The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-12-28
THE DOOM OF VENICE
IT MAY BE TO LIE IN TIE BOSOM or
THE ADRlATIC.

Toll on Oceans Depths Like Those
OF old rort RoSnl-Thc SunLcn
Ciucs of the world.
II is believed by many that Venice
is sinking Into the AirHuc and that
she gradually will disappear beneath
fhc waters Of the great lagoon from
which her palace crowned Islands
arise. Other cities have gon, that
way before her. and ships now sail
over spots which were once tccmiug
with a populous life.
At the entrance 10 the hurbor OF King
EtOu Jamaica. the original city OF Port
Royal lies fathoms deep beneath the
blue and .sunlIt waters of the Cnrib-
bean sea 4 narrow strip Of land. ON
which are q small settlement and
fort, IS an that is left of what was
once the richest aud wicholcst town IN
the Wcst Indies. II was the resort OF
pirates. who rested there from their
dcprcdutious and made the city hid
cous with their rcvclry hut these pi-
rates brought great stores of their loot to
the city. and It's commerce grew and
nourshcd. Palaces and churches were
built, a pirate often striving by rich
endowment Of church TO square his
accounts with heaven.
/ Throughout the greater part Of the
/ seventeenth century mo- town I'm the
western world was so magnificent rs
10 It's buildings or so luxurious us TO It's
habits as Port Royal Then one day In
1862 the anger Of the Lord shook the
island Of Jamaica, and the greater part
OF Port Royal sank beneath the sea
carrying with Il Iudrods Of Its in
habitants. Towers, churches. palaces
and forts went down, many Of them
not tumhlng In ruins by the shock,
but sinking bodily beneath the waves.
On a bright day. sailing over the
spot where Port Royal once stood, one
can look far down through the clear
water and see the remains of the city
still standing there on the ocean bot
tom. with fishes swimming about
among its towers ana great tropical
seawceds waving from Its sunken
walls.
The negroes OF Jamalca-and some
white people too-wlll tell you that be
fore a storm the sunkcn bell of the
great cathedral which went down with
the city on that awful day In 1862 can
be heard distinctly tolliug below the
waves. rung as warning by the
ghostly hands of the spirits of depart
cd buccaneers which haunt the suhma-
rine city. People who do not believe In
ghosts, but think they have heard the
tOlling of the bell. say the explanation
IS that when the city sunk the great
bell of the cathedral was not thrown
from Its place. but still hangs as II
originally did. The coming storm be-
fore II reaches jamaica stirs up the
waters o. the Caribbean and sends In
upon the shore deep waves, which roll
through the sunken city ana set the
bell a-tolling.
Another sunkcn city of rcnown Is
Balac, that splendid resort on the ltal-
ian coast where Nero and Caligula
"revclcd ana drank deep" \ strag
Cling village and heaps of marble ruins
stil stand upon the shore and bear the
name of Baiae, but the greater part Of
the city lies beneath the waters of the
Mediterranean, ana tourists from Ma
pies go out there 10 gaze down into the
waters and try 10 catch a glimpse OF
the submerged city.
The resort Of all the wealthy mobiles
of Rome when Rome was mistress Of
the world, Baiae was marvel Of lux
urious splendor. Palace after palace
was built on the shore. and architects
designed magnificent structures ex-
tending out into the sea.
When Rome dccaycd and the Goths
ravagcd Italy, Baiac was sacked by
the invaders. Soon after the city be-
gan TO sink. First the buildings which
had their foundation IN the water sub
sided beneath the waves, and then
the sea made an attack on the land.
Gradually the shore line rcccded, and
the Mediterranean flowed through the
streets where IIadrlan had driven his
imperial chariot ana Horace had walk
ed thinking Of his next poem.
These promOntorics, crowned with
grand towers ana gorgeous palaces,
were undermined ana topplcd into the
deep until ut last the major part Of
the splendid city was submerged. Its
disappearance was not sudden, like
that Of Port Royal and due 20 some
convuslon Of nature. but Baiae went
down TO It's death gradually, as Venice
Is said 10 be going.
In Holland the suhsidcnce Of the
land has brought It about that many
towns once populous are now covered
by the sea. The old Roman camp at
Brittcnburg, after sinking beneath the
waves, emerged again In 1920, only 10
disappear, and It's remains now lie in
deep water opposite the town OF Kat
wijk. The original KntwiJk itself now
IS beneath the waters, as also are the
original towns Of Schcvenlngen, Dom
burg and Egmond In fact, a success
sion OF towns bearing these names Is
now at the bottom Of the sea, for they
ral,pIIf 90 no