The sun., 1901-10-13
RIVERS Under THE SEA.
Underground streams That Have an Outlet
on the OCEAN Botton.

huusfkfbtAthi FtNfeta- h".' sse'' 49, '-'''N
on the Ocean hottoni.
Along the shallow bottom Of the ooean.
not very far from the land. number OF
openings have been discovered In various
parts Of the world. through which water.
as pure and fresh that OF any bubbling
spring. mineles with the salt water OF the
,-ea Another remarkable class OF fresh
water springs II those that sink out ~
sight or perhaps never come to the rurface.
hut follow hidden channels under tho land
and under the -ea until they finally come
Ia the open air on an island. Both OF the-"
types Of underground rivers are perhaps
most remarkably illustrated near and on
Bahrein Island In the Persian Gulf, plac"
that j. also noted a. one Of IN" chief SOURCES
of pearls
Bshr"in Island. the largest Of the group
OF islands bearing that name. II about
twenty miles on the coast OF Arabia In
tho Persian Gulf A the island has al
most no rainfall II IL n dead level of sandy
dessert. relieved only 10y palm groves and
patches Of vegetation where water springs
TO the surface from the mysterious under
ground channels. In many places the
water does not reach the surface, but II
found 10y sinking wells, the water being
RAISED tO the surface by donkeys and bull
locks and poured into the channels from
which tho date palms and other crup- ar
irrigated These springs cannot possibly
be- derived from the island and IL is no more
likely that they come from the sandy wastes
of neighboring Arabia Tho Arabian shore
far az can be seen. Ia low and devoid
Of water except at el-KAtf where similar
springs are found.
Arabs say that these streams come
straight from the Euphrates River through
al underground channel by which thu
great riv"r. In part. flows beneath the Per
stan Gulf Geologists. however. have dis
missed this theory Though the origin
Of the springs has not yet been satisfac-
torily explained the most favored theory
IL that they come from the well watered
slopes Of the Persian mountains. far To
the north II this th.ory IL correct, II
means that tho rainfall sinks into the
earth'- crust until IL reaches impermeable
rock strata along which II 10 carried for a
great distance to the south out under the
--a until th" rock sloping upward again
brings the water near the surface on Bah
rein Island Some of the wells that are
thus supplied are enormous and one %
them. the Adari serves for IN" irrigation
! ~ many miles of date palms through a canal
| ~ ancient construction The AdAri well
l. one II tho great sights Of Rahrein. being
/ a d-cp basin 81 water, % by 20 yards In sin"
beautifully clear and full Of priz matte colors
| The fact that It comes from far higher
source l. shown by the force with which
| II enters the well divers driven back by
the strong current are unable TO reach the
! bottom.
Then. being no wells within mile. Of
some of the coast towns Of Bahrein they
obtain water from springs that issue from
the bottom % the gulf not far from IN,
shore Thc-e springs of course. have
the same origin a. the wells Divers with
guatskinS under their arms dive through the
salt water and hll the skinA with the cold
fresh huuld at the bottom The water
obtained in this way usually contains a
slight admiIture Of ~al, water ~ that the
| mixture j. just little bracktsh A. soms
Of these openings at the sea bottom the
head " water entering tho sea i 50 strong
that when hollow hambooS ara push"d
down into II the water ri-e- through the
tubes. delivering IA" fre-h water directly
into vr---'I- that are held 10y men and women
who arc sitting in the boats that brought
them from the land The fore" of some
! 81 the streams a. they com" from tho earth
l. ~ considerable that II pushes back the
salt water and IN" spring is not MIX ed
With the -..a water for quite space around
| the pat~ of entrance
II has been practically determined with
IN the pa-l few years that the waters Of a
small 1vrr IN West Africa which dlsap-
| near IN a fresh water swamp that has no
| visible outlet find their way hy al un-
dersro,nd channel into the Atlantic and
ninslc with the SEA through an opening
In tho bottom that has becn discovered
n few miles from Cape Verde A channel
ha- h.cn found on the -"a hoor which
/ apparently, was cut 10y this fresh water
stream During some soundings that
were made IN lsa5 for the purpose Of find
ing and raising a broken cable tho vessel
I engaged IN the work was surrounded by
swamp vegetation that was continually
rising 80 the surface II was evidently
brought through tho underground chan
mel from the Vamp
The breaking of a cable N the mouth ~
7 th, Ruvutna River IN Fast Africa has been
/ attributed to the destructive action uf a
! strong current of sweet WaieI entering the
-.a level several miles from tho land An
other remarkable example of n submarine
river j. found 90 the north ~ the CITY II
Area un the Pacific coast II South America
A river from the Andes that is gradually
swallowed up Ia the sSnd has been found
to make its way invisibly into the sea with
. which 90 uui'c~ some miles from the land