Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-14
NEAR THE SARGASSO SEA.
New and Profitable Field
Opened Up for the POrtu-
guese Fishermen From
the WindWard Isles.
LIKE GREAT BANKS.

The discovery of a drowned island in
the midst of the Atlantic Ocean is an
event sufficiently sensational to CAUSE
not little excitement among "thalas-
sagraphers''-as those scientists who
make it their business to study the
bottom of the sea call themselves. Fu-
ture charts issued by the Hydrograph-
ic Office at Washington Will show this
geological freak. with soundings in
fathoms upon and around it. 1t is a
huge volcanic mountain. which uplifts
itself from the floor of the ocean near-
ly to the surface, the depths all about
it averaging about two miles.
This drowned island is located just a
little bit over 1000 miles due west from
the Rock of Gibraltar. 1t is forty-five
miles southwest of Pico in the Azores
The shape of it, as determined by
soundings, is much like that of huge
cooked hat, with the top of the hat
pointing to the south. Happily, there
is no danger that any vessels will run
uBpi IT, luetSilllGu eS IT'S Highest Dcdh
is forty-one fathoms beneath the sur
face of the sea. If it We're only a little
higher, it would be a real island, and
people would be living on it.
Nevertheless, this drowned island,
which has already received the name
of Princess Alice Shoal," possesses a
very practical Importance and useful
ness, as will be explained presently. 1t
was discovered by no less a parsonage
than His Serene Highness the Prince
of Monaco, who has fad for inyesti-
eating the depths of the sea. In fact.
he is one of the most eminent of living
"thalassagraphers," and considerable
fraction of the income derived by him
from royalty in the celebrated gam
bling establishment located in his do
minions is spent in the pursuit of this
hobby. His experiments in the floating
of bottles for the purpose of studying
ocean currents have contributed Some
very important facts to scientific
knowledge.
The Prince came upon the drowned
island quite unexpectedly while making
soundings from his yacht, the Princess
Alice after which he named his dis
covery. 1t was a shoa1 in the midst of
the oceans depths, and the lead-Iine
registered all the way from one hun
dred and fifty fathoms to forty-one
fathoms in various parts of the Cooked
hat" outlined by its record. The peak
of the submarine mountain was found
to be quite sharp, and His Serene High
ness marked it with couple of buoys.
These buoys have already become q
goal for fishermen in pursuit of their
industry
A shoal in the deep sea, be it under
stood, is always rich in the forms Of
life which afford food to fishes. Hence
it is that the Grand Banks are such
profitable fishing grounds for cod and
halibut. 1t is not surprising, therefore,
to learn that the newly discovered
drowned island has already become a
Mecca for the toilers of the sea, who
sail over to it from the Azores. They
are making a rich harvest there and
for all time to come it promises to yield
o great annual crop of marine wealth.
Princess Alice Shoal is situated on
the northeastern edge of the Sargasso
Sea-that wonderful collection of
aquatic plants in the midst of the At
lantic which grow and reproduce their
kind while floating on the surface of
the water upheld by their own air.
filled bulbs. In calm weather the vast
area covered by this strange vegetation
looks like drowned meadow, but dur
ing storms the plants are scattered
more or less. The Sargasso Sea is To-
Gated in an eddy of the great circulate
ing stream of the Atlantic, so that the
waters there are nearly stationary,
having no strong currents. Hence the
accumulation of plant-life, as in a still
pond.
The aquatic vegetation of the Sar-
gasso Sea teens with multitudinous
forms of life but not least interestina
of the myriad creatures which inhabit
it are certain curious nest-building
fishes. They have arm-like fore fins
with which they cling to the weed,
making their nests by binding together
globular masses of it as big as Dutch
cheeses. This they accomplish by
means of long gelatinous strings, which
they form for the purpose finally de-
posting their eggs in the centre of the
sphere thus composed. There are trans-
parent cuttlefsh, transparent shrimps,
and transparent worms in the weed.
One can see through them as if they
were made of glass.
Shrimps and crabs also abound, and
they, as well as the fishes, are spotted
yellow and white, like the weed itself.
This of course. is one of natures pros
tective DISCUSSES
Copyright, 1898, by Bacheller Syndicate.