Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1913-06-27
BRIDCED AN ocean
The Lost Atlantis That Was
Swallowed by the Sea.
A NATION OF MANY LEGENDS.
Plato Got His story Of the Continent
and lee Ruin From Scion, the Old
Lswsivor-The Theories That Wsro
Built by Isnatius Donnslly.

1uHt ~ ldnattue Qounoiiy.
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 ove
its onc fertile plains, and creatures Of
the deep foat In and out among les top
less towers. Seaweed and silt have
buried its temples for 10000 years.
Here, scientists OF a romantic turn viii
tell you, lies the lost island Of Allan
tbs, where once there ruled the richest
and most powerful Of the earth. a
world power while wolves stiH howled
upon the seven hills OF Rone and the
glory that was Greece lay yet uu-
dreamed.
But today all that remains Of the lost
kingdom Is a 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 IrishmRn, Ignatius
Donnelly, who possessed an active i'm
~agination and a mind which worked
along interesting and unusual lines,
wrote a book about Atlantis, in which
he proved, to his own satisfaction at
least. that tho lost kingdom really ex-
listed and was not a fable.
The earliest authentic information
about this mystery land We Hnd In
Plato, who averred he had It from his
grandfather, Scion. the famous law
River, who had spent some ye0rs
among the Egyptinns. PlatOStold Of a
great continent which had existed 5000
years before lying to tho 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, FIN a day and a
night" the island was overwhelmed
and sank into the sea. This vas the
story Scion had from the Egyptians
and which his grandson wrote down,
and the legend has persisted ever since.
Diodorus Siculus, a Roman writer,
tells how the Phoenicians discovered
"a large island In the Atlantic %
between the Pillars Of Hercules, sew
eral days sail from the coast Of Africa.
This island abounded In all manner of
riches. The soil was exceedingly fer
tile. The scenery was diversified by
rivers, mountains and forests. 1t was
the custom Of the Inhabitants to retire
during the summer to magnificent
country houses, which stood In the
midst of beautiful gardens. Fish and
game were found in great abundance;
the climate was delicious and the trees
bore great crops Of fruit at all seasons
of the year.
Soundings made by British and
American vessels have shown conclu-
sively that surrounding the Azores
there is a submerged plateau, which IT
does not require much Imagination to
identify with the rich plain" mention
cd by Plato. From this lost continent
Donnelly believed that ridges Of land
ran to the present coasts Of South
America and Africa, originally, so that
before the time Of which Plato wrote
the eastern and western h~emispheres
were connected by land. Thus he nc
counted for many similarities in the
plants and animals Of the two hemis-
pheres which otherwise are very diff
6cult to explain
The continent as described by Plato
was mountainous, but was surrounded
by vast fertile plains. 1t was rich In
precious metals and had numerous tenn
Piles 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 Deukaion and PyTrha
escaped. the overflow which Chaldean
legends tell Of all these, Donnelly be-
lieved, had their Foundation I'd the do
structon Of Atlantis.
Plato tells us that the race OF the
Atlantans had fallen from their high
estate and committed sins, and the
Zeus determined to Overwhalm them.
An earthquake preceded the sinking
OF the land, and there came a great
storm which brought the sea rushing
In over the once fruitful land.
Before this deIuge Atlantis was the
greatest power In the world, Donnelly
said. Not only had It made war against
the infant nations OF Europe, conquer
ing France and Spain and Africa as
far as the Nile, but colonies were es-
tabllshed In Mexico, In Central Amer
ico and along the valley Of the Missis-
slppL The mound Builders were colo
nists from Atlantis. After the destruc-
ton Of the parent continent the east
ern and the western h~emispheres lost
all remembrance Of each other. rs both
Of them at last forgot the great Allan
ts, or II they remembered at all re-
membered It only a a legend. a faint
and shadowy tradition.
Only a few OF the thousands OF In
habltants Of Atlantis escaped, but these
few carried to Europe the seeds OF the
white mans civilization. They settled
In Egypt and IN eastern Europe and