The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-05-21
A WONDERFUL HOLE.
Torrents of Sea Water Have Gone IL.
to 1t in Years Past

to 1t in Years Past.
One is reminded of the pretty fab1o
about Arethusa and Alpheus by a on
rious story in Casters Magazine. Rnt
in the ancient narrative it was a fresh
water river into which the pursuin,
lover was changed, and the fountain
which represents the metamorphosea
nymph has been identified; while in tba
less romantic tale now told a salt
water stream disappears into hole in
the ground, and all the rest is a mo-
found mystery.
On the coast of the Greek island of
Ccphalonia, near the town of Argostoli
there are two little fumes, or canals
leading inland from the sea to the dis
lance of about one hundred feet. and
then discharging their contents into
rudely excavated pits, through whose,
badly fissured, rocky bottoms the water
Immediately loses itself. AT least as
long ago as 1885 a mill was run by
power from one of these fumes: and a.
second mill was built beside and oper.
ated by the other little while after
ward. The mills themselves are now
in ruins. but the flow continues. This
remarkable state of things has existed
for over sixty years, and very likely
for a century.
One cannot help asking in amazement
where all that water goes to. The
Messrs. Crosby. who furnish the ac-
count which Casters prints, estimate
that the flow in each channel amounts
to LOGO cubic feet per minute. or g.
900 COO cubic feet per day in both. Two
smaller passages of similar character
have been observed in the same neigh
borhood; and it is added that along
the shore, "at all points between the
two mills. and for an unknown distance
beyond each, the water is everywhere
percolating through cracks and fissures
Of the limestone and sinking into the
earth. The openings in the sea bottom
are, no doubt, mainly closed by weeds
| and gravel; yet no inconsiderable
amount of water must find it's way to
these mysterious depths through such
an extent of beach, lying on rock that
| is practically as porous as sieve. :.
1t is difficult to decide which is
the greater marvel, the Sea Mills them
selves or the fact that they have re
mained practically unknown to the
scientific world up to the present day,
although described by several authors,
mentioned in the guidebooks and Wis
tied by 'admirals, generals, bishops and
distinguished civilians"
Almost the only explanation hitherto
! offered assumes that evaporation goes
on rapidly in some subterranean cav
ern. and thus disposes of the water.
But as it is admitted that the remain
| ing salt from the two mill streams
alone would amount to 4S600 cubic
feet a year, it is hard to understand
why the subterranean cavern Gf there
be one) does not fill up. The Messrs.
! Crosby offer a different hypothesis.
| They ask the reader to imagine two
great assures descending into the earth
and meeting below, like the sides of
letter or U. Then they suggest that
perhaps one arm is shorter than the
other, and that there is a long, very
gently rising passage leading from the
bottom of one to the bottom of the
|
can get a good chance to act on any
stream passing through it, 1t then be
comes easy to suppose that cold cur
rent of sea water comes down through
one branch Of the system and is forced
through the other by thermal inf1u-
ences.
The rocky island of Cephalonia, like
some of its neighbors, betrays the effect
of earthquakes innumerable in times
past. aboundingi in fractures and vaults,
caverns and subterranean rivers. None
of the springs on Cephalonia contain
any large quantity Of salt, however,
and it is difficult to regard any Of them
as the outflow of the flood which disap-
pears at Argostoli. But it is possible
that, as Alpheus is said to have done,
it takes dive beneath the sea and
comes up on some far-off island.