The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-11
MARINE GARDENS
in THE BAHAMAS
A Narrative OF Fact That Reads Very
Like Fiction.
OLD NATURE IN cAPRlcIoUs MOOD
Growths in Coral That Present n
thousand Novel shapes and Hues
when Gazed at Though Fifteen
Feet of Sea--A Picture That sug-
gests a Submarine Fairyland.

The marine gardens at Nassau in
varlaby attract the visitor to the
Bahamas. He is SO accustomed to
wonderful vegetation and wild luxu-
rance in natures furnishing on land
in this tabled part of the tropics, that
he is not surprised to see strange
growths under the sea. To reach them
it is necessary to take a sailboat or
steam launch. Two places are usually
visited. one Is a short distance down
the harbor, the other some few miles
out by the coral reefs. The latter Is
the better.
A party of tourists of which the
writer went down to the wharf at Mas
sau and engaged a sailboat to take
them out to the sea gardens. The sun
shone from out sky guiltless of a
cloud. The steady trade wind blew,
tempering the heat. Just before arriv-
ing at the gardens the skipper told
the party that the boy would dive for
any specimens they might want to take
home. He was asked If the colored
boys were not afraid of sharks. A
monster maneater had been caught the
day before near this spot He said the
sharks never troubled the boys.
Al ltEI tAhDENS'
At the sea gardens the boat is an
chored. The party gets in the observa-
tion boat. It's bottom is made of plate
glass. Through this the bottom of the
sea may be distinctly seen, for the
water is as clear as crystal Another
way is to use a water glass; This is
merely a square box with a glass bot
tom. On the floor of the sea, as it
were, is the sea garden. The 'soir' is
the white coral rock. Rising up in
the transparent water some fifteen feet
under the boat is the vegetation" of
odd and fantastic shapes. The branch
coral, the sea fair and the sponge are
ranged in parterres or artistic disor-
der. Seen through the green water
they are bathed in a mingled, melan-
choly light. There is a blueish, green
ish tint on the scene. 1t is like look
ing at forms frozen in ice. Here the
branch coral of the most delicate pink
raises it's candelabra-like arms, the
shapely sea fans graceful curve swell
in rounded fullness, or the specimen
sponge makes a circle of deep purple
or golden yellow on the white bottom,
and the white coral raises it's delicate
prongs.
1t is fair garden for a sea nymph.
Well might Aphrodite choose this plain
for her palace The many colored
fishes might we'll draw her chariot
through these arches of Neptune's own
building. The strange glory of this
scene, the silence and the realm of en-
chantment which it calls to mind,
would almost give it's evidence to the
eye in favor Of belief in this famous
r1p &c in hoh
The Imagination may have painted
the fields and hills of this marine Won
der in glowing colors, have endowed
it with the brilliant hues of verdure
seen on land. At first it is disep-
pointment. No orange tree, with deep
and glossy leaves, half-hiding the
golden fruit, rears it's rounded form,
bathed in the white light of the sun
and reflected from sand; no bamboo
spreads it's spray-like foliage in deli
cate tracery against an azure sky, and
no spear-like palmetto or vase-like
royal palm waves in the ether. Here
the silence of the underground king
dom reigns.
Motion ceases, except when, like
sprites, the wise looking fishes poise
and dart across the vision. Slowly
the charm of the weird scene, the Sc
cret beauty of the sea reveals itself
More delicate than ever wraught by
human hands, the cleaning white cor
ais airy branch curves and points up
ward, a skeleton tree in marble. Close
by, the pink of the summer sunset is
caught and held forever in the fern
like form of another species. Sea ane-
moneS. of rare tints like buds and flow-
ers cluster round and form contrasts
to the deep purple of the sea fan. Some
bright fish with rounded bulk, blue as
the sky at night, slowly moves through
this maze. Following in his train
comes the bright angel fish, with bulg-
ing eye, fearfully watchful cased in
| an armOr of brightest yellow scales.
From out some shadow or grotto shoots
one arrayed in glorious silver, and ath-
wart his body, like a sash of some
knightly order is cast a black belt.
In this scene the many kinds of
sickly colored fishes dart to and fro,
| or stand still, balanced, as 1t were, in
the ether above the fairy landscape.
| Strewed around in careless profusion
| are shell of dainty tints. 1t is not
| hard to believe the stories of the ma
| tives, that within them may be found
| the pearl The boat slowly drifts to
| and fro, showing new combinations and
| yet newer groWths.