The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-04-03
phila for preventing any accidental
mixing of the larkspur seed-Loa7on
Ansuers.
WHY THE SEA Is SALT.

The sea at present contains 100000
OOO, ,OOO, 100000 tons of salt. If this
solt could be gathered in solid form
and compressed into the shape of
cube, it would contain 10, 1874 Gu
bic mile. Each edge of such cube
would measure somewhat more than
200 miles. This is enough to cover all
the land on this globe with a uniform
layer of salt to depth of 900 feet
This statement as to the saltiness of
the sea interesting enough in itself, but
it is also suggestive. The questions
may well be asked, Where did all this
salt come from, and what is the use of
it? Several scientific gentlemen have
attempted to answer this first question
and their efforts are not entirely salts
factory. The second question is not so
difficult.
According to the history of the Gre
alton of the world, as told my Moses in
the Genesis, it is implied that the ocean
existed before the land, for, on the
third day" the "water under the
heavens was gathered together and
the dry land appeared.
Accepting the Mosaic account, DR..
T. S. Hunt, a learned writer on the
physical history Of the globe, supplies
what Moses left out, and in so doing
he gives very good reason for the
presence of the salt in the sea. Hav-
ing arrived at the point of Moses mea-
ger narrative where the earth was in
a molten state and surrounded by an
envelope of gases and of water vapor,
DR.. Hunt says:
"The carbonates, chlorides and sui
pilates chemical combinations of car
bon, chlorine and sulphur with oxygen
were changed into silicates. The car
bon, chlorine and sulphur, being thus
freed from the oxygen, separated in
the form ofacid gases. These, with
nitrogen, vapor of water and a probable
excess of oxygen, formed the atmos-
phere, which was very dense (and also
very unhealthy.
"The surface of the earth was covered
with Jumps of molten rock (propably
resembling furnace slag). The de-
pressed parts of the surface were filled
with highly heated solutions Of hy-
drochloric and sulphuric acids, which
ate into the surface and decomposed
it. In this way the silicates were
changed to pure silica, taking the form
of quartz as the atmosphere cooled,
and the condensation of the vaprous
atmosphere produced sea water, hold
ing in solution salts of sodium, calcium,
magnesium and ammonium. The
atmosphere, thus freed of its noxious
elements, became pure and fit for man.
1t 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 question. Where did the salt
come from? The second question is
pretty well answered by Mr.. G. w.
Littlehales in Appleton's Popular
Science Monthly.
at 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 evolution
which has been going OH since the
creation. Many distinct species of
living organisms exist in the sea as a
result of its salinity, and their remains
have largely contributed to the growth
of continents"
The minute creatures that have
lived in the sea for ages past have left
enduring monuments in the shape of
islands, rocks and continents. If the
sea had not been salty, these marine
animals could not have existed and
secreated the hard substance known
as ''calcareous skeleton" which has
largely contributed to the growth of
continents. Among these early inhabi-
tants of the sea were corals, crinoids,
sea urchins and starfishes.
The saltiness of the sea has also much
to do with the ocean currents, which
distribute the heat of the topics over
the colder regions of the earth. Cur
rents are largely due to the difference
be tween the specific gravity of sea wa
ter and the fresh water of rains Thus
when rain falls on certain part of the
ocean the effort of the heavier salt wa
ter of the ocean to establish an equili-
brium causes a current
"Mrs Murphy calls her slipper Casto-
ria' p?
Because the children cry after it!'