Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-17

The sargasso sea is one OF the battling
mysteries Of nature. II IS popularity be-
lieved that this phenomenon is the grave
yard OF a mighty fleet Of dead ships, and
fictionists have made much Of its sugges-
tons OF romance, tragedy and lost treasure.
When Christopher Columb was sailing
toward American he encountered the Sar-
gasso sea. He recorded in his journal
that they began to see many tufts Of
grass which were very green and appeared
to have been quite recently torn from the
land" Upon sight OF this phenomenon his
sailors exclaimed that the very sea itself
was turning into land In order to retard
his progress. This vast expanse Of weedy
sea is very little less Of a mystery to the
present generation than Il was to Columbus.
AS far as science is able to tell us the
Sargasso sea is practically the same today
as when II was first discovered, and is
perhaps the only one of the larger aspects
Of nature has not undergone some change
since that time.
Its area is still definitely underlined, and
the cause Of It's weedy deposit is still in
dispute. 1t has remained a battliSg ground
for scientists all these years, and has
developed into a source of delight for inn
~aginative writer's. 1t is situated In the North
Atlantic ocean, and is similar in shape
to an egg, the large end being toward
Florida. 1t reaches from longitude 70 to
longitude 40, being about 600 miles south
west Of the Azores. Its width lies be-
tween latitude 20 and latitude IS. The
Bermuda islands are the only body of land
within its area, they being near Its north
west edge. II is estimated to be about
10000 square miles In extent.
The Sargasso sea has been likened to a
basin OF water with light substances float
ing upon its surface, When this basin is
given a circular motion the mass gathers
In the center where there is the least dis
~turbance, The Sargasso sea is the center
Of the body OF water enclosed in the circle
formed by the joining of the Gulf stream
current and the Equatorial current.
The Sargasso sea. is covered with masses
Of yellow brown seaweed. Each stalk has
little air bladders which enable the plant to
remain at the surface Of the water. The
weed usually is seen in long, parallel rows
which stretch away in the direction OF the
prevailing winds. Sometimes It becomes %
packed as to form ~island-like patches.
These are to be found mostly in the west
ern part OF the sea and are seldom over a
hundred feet in diameter, although fields
several acres in extent occasionally are
seen. 1t Is believed that near the center
of the sea these areas become larger. This
weed serves to keep the water calm even
though a heavy vino is blowing,
Where this great supply Of seaweed
comes from is a mooted question. Some
believe that It grows at the bottom Of the
sea, directly beneath the area in which IT
Is seen. This theory has been dlscredited
by scientists making ~soundings, which
showed no growths whatever at the bot
tom. Others believe That the plant grows
on the surface of the water, each branch
that breaks off from the parent stem be-
coming an Independent plant. This theory
also has been discredited. The greater
number OF scientists cling to the belief
tina the weed is a habitat Of the Gulf OF
Mexico, as it has been found attached to
rocks at the bottom in most parts Of It.
Their theory is that the seeds of this plant
become attached to rocks in the manner
usual to all algae. SIS When the plant has
obtained a considerable size it offers
greater resistance to the progress of the
continual current than the stalk will stand
and consequently is broken off. 1t then
rises to the surface and is swept onward
by the stream until 1t passes through the
Gulf OF Florida. The Gulf stream has a
tendency to throw all floating bodies off
to the right OF its course and the weed is
therefore gradually turned into the central
sea. One point in ~substantlation of this
theory is the fact tina the ends Of all the
stalks are dead.
While no shoals or hidden rocks have
been found, in fact nothing whatever Of a
dangerous nature, it is nevertheless an I'M
pleasant sensation to. have a ship pass
swiftly through an ocean covered with
heritage resembling a partially submerged
meadow, 1t requires several similar eX-
pt riences before the uneasiness wears off,
SO much has been surmlsed in connection
with the ~Sargasso sea that to divide the
truth from the untruth is a difficult mat
ter. One of the most prevalent of the un-
truthful Ideas regarded this phenomenon is
that ships are unable to make their way
through It's -expanse, and that to attempt
1t viii result in their being caught and car
ried to the center, from which there is no
escape. Scientists discredit this story abso-
lutely, and from Columbus journal 1t is