The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-09
GREAT SUBMARINE DESERTS.
Vast Portions OF the Pacific That Are With
ont Life Of ANY Kind

out Life OF Any Kind.
Prof. Alexander Agassiz has reported that
he has discovered hitherto unknown suD-
marine desert. 1900 miles long by 1900
miles wide. in the eastern Pacific, between
the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island"
That portion of the Pacific, from the
Galapagos which the equator
passes--on the one side, to Easter Island.
the barren rocks Of a-y-Gomez, Pitcairn
and Ducie Islands. on the other, has long
been known as sea unusually barren of
life, either on the surface or below, says a
writer in the Pail Mall Gazette. Sea birds
though they abound on Pitcairn, Demo and
Duoie 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 Fernandez.
Sometimes one may see, high in air, above
this desolate sea. the widespread wings of
a frigate bird, sweeping toward land that
may be a thousand miles away. but the
ocean itself seems devoid of life.
The writer of this article we'll remembers
making passage in small schooner from
Easter Island to Manga Reva in the Gambler
Group. Midway between Easter Island
and Pitcairn Island we met with what our
American captain described as "blazng,
furious calm" For six days we lay baking
under torrid sun with the pitch bubbling
UP in the deck seams, and during that time
we did not see a single living thing of any
kind-ether bird, fish or any Of those
floating minor organisms usually met with
when n ship is becamed in tropic seas.
When we left Easter Island we had been
attended by seven pilot fish which kept
with us for four or five days. Then. as
the wind died away, they left us-a most
unusual thing, for, az n rule. these beau
tiful creatures will attend ship 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
have knowledge of two of these barren
ocean patches IN the South Pacific. One
il Of, the island of Eua, in the Tongan
Archipelago the other at Mus Savage
island, 300 miles to the eastward. One
day l. ACCOMPANIED by native lad. was
pigeon shooting on Eua, and stopped to
rest and lunch on the summit of the north
eastern cliffs. which here start sheer up
from the sea 400 feet below.
-Jaojai," said 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
fish"
no indeed 1t is no good at 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 except
few small rock cod.
why is it SOP
Because there is nothing there for the
fish to eat-no growing coral, no seaweed,
IT is because of the strong current think.
which sweeps through the straits between
this island and Tongatabu and then curves
around this point. The bottom is of hard
smooth white stones. When there is no
wind YOU can look down for twenty fathoms
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 it is oge because
of the volcano. which sometimes ca,lses the
sea to boil, and the water is poisoned with
sulfur and ashes from the great eruption
long since.
A day or so later | took boat and sailed
around opposite to the cliffs, and anchored
in fifty fathoms, For an hour | fished
without getting bite, then went in close
under the grim cliffs. and with q water
glass examined the bottom at depth of
about twelve fathoms; could see nothing
alive-not even a crab.
Sailing round the weather side of the
island I 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 rod rock cod, and a fish like the New
Zealand yellow tail
The barren patch at Savage Island lies
off point between the villages of Aloti
and Avetele. II is about five miles in cir
conference and devoid of life. the bottom
covered with huge white bouders and not
living bit of coral to he seen. There
is also another and much more ey-
"a NOlca