The Hartford republican., 1913-11-07
BRIDCED AN OCEAN
The Lost Atlantis That Was
Swallowed by the Sea.
A NATION OF MANY LEGENDS.
Plato Got His Story Of the Continsnt
and Its Ruin From SoIon, the Old
lawsiver-The Theories That Were
Built by Ignatius DonneIly.

and Its Hum From Solon, the Old
lawsver-The Theories That Were
Built by ignatius DonneIIy.
Far out beyond the Pillars Of Her.
cules. where the Atlantic ocean
stretches broad and deep today. men of
imagination like to believe there lies a
buried kingdom. The sea washes over
its once fertile plains. and creatures of
the deep float in and out among its top
less towers. Sesweed and silt have
buried its temples for 10000 years.
Here. scientists of romantic turn will
tell you. lies the lost island Of Allan
tis, where once there ruled the richest
and most powerful of the earth. a
world power while wolves still howled
upon the seven hills of Rome and the
glory that was Greece lay yet un-
dreamed.
But today all that remains of the lost
kingdom is little group Of islands.
the Azores; mountain tops these that
were not wholly overwhelmed when
the proud island sank into the sea.
Many years ago an Irishman. Ignatius
DOpDelly, who possessed an active i'm
agiDatiOn and mind which worked
along interesting and unusual lines.
wrote book about Atlantis. I'm which
he proved, to his own satisfaction at
least, that the lost kingdom really ex-
listed and was not fable.
The earliest authentic information
about this mystery land we find in
Plato, who averred he had it from his
grandfather. SOlOn, the famous law
giver, who had spent some years
among the Egyptians. Plato told of q
great continent which had existed 5000
years before lying to the west of the
Pillars of Hercules and making war
upon the nations to the east. Only
Athens and Egypt were able to with.
stand the Onslaughts of the Atlantans.
and then suddenly, 'in day and II
night" the island was overwhelmed
and sank into the sea. This was the
story SolOn had from the Egyptians
and which his grandson wrote down.
and the legend has persisted ever since.
tells how the Phocnicians discovered
n large island in the Atlantic ocean
between the Pillars of Hercules. Sey-
"fnl nlyS' sail from the coast of Africa.
Nhl3 stand abounded in all manner OF
richie The soil was exceedingly fer
tile. The scenery was diversified by
riYerG mountains and forests. Ii was
tho cus tom Of the inhabitants to retire |
during the summer to magnificent |
country houses, which stood in the !
midst If beautiful gardens. Fish and |
@am" we're found in great abundance; |
thN climate was delicious and the trees |
bore great crops Of fruit at all seasons
e.! IN" wear.
SuumGiugs made by British aud |
AIncri an vessels have shown conclu-
Sirrly that surrounding the Azores
there is II submerged plateau. which il I
does rot require much imagination to
identity with the rich plain" mention
ed BY Plato. From this lost continent
Dcnne,ly believed that ridges of land
ran a. the present coasts of South
Ameri,a and Africa. originally. SO that
before the time OF which Plato wrote
the eastern aud western hemispheres
were connected by land. Thus he ac-
counted for many simiaritieS in the
plants and animals of the two hemis-
phcres WHICH otherwise are very diff
hcuit To explain.
The continent as described by Plato
was mountainous. but was surrounded
by vast fertile plains. II was rich In
precious metals and had numerous tenn
pies and statues of gold and silver and
ivory
In the sudden and violent destruction
Of Atlantis. "in one dreadful day and
night" Donnelly believed he saw the
origin OF the legend of the deluge. so
universal among the followers OF all
religions. The Biblical deluge, the
food In which the Greeks believed,
from which only Deukalion aud Pyrrha
the overflow which Chaldean
egends tell Of all these. Donneliy be-
ieved. had their foundatiO In the de-
Of Atlantis.
Plato tells US that the race OF the
Atlantans had fallen from their high
estate and committed sins. and the