Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-04
MOUNTAINS OF THE SEA
VAST RANGES AND VALLEYS OF
THE OCEAN BED.
Peaks and SUBMITS Over Which Ships
Sleeps" Of the
Atlantic.

Few of the many thousands of people
who cross the ,Atlantic on pleasure bent
give a thought to,ahe land that Is nearest
to them after they reach the open sea-
the land at it's bottom. Nevertheless. 1t Is
a fact that they sail over many mountains
of enormous height. with valleys and plains
between OF immense area.
In effect. the Atlantic is a huge CONT
nent boasting a superficial area OF twenty
five million square miles. 1t Is nine thou
sand miles long and two thousand seven
hundred broad. wholly under the salt
waves. The depth Of this liquid covering
Is by no means 30 considerable as people
imagined even quarter of q century ago.
when the Atlantic was regarded as being
in places ten. fifteen and twenty miles deep
or more. The old term 'fathomless" can
no longer be applied to the ocean: soon
even the poet Gray's more modern express
sion in the "Elegy, "unfathomed,' will be
obsolete
Thanks chiefly to the labors of the cable
laying and cable-repairing ships. our
knowledge of the conf guration Of The bed
Oceanography as science may be said
to date only from about 1880.
Just Below the Waves.
The Laura Ethel Mountain. in latitude
Al degrees 10 minutes longitude 50 degrees
Al minutes. is the uttermost peak Of one Of
the most celebrated of the submarine ele-
vations In the Atlantic. 1t was discovered
in 1873 and figures on all recent charts. Ad-
jacent soundings showed a depth of two
thousand fathoms. so that the discovery of
depth of only thirty-six fathoms created
much surprise. It has been repeatedly ex-
plored by the sounding-line. until now. af-
ter a quarter Of a century OF acquaintance
ship. its contour and characteristics are al
most as well known as many peaks OF the
Alps or Andes.
Mount Chaucer was revealed to ocean
ographers in 1880 1t is situated in latitude
y deg. so min. longitude % deg. 80 min.
and its crest is only forty-eight fathoms
from the surface. The honor of being the
first discovered mountain in the Atlantic
belongs to SainthiH. in latitude ~ deg. 50
min. longitude ~ deg. 20 min. 1t became
known to science in 1892; that its exist
ence was unguessed until three-quarters of
a century ago Is strong testimony to the
extreme novelty of oceanography. 1t is
not less than 10000 feet high, and its sum-
nit is 100 fathoms from the surface.
The Faraday Hills, discovered by the ex-
ploring staff on board the steamship Far
aday IN 1888, in latitude 40 deg 80 min..
longitude % deg 10 min.. are noted for the
presence Of much wreckage at their base.
Davy Jones' Locker.
From time immemorial sailors have been
wont to speak OF "Davy Jones' locker"
with scant idea., doubtless. Of any particu-
lar submarine repository where drowned
ships and men are held in safe-keeping till
judgment day. But one peak of the Fara-
day Hills or the etnnence known as Saint
hill might each tlaim the distinction of
being the reaF'~'Davy Jones' locker" 1t
has been estimated that at the base of the
latter the relics Of not fewer than five thou
sand wrecks lie scattered. while the former
is an arsenal and timber yard of proper
tons vaster than any on dry land
We have spoken of mountains, but have
remarked little upOn the mighty valleys of
the ocean. The deepest indentation into
the earth's crust is Probably in the Pacific.
well defined in the Atlantic. To the great
est of these has bsen given the name of
Mares Deep. OtherSare Sigsbee Deep Lib
hey Deep, Thoulett Deep, Murray Peake
and Monaco Defps. rThe greatest depth yet
sounded in the Atlantic was originally dis
covefePby the ship sGettysbafe.. ninety-five
miles north OF St. tThomas0 la titude 10 deg
II min. Longitude 65 deg. 2 min. 1t Is 1876
| fathoms below sea level.
Prof. Agassiz, In the Albatross expedition
OF 1859. made sounding in the Pacific of
$50 fathoms off the Tonga Islands, and
! there are believed to exist still deeper ba-
I sins near Japan. But four miles and a half
| the Atlantic. The average depth of the
whole ocean may be taken as about two
| English miles. = 49,
Contrary to former opinion. recent re-
| search has clearly proved that the greater
depths do not lie in the middle of the ocean
but in the neighborhood of the dry land
| The latest ascertained depth OF the waters
| covering the earth is thus stated by Prince
Albert of Monaco. following Prof. Krum-
mel, to be the average in fathoms: Atlantic
2.O12: Indian. 1.S2S: Pacific, g 126: Antarc-
| tic, 1904; Arctic. 844: Mediterranean, 732.