Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-11-17

1
captured on the coast of Europe, hav-
ing been carried five or six thousand
miles by the great circulating current
of the North Atlantic ocean.
This circulating current has been lik-
ened to gigantic whirlpool. In the
midst of whirlpool there is always an
eddy, where the water Is nearly, If not
quite still. So it Is with the whirlpool
Of the North Atlantic ocean, and the
eddy is found short distance south
west Of the Azores.
There, largely owing to the stiffness
Of the sea in that part, has been FORM
ed an immense accumulation Of gulf
weed, which, though the plant doubt
less originated in shallow water, has
adapted itself to pelagic conditions in
such a manner as to grow and propa-
gate on the surface Of the ocean, hav-
ing no roots; but being upheld by bulbs
filled with air, which serve the purpose
Of floats. This is the famous Sargasso
sea, which extends for miles and miles
and having the appearance of a drown
ed meadow, on which the observer Is
| lSLhplSu " lLid6iiic lhdI hS hi6hs VIC
able TO walk.
It is not only from the point of view
Of the botanist that the Sargasso sea is
interesting. It has fauna Of its own,
unlike anything to be found anywhere
else in the world, whether on land or
water. Strange fishes, with armlike
forefins, by the aid Of which they cling
to the weed, inhabit the drowned mead
ow, making their nests by binding to-
gether globular masses of. the marine
plant as big as Dutch cheeses.
Naturalists have not had adequate
opportunities for studying the life OF
the Sargasso sea, which is sort OF
aquatic farm created by Mother Ma
ture in the midst of the Atlantic ocean.
| OF course, both animals and plants are
! continually dying, and when they per-
ish their remains sink to the bottom
beneath.
In this way immense accumulations
Of animal and vegetable material must
have been deposited through the ages.
and If, in future geologic epoch, there
should be an upheaval Of that part OF
the floor Of the ocean the farms Of the
world may be fertilized with the ma
terial thus rendered available for use
by man.
Floating objects entering this area,
where the fluid Of the sea has hardly
any motion, are apt to remain there
indefinitely, sinking finally to the bot
tom when their buoyancy has been lost.
Thus it comes about that waterlogged
vessels, deserted and left to take care
of themselves, often find their way into
the region Of the Sargasso sea, after
| travelling about in the circulating cur
rent Of the Atlantic.
Most of the "derelicts," as they are
called, start on their aimless voyages
off the coast Of the United States, and.
getting into the Gulf Stream, are car
ried along, sometimes taking more
than one circuit Of the Atlantic before
they arrive in the peaceful eddy which
serves as sort Of graveyard for ships.
There at length they find repose, sink
ing eventually to the bottom. If the
tabled Davy Jones has a home, that
domicile in the depths must surely be
found beneath the meadow Of aquatic
vegetation to the southwest of the
Azores.
Many Of them are undertaken, and
these are especially dangerous, tnas-
much as they will swim for years and
are so solid with their cargoes Of wa
ter-swelled wood that the forces OF
nature are expended upon them in
vain. They easily outlive the storms
that are fatal to the best built ships; II
set afire they will not burn, and moth
ing short of the most powerful explo-
sives will break them up. Now and
then one Of Uncle Sans cruisers Is
sent out to destroy them with dynamite
and shotted guns, thus rendering nav
igation for a time more safe.
They have way Of floating with
their decks on a level with the sur
face of the water, dismasted, so that
they cannot be seen at distance even
in the daytime. Drifting along In the
track of transatlantic travel, they are
a constance menace to travel, and par
ticularly to the great passenger vessels
which rush across the seas at the speed
Of railway trains, each Of them carry
ing the population Of a small town.
Most fascinating Of all the sea stories
is that of the phantom ship-the DOOM
ed vessel that sails forever without a
port, and to behold which means to the
sailor that he will never reach land
again. It was on January II, 1892, that
the Colombo D., saw in the Gulf
Stream, in the latitude Of Bermuda, q
three -masted, square-rigged vessel,
three miles over the star-board bow.
She seemed to be steering erratically,
though with all sails set, and when sig
nailed she returned no answer. The
Colombo D. approached so near to her
that the name on her stern, "Hutchlns
Bros, Nova Scotia" was plainly visible,
but there was no sign Of life on her
deck. The superstitious sailors refus-
ed to board her, thinking there was
something uncanny about her. Never
theless the Colombo D. stayed by all
night, the skipper desiring to investi-
gate the mystery.
In the morning, though 1t had been
a dead calm, the three-master had van
ished from the face Of the ocean. The
crew were terrified, believing that they
had seen the phantom ship, and that
they would never get to shore alive.
However, they reached shore all right,
and learned that the Hutchins Bros,
had been deserted, when about to sink,
by her men, who had been picked up.
Evidently she had gone down in the
night while the Colombo D. was lying
within a few cables length Of her.
Islands are frequently found floating
In the Gulf Stream. In 1892 quite a
large piece of dry land was sighted In
the middle of the stream, in the lati-