New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-05

tant from the coast OF Florida. They extend to
| and include the Bahamas and other islands,
| These submarine plateauS have various depths.
An elevation of one hundred feet to three hun.
dred feet would greatly enlarge the Southeast
| ern States, and raise the Bahama banks into
broad plains lin reality a continuation Of the
| coastal plains Of the Southern States, separ-
ated from Cuba and Florida by only narrow
channels a lower broad plateau occurs in this
same region, at depths from twenty-five hum
| dred feet 10 thirty hundred feet. From its
margin the edge Of the continent drops abrupt
| ly to depths of twelve thousand feet or more.
| on the western side of Florida the drowned
plains gradually slope down to about three hum
dred feet. beyond which there is an abrupt
descent TO the abyss Of the Gulf Of Mexico:
! The Yucatan plains extend as broad submerged
| banks to about three hundred feet beneath the
| sea. and the sea floor then falls rapidly to that
! Of the Gulf of Mexico, at twelve thousand feet.
Such slightly submerged plains or great breadth
occur on the banks between honduras and
! Jamaica. TIE Wndward Islands dre fragments
of a plateau, which an energence OF less than
three thousand feet would unite into ore body
+ Of land. Both to the east and west Of Jamaica
! there are plateauS depressed TO between three
! thousand feet and four thousand feet Sun
| lower pateaus are indicated in the Caribbean
Sea, which reaches to a depth Of fifteen thou
sand feet.
/ From the existence Of these submerged plat
eaus it becomes apparent that change Of ele-
walton Of from two thousand feet to four thou
sand feet would not merely unite Cuba ana
Florida but would greatly enlarge the West
/ Indian lands. and almost connect Nortn Amer
/ ca and South America Such a change or ele-
! walton would nearly barricade the Antillean
} water into three basins-the Caribbean sea- tne
Sea of Honduras and the Gulf OF Mexico. Inc
Sea Of Honduras between Cuba and Jamaica,
reaches 10 the phenomenal depth or twenty
thousand feet in the form of long, narrow
channel The structure of these sea basins at
various depths has been mapped by many
writer's but the cha ractcr Of the channels which
dissect the drowned platcaus had been almost
entirely passed over until the appearance OF the
"I From The apparentiy complete analogy be-
tween the Characteristics OF the land ana sup
marine valleys or channels-namely. % inc
submarine valleys being continuaticiS OF tnoso
Of the continent or island: co both having triou-
| tarics Converting from every possible direction;
! CD both classes OF valleys having their nashi-
tude OF corresponding proportions WIN ~! SIM
liar great canons and amphltheatrehke tTipu-
taries. o. both terrestrial and submarine chan-
nels with similar graduation plains and steps
/ chara ctcrizng their slopes 80 without obstruct-
! ing barriers-the conclusion is reached that the
depths of the submarine channels may be usea
as yardstlc<s 70 show that the land lately stood
nearly as high as ;hc valleys are deep
CONJECTURES AS TO FORMER LEVELS.
| Applied to the West Indian region and ada
cent parts OF The continent it would thus ap.
pear that these regions stood from ten thousand
to twelve thousand feet or In some localities
fourteen thousand feet higher than now. The
West Indian bridge reached height OF from
! two to more than two and hali mics. "nlio
| the floors Of the Gulf If Mexico and the car
| ltbcan sea, to which depth the drowned VAL
/ legs be traced. were continental plains. like
those If the Mississippi or Amazon OF the pres
en-; dag, With perhaps some shallow lakes or
small seas. The backbone Of this West Indian
bridge was near the Atlantic side. and remains
OF IL are seen in the ridge dissected during the
/ epoch Of high elevation by the rapidly descend
! ing streams which NOW constitute the chain
! OF the Windward Islands.
The plains forming the floors Of the Gull
! OF Mexico and the Honduras and Caribbean
/ seas were apparently drained into the Pacific
Ocean across the Tchuantcpec Isthmus. Hondu-
ras. Nicaragua. Panama and other low depres-
siOns farther south The writer's recent ex-
! this hypothesis. Platcaus If Mexico and Central
America. rising from six thousand TO ten thou
sand feet. are there reduced in height for a dis
tancc - more than sixty miles. SD tsat Ie find
half dozen passes as low as eight hundred feet
above the sea. During The earlier period Of the
elevation Of the Antillean region the Tehuante-
pee lsthmus Mas a strait in which a deep-Water
fauna living. Later the strait trans
formed into land troughs. fragments OF the
old blse-leyel floor of which still extant,
and through them narrow geological canals
were formed when the low Mexican plains had
again sunk beneath the Gulf waters. This
question Of the elevation Of the Mexican and
Central American barriers would carry be-
yOnd the Limits of the present paper that
all that can now he said Of them is that they
were elevated at very recent date. correspond.
ing 10 the subsistence OF the West Indian region,
to heights reao ming from six thousand 70 even
more than ten thousand feet This elevation
balance.