Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-20
The SargaSSO Sea
BY Frederic j. HaSkin

that to attempt it will result in their
being caught and carried to the center,
from which there is no escape. Scien-
lists discredit this story absolutely,
and from Columbus journal ii is not
apparent that he had any difficulty in
that connection.
Various scientists have attempted to
define the exact area of the Sargasso
Sea. In 1865 Nj. Leps, a Frenchman,
made maps in which that region was
charted definitely, and 1t Is claimed
that all the maps made in the last
forty years have been based on these.
As a result of his observations Mr..
Findley, an English writer, who IS
considered an authority on the sub
iect claims that 1t has no specific
boundaries, but nuctuates. He be-
ieves 1t is more southerly in winter
ana the reverse during the summer
months One scientist claims that the
Sargasso Sea is as large as the Mis-
sissippi valley.
While the area OF the Sargasso Sea,
and the weed found in It, both have
remained mystery to scientists, they
are no less unknown than the animal
life which abounds in this unexplored
region. The most extraordinary of all
the fish to be found there is the anten-
narius 1t cements little balls of weed
together I'm which II deposits it's eggs.
This fish Is yellow, brown and white,
with a body thick in proportion to its
length 1t is four or five inches long,
the head and mouth being enormous
for its size. When agitated 1t becomes
inflated until It resembles a tight ball.
Its eyes are a brilliant green. Speci-
mems of this fish occasionally drift
into the harbor Of Beaufort, North
Carolina, and on being picked up by
boys along the beach are taken to the
laboratory of the United States bureau
of fisheries there. In this way some
knowledge of the habits and life of the
species has been obtained. Two speci-
mems which were watched closely
fought constantly until one killed the
other.
The only insect living on the surface
of the Sargasso Sea travel so rapidly
that 1t is extremely difficult to catch
them. Flying fish are plentiful, but
there are no marine birds in the vicin-
lty. At night the entire scene assumes
a brilliant aspect. Then the phos-
phorescent weed gives off a silver glow
short distance beneath the surface,
causing even the fish to appear out
lined with light 1t is said that a
branch of the seaweed when placed in
small, dark cabin will give sufficient
light to distinguish various objects.
Naturalists claim that seaweed is the
most extensive of all vegetable growths
on land or sea. A full grown plant
is about the size OF a cabbage and is
about a foot in length 1t is found as
far south as Cape st. Rogue, Brazil
1t fringes every island of the Antilles,
every shore of the Caribbean, and is
found as far north as Cape Cod. II
has been estimated that it takes FIVE
and half months for the detached
CT fDFs.,
part of the Sargasso sea. There is n
limit to its separate existence. When
II is subjected to change of tempera-
ture or difference of locality caused
by continued wind or current. large
quantities become decayed and sink
to the bottom. In a few instances
branches are known to have drifted to
the shores of the British isles and
western Europe. but when found were
always in an imperfect condition. The
source of supply from the Gulf Of Mex
leo is so great that the quantities that
are lost are not noticeable.
The popular belief that the Sargasso
sea is a giant whirlpool, drawing ven
turesome and abandoned ships into
its vortex, has given rise to many re-
markable stories. One OF its victims
was supposed to have been the Marie
Celeste which left New York in 1887
for Europe with thirteen people on
board, including the captains wife and
child. Two weeks after setting out
a British bark sighted her in the At
lantic ocean with no sign of life on
board. A boat was sent and thorough
search made which revealed absolutely
nothing that would give a clew to the
cause of the. desertion of the ship.
Everything was in its place, even the
boats at the davits. The hull was
undamaged. cargo intact. and the rig
ging and spars were in perfect condi-
tion. The sails were all set, and the
weekly wash of the crew hung above
the forecastle. In the cabin there was
a sewing machine with a child's gar
ment under the needle and on the table
there was half finished meal The
log book was posted to within forty
eight hours Of the visit, and from the
condition of the ship II was proved
that no storm had been encountered
Although the United States govern
ment spared nothing in its efforts to
unravel the mystery, no trace of any
member of the ships company was
found.