The Ely miner., 1930-05-09
prepared by the National Geographic
Society Washington D. Cl


Society Washington. d. C.)
THE Bermudas, island outposts
in the Atlantic of the North
American continent, have long
been a resort for sojourners
from the eastern United States, but
never before have they been so speed
lily reached from the mainland as re-
Gently when the trip was made from
New York by seaplane in about eight
hours flying time. Boats from New
York require 4S hours for the voyage.
In the Pacific, where there is much
island competition, the Bermudas
would be negligible group; but in
the almost islandless Atlantic they
have played an important role. They
form a microcosm, the catastrophes,
the vicissitudes, the political, eco
nomic, and religious controversies, and
the development Of whose people, as
a solitary unit, far out to sea. reflect
much of the world history Of the Eng
lish speaking peoples.
They are group Of what are said
in the year) north latitude 80 degrees
and west longitude GA degrees. There
are only five important islands, and
all Of the group are so close together
that those capable of use are united
by bridges and causeways, so as to
give to the sojourner in his drives
the impression that they are but one
island, with large indenting bays and
inlets.
Strung together, they have the form
Of tishhook with the stem pointed
to the northeast and the curve Of the
hook to the southwest. From the
northeast end to the point of the
hook, you can piece out curving
drive % or % miles long, and the
width of the land from sea to sea
through which you drive will hardly
average mile. The superficial area
Of the whole group is 1919 miles.
The islands are nearly 600 miles
from Cape Hatteras, the nearest
mainland; they are 700 miles from
Charleston, S. c., opposite which they
lie in the Atlantic; they are nearly
700 miles from New York and about
80 miles farther from Halifax.
They are about 500 miles from the
nearest of the West Indies; they are
nearly 80 miles from the southern
or southeastern edge of that river of
warm water, 100 fathoms deep, flow
ing over an ocean depth $500 fathoms,
from the gulf of Mexico to New Bruins
wick, Nova Scotia, and beyond to Eu-
ropean shores, which we call the Gulf
stream.
PuIverized Shell on Volcanic Rock.
They are irregular hills and ridges
of pulverized shells, reaching in some
places to a height of $50 feet, drifted
and deposited by the wind on the top
Of mountainous column of volcanic
rock rising from the floor of the sea
three miles below. This peak is
solitary one in all that part of the
Atlantic ocean. 1t has been covered
by this wind-formed limestone and
thinner plaster Of coral rock.
After the expedition of II. M. S.
Challenger on her scientific explora-
tion of the Atlantic ocean bottom and
islands in 1873 had disclosed the
lonely column upon which the Ber-
mudas rested, there was an effort to
reconcile what seemed pile of coral
rock three miles high in the sea with
Darwin's conclusion that the coral
animal would not work more than
100 fathoms below the surface.
A. desire to find fresh water on the
islands led to the sinking of a well
1000 feet deep, and while it did not
bring what was sought, it greatly graf
flied a lot of puzzled scientific men
by disclosing that the coral rock and
limestone were mere cap to what
was an old volcano sticking its era
tered top up to within less than one
thousand feet of the shining surface
of the translucent sea.
The top of this undersea mountain
is much greater in superficial area
than that of the visible islands, but
it is everywhere crowned with coral
and limestone, which protrude in dam
gerous reefs on the north, west, and
south sides of the islands, as far as
eight and ten miles from their shores,
sometimes peeping above the surface,
and at others lurking just beneath.
One need not say that such a situa-
ton makes Bermuda an awkward
place for ships to reach and safely
land, and this circumstance is an inn
portant factor in her history.
Interesting to Scientists.
Bermuda is all by herself in the
scientific and naturalist world. Her
soil, which is red, is nothing but the
.asult of the working of the weather
On the limestone and coral rock. These
islands came from the wind and drift
and currents of the seas. AS one
writer says: Probably we could not
select a more perfect example Of cur
rent-formed islands than the Bermu-
das"
This origin has turned the closest
attention of natural scientists to these