The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1897-01-28
GARDENS OF THE SEA.
Wonderful Country That Blooms Un-
der the Wastes OF Water.

der the Wastes OF Water.
There is wonderful country un-
der the sea, . country of hills and
plains, of lofty mountains and deep
valleys, of rocks and caves. It's wide
spreading meadows are covered with
strange mai flowers that move
themaei-e5 abcut in search of living
prey AMI seaweeds taller than the
loftiest trees Tempests may rage
fiercely overhead, but q deep, un-
abroken silence reigns always in this
un wo-ld nor can the widest hur-
ric &C that 6Ti1-c5 vessels to wreck
age move the most delicate tenaril
of the sea plants n the dept, be
low. fragile craatIrcs thai to
pieces aimee e Il touch spez cir
lives her in quiet and eccurIty.
The ocean Ger43 LIS, which for man
kind are region Of b, llassno~5
and death, are for bi 0ls Of o.
mais the region of life and health.
The earth does not r.-sintain nearly
so many living creatures as those
that swarm in countless myriads be-
meath the waves of the ocean. Here
arc great purple sea fans and lovely
sea lilies and sea ferns and sea Gu
cumbers and sea mice I'd sDonges,
displaying bright colors that a-o
lost the moment they are tax
from the water, and here the r..re
and beautiful corals are silertIy
builded into reefs and islands.
If it ever be your good fortune to
go to Florida and visit the keys at
the southern end of the state, you
may see a coral plantation alive
and growing There is a famous
lighthouse called Cary's fort light
off the coast there, from which such
a sight can be had. Cary's fort
light is built in the open sea, with
out a foot of land about it. 1t is
an iron framework of columns.
strengthened by network of braces
and girders, and the rooms in which
lives the keeper are about half way
up to the light, out of the reach of
the waves, 40 or so feet above the
water. A balcony runs about these
rooms, and as the lighthouse is built
over one of the most beautiful and
extensive fields of coral known on
this or any other coast the sight
presented on looking from this bal
cony into the ocean is more wonder
full than can be well imagined by
one who has not seen it. The coral
field spreads around the light
house as far as the eye can reach,
and so transparent is the water that
the ocean bottom can be seen. as
plainly as a garden, lying beneath.
The coral field is largely made ND
of what are called leaf corals. with
large fat branches that grow one
above another, chasing each other
slngly and in companies. darting
about, winding in and out the corals
as If In game of hide and go seek,
and hundreds of fish play among
their spreading branches.
Most of them are of very brilliant
colors, some of a bright blue, others
partly blue and partly black, others
again black blended with yellow.
and still others of a bright canary
yellow beneath and rich purple
above. Now and then some large
fish, shark perhaps, passes by,
and all the small fry scatter, hiding
among the corals, and are seen no
more till their enemy is out of sight.
Besides the leaf coral there are
many others even more beautiful to
be seen. Some are in the shape of
huge vases, some are like great
globes, others branch out as do the
horns of the stag, and there are
more delicate branching kinds, call
ed finger corals and great numbers
of sea fans. The sea fans form the
shrubbery of the sea garden. They
stand on the ocean bottom on a sort
of root, and, unlike the leaf and
branching corals, which are rigid
and motionless, they rise lightly in |
the water and wave ir the gentle |
undercurrents as if stirred bv the |
wind They are of many colors,
and, mingled as they are with a
kind of vegetable coral called coral /
inc and with the bright red, purple
Or orange colored sponges of the
Florida coast, you may well realize
ON looking at them how surprising
ly beautiful are the flower gardens
Of the sea. Justin LIE Roche in Pop-
llar Science News.