Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1897-04-29
A WONDERFUL HOLE.
Torrents of sea water Rave Con.
late % In Years Past.

ssS ~
On the coast OF the Greek island Of
Cephalonia. near the town of Argostoii.
there are two little fumes, or canals.
leading inland from the sea to the dis
iance of about 100 feet. and then dis
charging their contents into rusiely OK
caNated pits, through whose badly ifs
sured. rocky bottoms the water inn
inediately loses itself. At least as long
ago as 1885 mill was run by power
from one OF these fumes; and a second
mill was built beside and operated by
tine other little while aftcrward. The
mills themselves are now in ruins, but
the flow continues. This remarkable
state OF things has existed for over &C
years, and very likely for a century.
One cannot help asking in amaze
nent where all that water goes to. The
Messrs. Crosby. who furnish the account
estimate that the flow in each channel
amounts TO 1000 cubic feet per minute,
or 100000 cubic feet per day in both
Two smaller passages of a similar char
acter have been observed In the same
neighborhood; and IL Is added that
along the shaye. "at all points between
the two mills, and for an unknown dis
tance beyond each. the water is every.
where percolaung through cracks and
assures 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 inconsidera-
bic amount Of water must find its way
to these mysterious depths through
such an extent Of beach. lying on n rock
that is practically as porous as ,ieve.
IL is diffiou to decide which IL
the greatest marvel. the sea mills them
selves or the fact that they have re-
NAMED practically unknown to the
scientific world up TO the present day,
although described by several authors.
mentioned in the guide books and Wis
tied by 'admirals, generals. bishops and
distinguished civilians
Almost the only explanation hitherto
offered assumes that evaporation zoe.
On rapidly in some subterranean cav
ern, and thus iisposex of the water.
Eut AZ IL is admitted that the remaining
salt from the two mill streams alone
would amount to $500 feet n
year, it Is hard to understand why
the subterranean cavern iii there be
e1e)does not fill up. The Messrs. Cros-
by offer a different hypothesis. They
ask tn. readers TO imagine two great
assures descending into the earth and
meeting below. like the sides of letter
V or L. Then they suggest that per-
haps one arm is shorter than the other,
and that there In a long. very gently
rising passage leading from the bot
tom Of the one to the bottom Of the
other. so that the subterranean heat &C n
get a good chance to act on any stream
passing through il. IL then becomes
easy 20 suppose that cold current of
sea water comes down through one
branch Of the system and forces upward
through the other by thermal infiu-
/ ences.
The rocky island OF Cephalonia. like
some of its neighbors. betrsys the effect
OF earthquakes innumerabie in times
past. Astounding In fractures and faults.
caverns and subterrapean rivers None
of the springs on Cephalonia contain any
large quantity OF salt. however. and /,
is difficult to regard any OF them as the
outflow Of the food which disappears
at Argostoii. But IL is possible that. as
Alpheus is raid to have done, 1t takes
dive beneath the sea and comes up on
some far-on ixland.-Cassier'x Naga-
zine.