The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-23
THE GROWTH OF CONTINENTS.

From Harper's Weekly.
A steamship captain who recently ar
rived at New Orleans from Honduras,
claims to have discovered in the Gulf of
Mexico large shoal which is not down
on the charts and was not known to
exist. He says that he has often sailed
over the same course. and that he never
noticed shallow water in that part of
the gulf before. If his story is true, it
merely shows that changes are taking
place in the Gulf of Mexico which are
all the while going on in the world,
usually without attracting notice.
Every continent shows in every part
that, with the exception of the talest
mountain peaks, ii was once under
water for periods of time so long that
nobody quite agrees with anybody else
about the exact number of years.
Millions become comparatively small
figures in talking about such things.
1t is probable that for the greater part
of the time since the earth's crust was
cooled enough for the water TO collect
in the great hollovs and form oceans,
the continents existed in about the
same proportions that they appear
now on the maps. If they were under
water. they were not so far under
as the bed of the ocean; and if
at times they we're lifted ont Of
the brine. they were not lifted very
high. for the rocks seem to show that
most of the land has been sub
merged and has risen several times dur
ing the long history of the world. The
same changes are going on now. We
hear a great deal about the ice age.
when great glaciers covered most Of
Europe and all Of North America 70 the
latitude of New York. But the ice age
has not vet disappeared. There are
still immense glaciers in Alaska and in
the high mountains farther south and
in Switzerland, while Norway and
parts Of Sweden are very much in the
ice age indeed. and nearly all the inter
esting things which have been discOv-
cred about the action Of glaciers in
shaping the hills OF New England and
New York state may be seen in prog
ress in central Europe.
There are many legends about a con-
tinent OF Atlantis situated in the mid
gasso sea. a giant eddy between Florida
and the Azores. where the water is
comparatively shallow and the ocean IS
filled with sea-weed. i thought bv
some 10 make the theory probable. II
would not be strange II there had one
day been a great island on the Atlantic
which gradually sunk out Of sight.
Whether there ever really was such an
island Is a question more difficult TO
settle. but the causes which lifted II
and then drowned il are al work al the
time. There are two Of these causes
more important than all the others
As the earth grows old Il cools and
contracts, and It Is constantly warping
n one direction and another. The
northeast coast Of the United State>
Is slowly settling-a few inches n a
century. that - Norway and the west
coast Of South America ere slowly rs
ing. Il j. probable that very little
land remains 80 firm that no change
could De measured IN the course Of
hundred wears. and q hundred years IS
only minute "A the long life OF the
world But while whole continents
NAV slowly rise O. sink during long
periods. the sur<sce.f the land = BE-
ing worn away every gear oy the alr-
the rain and The frost Every little
stream that runs down nouEtaln-
side carries sorne OF the HoUutzio 20
the valley. and the co1tEenLS them