The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-19
CORAL REEF MYSTERIES
"A SUBMARINE INQUIRY TO SETTLE
a. SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM.


in the South seas--lhe Idea is to Estab-
iish the Relative Truths of the Hypothe-
SEES of Professor Darwin and Others.
A coral reef is always delight to a
naturalist, but it Is also very often
perpleXity 1t is well known that the
coral polyps can only flourish in sea
water and under certain conditions in
regard to it's purity and its temporal
ture. To explain the origin and deyel-
opment Of the masses which skirt
coasts, and are known as fringing
reefs, is comparatively easy. 1t is more
difficult to account for the larger mass
es, rising from comparatively deep
water, not seldom several miles from
land, and extending at times for long
distances, which go by the name OF
barrier reefs. But the chief difficulty
is to ascertain the origin and develop
ment of the masses called atolls, which
are more or less ring-shaped, though
they do not invariably rise in all parts
above the level of the sea. This ques-
ton has been for many years subject
of keen discussion among naturalists.
An explanation proposed rather
more than half century ago by
Charles Darwin, after his return from
the voyage of the Beagle, obtained for
some years very general acceptance;
but dissentients gradually appeared,
and after the return of the Challenger,
nearly twenty years ago. the controVer-
sy was overwhelmingly by the wrl-
tings of Dr.John Murray, who had been
one of the scientific staff on that YES
sel-and ever since it has been brisk
enough. Much depended, for reasons
presently to be stated, upon the actual
structure of the atoll as to whether 1t
consisted of mass of coral approach
ing, perhaps, one thousand feet in
thickness, or whether it was a mere
skin. not deeper at most than about
one hundred and fifty feet, resting
upon rock of a different nature.
That, OF course could only be settled
by boring into an atoll and examining
samples of the rock to something like
the first-named depth. Twenty or
thirty years ago this would have been
a slow, arduous, perhaps impossible
task, but such improvements have been
made in the machinery for boring, and
the process has been so facilitated, es-
pecially by employing the mineral
called carbonate, variety of the dia-
mond, in arming the drill, that there
was good hope of a successful result.
The question of making the expert
ment was raised before the British as
sociation by Professor Sollas, of Dub
lin, and after some years of discussion,
was brought before the Royal society
as one to which a portion of the grant
annually made to it by the government
for the furtherance of science might
properly be devoted. A committee was
appointed by that body, and applica-
ton was then made to the Lords of the
Admiralty to be allowed the services Of
one Of their surveying ships. The gem
eral plan of operations had been al
ready determined; the project had also
been cordially espoused by men of sci
ence in Sydney, and it had been deci-
ded, after conference with them, that,
on the whole, Funafuti one of the Ell
lice Group, lying north of the Fiji Is
lands, would be, under the existing cir
cumstances, the best place for making
the attempt. A favorable reply was
received from the Admiralty stating
that Her Majesty's ship Penguin, un-
der the command of Captain Field,
which was then engaged in making
surveys in the Southern Seas, would
convey the party and their plant for
boring from Sydney to Funafuti, rem
der them all possible aid during their
stay, and meanwhile make thorough
survey of the vicinity of the atoll.
Of the rival theories between which
it was hoped that experiment would
decide the following had attracted
most attention: Darwin had regarded
atolls as the effects OF subsistence.
This was his superstition: First, a
fringing reef forms round an island,
then the latter gradually sinks; the CO.
raj polyps, which it is believed cannot
flourish at greater depth than TWEEN
ty-ffve fathoms keep growing upward,
but those at the edge, being better
nourished increase faster than those
on the inner side of the reef, so that
gradually it ceases to be continuous
with what is left on the island. Subsi-
dence goes on till the latter has final
ly disappeared; then a ring=like atoll is
left. which rests on the foundation of
an ancient fringing reef. Thus Oar
win regarded an atoll as monument
erected by nature to the memory of a
drowned island But DR.. Murray re-
pudiated the idea of subsistence alto
gether and proposed very different
explanation.
We may take this hypothesis as rep
resentative of DarWin's opponents,
though they differ considerably among
themselves. He postulated the exist
ence of a submarine volcano. If this
did not come near enough to the sur
face to allow coral polyps to grow on
it's top it was heightened by the aceu-
mutation of marine organisms; finally,
when it came within soundings of
about one hundred and fifty feet CO.
rails began to form the reef. But a
reef thus made would generally be
rather small one, so DIR. Murray sup
posed that both atoll and lagoon could
be enlarged. The former was extended
in this way: The waves broke branch
es off the outer edge of the reef which
accumulated as a talus at its foot, and
this made a foundation on which fresh
coral could grow. But within the la
COON the condition of the water would
be unfavorable to the life of polyps.
Most of the coral would be dead. This,
he supposed, would be dissolved by
the sea water and carried away by the
tide. Thus the lagoon would be en-