Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-15
SUBMARINE DESERTS
VAST PORTIONS OF PACIFIC WITH
OUT LIFE OF ANY KIND.
Sea Birds Avoid Ocean Between the
Galapagos Islands and Easter
Island.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
Prof Alexander Agassiz has reported that
he has discovered hitherto unknown sub
marine desert. 1900 miles long by LOO
miles wide. in the eastern Pacific, between
the GALAPAGOS Islands and Easter Island"
That portion of the Pacific from the Gala
pdgos-through which the equator passes
on the one side. to Easter Island. the barren
rocks of Sala-y-Gomez Pitc arm and Ducie
Islands, on the other. has long been known
as a sea unusually barren OF life. either on
The surface below. Sea birds. though
they abound on Pitcairn, Oeno and Duc.e
Islands and the Galapagos. are rarely seen
In the wide area between the equator and
the Tropic of Capricorn, and from Pitcairn
Island to Juan Ferna ndez Sometimes one
may see. high in air, above this deSOlate
sea. the widespread wings of a friSate bird
sweeping toward land that may be d thou
sand miles away, but the ocean itself seems
devoid of life.
The writer of this article well remembers
making passage In small schooner from
Easter Island to Manga Reva. in the Cam
bier group. Midway between Easter Island
and Pitcairn Island we met with what our
American captain described as blazing,
furious calm. For six days we lay baking
under Il torrid sun with the pitch bubbling
up In the deck seams and during that time
we did not see single living thing of any
kind-either bird, fish any of those float
Ing MINOR organisms usually met with Wnen
a ship is becalmed in tropic seas. When
we left Easter Island we had been attended
by seven pilot fish which kept with US for
four five days Then. as the wind died
away, they left us-a most unusual thing.
for. as a rule, these beautiful creatures
will attend a snip for many days, even
weeks. Evidently they knew that there was
no food for them in this desert part of the
ocean, and so declined to keep us company
any further
l have knowledge of two of these barren
ocean patches in the South Pacific. One is
off the Island of Eua. in the Tougan archi-
pelago, the other at Niue Savage lsiand),
300 mixes TO the eastward. One day |. ac-
companied by a native lad, was pigeon
shooting on Eua, and stopped to rest and
lunch on the summit of the northeastern
cliffs, which here start sheer up from the
sea 400 feet below.
No Fish Here.
"Jaojai." l sad. as we looked down at
the smooth blue sea, the water is very
deep here the cliffs come straight up from
the sea. 1t should be good place for big
Ash b."
NO. indeed. 1t is no good a all. There
Is nothing lives there; it is oge literally.
hungry, foodless). You might fish all day,
either close into the cliffs or for half
league from them, and catch nothing ex-
cept a few small rock cod.
why is II SOP
Because there is nothing there for the
fish to eat-no growing coral, no seaweed.
|: is because of the strong current. | think,
which sweeps through the straits between
this island and Tongatabu and then curves
round this point. The bottom is of hard,
fiat rock with here and there great piles
of smooth white stones. When there Is no
wind you can look down for twenty faith
oms and see the bottom and the stones. but
naught else. There are other places like it
in Tonga between kao and Tofoa where
fish cannot live. But there 1t is oge be-
Of in1 nrfNat inc
causes the sea to boil, and the water Is
poisoned with sulphur and ashes from the
great eruption long since
Nothing Alive.
A day or 50 later took boat and sailed
around opposite to the cliffs and anchored
In fifty fathoms. For an hour l fished
without getting bite. then went in close
under the grim cliffs. and with a water
glass examined the bottom at a depth OF
about twelve fathoms; could see nothing
alive-not even crab.
Sailing round the weather side of the
island l brought to again off the south
point, and here in less than an hour my
crew of four and myself caught several
hundredweight of fine fish, principally great
red rock cod. and a fish like the New Zea-
land yellow tail.
The barren patch at Savage Island lies off
a point between the villages of Alofi and
Avetele. 1t is about five miles in circum-
ference and devoid of life, the bottom COW
cred with huge white bOulders and not a
living bit of coral to be seen. There is also
another-and much more eXtenSve-sea
desert near the volcanic island of Ambrym,
In the New Hebrides. and fourth between
the islands of Maiua and Tutuila. in the
81 moan group This latter place is a patch
o. rock. sixty fathoms below the surface
and of about mile in circumference. 1
discovered its existence in 1870 during a
calm by sounding and at once began TO
| fish. In two hours l was satisfied 1t was
also Oge. Almost anywhere else In the
| South Pacific thousands of fish would fire.
qUent such a comparatively shallow spot
and eagerly take the hook.