The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-07-26

whose history had been derived directly
from the descendants of its original colo
nists, and the Plato narrative carries con-
viction by its simple candor and apparent
lack of Imagination.
Only in the last few years has science
come to the confirmation of tradition and
rendered it almost certain that at one time
far back in the misty past there was actual
ly an island of continental proportions in
the Atlantic Ocean
About fifty years ago the scientific in
vestigation Of the sea bottom began with
the invention of apparatus for making
deep-sea soundings Government ships of
the United States, Germany and Great
Britain have mapped out the bottom of the
Atlantic, and thus has been made known
the existence of vast submarine plateau
reaching from point in the sea to the west
OF the British islands in southwestern di-
rection to the coast of South America, with
connecting ridge near the centre of the
Atlantic on to the south. Another ridge
passes off in the direction of Iceland. Thus
the Atlantic consists of two very deep val
leys, with a great plateau between them,
the valleys having depth of from 1900
to 8, 900 fathoms and the plateau of from
300 to 1000 The Azores and a few
other islands are the mountain peaks of
this submarine plateau, but they are not
the only peaks, for in numerous places the
/ tops of submarine mountains rise within
four or five hundred feet of the surface, and
in few instances these mountain SUBMITS
have been located as isolated rocks, very
dangerous to navigation. The plateau has
mountain ranges, and many evidences have
been found of volcanic agency, still active
in some of the islands which remain, and
indicated as once present by the character
of the specimens drawn from the sea bot
tom.
OF course it is impossible with present
appliances to gain special information con-
cerning the plateau or to ascertain aught of
any ruins, if there are any, which may
exist at the bottom, but It is altogether
probable that at some period in the far dis
tant past there was great subsidence of
the sea bottom, accompanied in all proba-
bility by an upheaval of the coasts, both of
Europe and America. 1t is known that
the British islands were once far below the
level Of the sea, probably to the depth of
1000 or 1, ZOO feet, and an upheaval in
one quarter signifies corresponding subsi-
dence in another, so out Of the cataclysm
which destroyed Atlantis may have come a
considerable part of the European and
American continents
Conirmatory evidence that land COM
munication once existed between the Old
World and the New is furnished by both
botanists and biologists, for the fora and
fauna of the two, while not identical, still
display SO many instances of correspondence
as to show that free communication existed
The fossil remains of the camel are found
on both continents, the terrible European
cave bear was no other than the grizzly;
the glutton and the wolverine are identical,
the cave lion and the cave wolf of Europe
are found in their remains in America,
while scores of other instances that might
be cited point to only one conclusion. The
same correspondences are observed in the
plant world, both among species supposed
to be native and varieties which have been
cultivated from prehistoric times.
The only remaining question concerns the
force or forces necessary to accomplish SO
tremendous a result. Is there power in
nature sufficient to submerge and destroy
continent? Concerning this no one who
has read the story of Martinique can doubt.
The earthquake, the volcanic eruption can
destroy anything. Instances Of the sub
mergence of considerable districts have oc-
Cured in our own times In 1919, 1000
square miles of land at the mouth of the
Indus sank beneath the ocean and the tow
ers of the great fort of Sindree are still
visible miles from the present coast. The
earthquake which destroyed Lisbon shook
an area of the earth surface larger than
Europe. There was once great continent
connecting southeastern Asia with Austria
liza; it has vanished beneath the Pacific and
the islands which dot the ocean are the tops
of its mountains Under the Atlantic there
was a sudden displacement and subsidence
of the crust of the earth, probably accom-
panied by violent volcanic disturbances, the
sea rushed over the land, Atlantis disap-
peared and the few of its people who es
capped spread far and near the awful story
of the deluge and perhaps became the
Noahs of the different nations which date
their origin from the colonies of the lost
island.