The herald., 1895-12-29
WHY THE OCEAN WATERS ARE SALT

The sea at presenl contains 10000 OOO,.
100000 900 tons of salt. If this salt
could be gathered in solid form and com.
pressed into the shape of cube, it would
contain 1O,l73,0OO cubic miles. E.cn
side of such a cube would measure some
what more than 200 miles. This il enough
to cover all the land on this globe with a
uniform layer of salt to the depth of 1000
feet
According to the history of the creation
of the world. as told by Moses in the Gene
sis. it is implied that the ocean existed be-
fore the land, for on the "ihird day" the
"waters under the heavens" were gathered
together and the dry land appeared. This
statement has bothered a great number of
able philosophers, who, Ill their effort to
stick to the letter of the Scripture and at
the same time to reason out every hing on
perfectly natural principles, have been
puzzled to know how such a grand trans
formation could be accomplished in one
day. And their perplexIty was not relieved
when Learned biologists announced that it
must have required ages for the waters
that developed the earth to subSlde and re-
veal this land that lay bel ea,h.
Hut when il was suggested that the word
"day." as usei by Moses, meant, not pc
riod of twenty-four hours. but an era of
thousands of years, the difficulty was re-
moved.
Accepting the Mosaic account, DR. I. s.
Hum, "a learned writer on the p,.ysic ii his
tory of the giob', supplies what Moses left
out, and in do ng SO he gives a very good
reason for the presence of the salt in he
sea Having arrived at the point OF Moses
meager narrative where The earth was in a
| molten ale and surrounded by an envel-
r 4 IA. L,,,,
says:
''The carbonates, chlorides and su'phates
chemical combinations Of carbon. chi 'rine
and sulphur with oxsgen) were changed
into silicates. The carbon, chlorine and
sulphur, being thus free d from the oxygen,
separated in the form of acid gasses..
These, with nitrogen, vapor of water and
a probable excess of oxygen, formed the
atmosphere. which was very dense land
also very unhealthy.) -l.-
THE surface of the earth was covered
with Jumps of molten rock (prohably re.
sernbliug furnace slaR). the depressed
parts of The surface were filled with highly
heated solutions of hydrocnl,ric and sui
phuric acids, which ate into the surface
and decoInposed it. In this way the 81 il
Gates were changed to pu silica, akng
the form of q lar'z as the atmosphere
cooled, and the condensation of the vapor-
GUS atmosphere produced sea water, hold
ing in solution phosphates of sodium, CAL
cium and magnesium, and sails ammo
mum The atmosphere, thus freed of it's
nuxious elements, became purs and fit for
man."
II is therefore evident that the sea has
been salty from the creation of the world.
The salt does not come, as is generally
supposed, from friction of the water
against salt "rocks'' in the bed of the
ocean. This, then, answers the first ques-
ton, Where did the salt come from?
The second question is pretty well an
swere d by G. w. Littlehales in the GEM
Der number of Appeton's Popular Science
Monthly.
ut seems" he says, "that the sea was
made salt in the beginning as a part of the
grand design of the Creator to provide for
The system of evolu ion which has been
going on since The creation. Many dis
iinct species of living organisms exist in
the sea as result of its sallniiy. and the
remains have larvely contributed to the
growth of continents ="
"Having contributed to the growth of
cont,nents." says Mr.. Littlehales, "the
sal mess Of the sea has in a like degree
peopled them by Influencing human migra-
tions through he streams of the ocean,
upon which the race of man was spread to
the d slant archpelagoes at time when
there were only rudimeni airy means for
struggling against the forces of nature."-
New York World.