.
And the store is ever increasing,
both by addition and propagation, so
more compact, and no doubt at the
Inner parts extends to a considerable
depth below the surface,
Nor is this all, for at least two
thirds of all the infinite f1otsam and
ietsam which the gulf stream car
ries along with it in its course sooner
br later finds resting place in the
Sargasso sea Here may be seen
huge trunks of trees torn from the
forests of Brazil by the waters of the
Amazon and flOated down far out to
sea until they were caught and swept
along by the current, logwoOd from
! Honduras, orange trees from Florida,
canoes and boats from the island,
STAYED in, broken and bottom up
ward, wrecks and remains of all
| kD, no rinh hot oct
of the Atlantic, whole keels or skele-
tons of ruined ships so covered with
barnacles, shells and weed that the
original outline is entirely lost to
view, and here and there a derelict
ship transformed from a floating ter
ror of the deep into a mystery put
out Of reach Of man in a museum of
unexplained enigmas.
1t is only natural that ships should
carefully avoid this marine rubbish
heap, where the Atlantic shoots its
refuse. 1t seems doubtful whether a
sailing vessel would be able to cut
her way into the thick network of
weed even with strong wind be-
hind her. Besides, if the effort were
rewarded with first delusiwe sue
cess, there would be the almost Ger
tain danger that in the calm regions
Of the Sargasso sea the wind would
suddenly fail her altogether, leaving
her locked hopelessly amid the weed
and the drift and wreckage, without
hope Of succor or escape. With re
gard to steamer, no prudent skip
per is ever likely to make the attempt,
for it would certainly not be long be-
fore the tangling weed would alto
gether chokeup his screw and render
1t useless.
The most energetic explorer of
land or sea will find himself baftiod
with regard to the Sargasso sea- by
the fact that it is neither one nor the
other. 1t is neither solid enough TO
walk upon nor liquid enough to af-
ford passage to a boat. AT the
same time any one who fell into it
would certainly be drowned without
being able to swim for his life. OF
course it is quite conceivable that a
very determined party of pioneers
might cut passage for small boat
even to the center The work would
take an immense time, however, and
the channel would certainly close up
behind them as they proceeded.
They would have to take with them
provisions for the whole voyage, and
a journey over space equaling the
continent of Europe would probably
require larger supplies than could be
conveniently slowed away in small
boat
Besides, there is no reason to sup
pose that the expedition would be
worth the making, or that the inner
reoesses of the Sargasso sea would
exhibit any marked differences from
the outer margin. The accumulation
of weed would be thicker and more
entangled, and the drift and wreck
age would lie more closely pressed to-
gether, but that would be all. There
is no possibility Of the existence of
any but marine life in this strange
morass, unless the sea birds have
built their nests In the masts or hull
of some derelict essel.-Chambers
Journal.