The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-02
THE SARGASSO SEA.
A MEADOW OF FLOATING WEEDS IN
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

plo When E1p!aincd-Causo of Mutiny
Among tho Sailors of Columbus.
Only bit of floating seaweed that
the restless surf washed upon tho beach,
and yet tho mere sight of it carried my
thoughts back to ono Of the most i'm
portant events in the history of the
world, for its fur away ancestors we'll
nigh prevented the discovery of Amer
lea. /.
You know the story-how the igno-
rant sailors of Columbus became alarmed
and almost mutiniod when their ships
sailed into what appeared to DO perfect
network Of impenetrable weeds. They
believed that tho thickening sea was q
warning of Providence to turn back
from their audacious undertaking, and
it required all the firinness and author
lty of Columbus to bring them back to
duty and obedience That wonderful
mass of seaweeds was something new
and mysterious and therefore to DO
feared.
Later on, when the Spaniards became
familiar with its constant presence in
that triangular space midway in the At
lantic between the Azores, the Canaries
and the Cape de Verde islands, they
called it q marine meadow. The sail
ors, however, christened it tho Sarghsso
sea, from the Spanish word sarguzo,
which means seaweed. Still, though
satisfied that it was not of supernatural
origin, they could not account for its
existence.
Science, however, long ago solved tho
mystery, not only Of this, but of other
Sargasso seas. For there arc several
others, and they are always found, each
III almost tho same spot. The diurnal
motion of the earth, tho never ccasing
rush Of tho tides and the steady force of
the winds create, under the tropics, q
surface current i'll tho seas, which adj
vances, from east to west, at the rate Of
about ten marine miles an hour.
This current, which is called tho
equatorial current, or current Of rota-
ton, is only superficial, and extends in
ono vast mobile sheet, which moves be-
tween the tropics. 1t forms tho genial
waters Of the Caribbean sea and feeds
tho gulf stream. AT Cape San Rouuo it
divides, one part flowing south to meet
and be transformed into submarine
current by the north polar current; on
tho other side it bathes tho shores of
Guiana and Brazil
And then there is tho "gulf stream Of
tho east, which issues from the bay of
Bengal Its waters, like those of our
own gulf stream, may DO distinguished
from the bordering waters of tho great
ocean by thoir indigo tint The Japa-
neso call it tho black river.
Leaving tho bay Of Bengal, this great
warm current passes through tho strait
OF Malacca, sweeps tho coast of Asia,
and then. north of the Philippine is
lands, rushes out into the ocean, describ-
ing tho arc of great circle as far as the
Aleutian islands. Like the gulf stream
of tho Atlantic, it moderates the rigor
of tho climates that it travcrses
The analogy between these two great
oceanic arteries is wonderful, but it is
enough for our present purpose to know
that to their circuitous currents tho Sar-
gasso seas owe their existence.
How? Well, this is easily explained.
Drop some pieces of light moss or bits
of cork or wood into tub of water;
then with your hand near its edge give
the wator circular motion. In a mo-
ment you will SEQ that all tho floating
substances Will have collected in the
center. Continue the circular motion,
and ut the Same time blow sharply
against tho floating objects, and they
Will change their position, but will not
leave the vicinity of the center so long
as the rotary motion of the water CON
TIMES. Observe, too, that this center is
comparatively calm.
This is the explanation of the Sargas-
60 seas. In the center of the several cir
cults of the great oceanic arteries vast
basins Of comparatively still water arc
formed. The currents by which they are
surrounded constantly throw toward the
center all floating substances, especially
marine plants, and these, owing to the
quiet waters, multiply with great rapid
1ty, those that have lived their appoint
Ell time sinking out of sight, while new
ones take their place. Even tho action
OF tho winds, as intimated above, serves
only to shift this position slightly
The marine meadow" with which
we are most familiar, that of the mid
Atlantic, spreads over an extent Of sur
lace live or six times as largo rs the ter
rltory occupied by France What Won
derful meadow on land that would be
for cattle! And yet it is scarcely less so
where it is for the creatures of the sea.
This sargassum, Or gulf weed, is
rather odd looking. Its froud is very
long and furnished with distinct,
stalked, nervine leaves and berrylike air
vessels on simple axillary stalks. 1t is
found floating or cast Oh tho shores, but
its true home is at the bottom of the sea,
whence, becoming detached. it rises to