Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PAGE FOUR THE NEWBERRY SUN THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1968 Saga of The Sargasso Not All Fiction Recent Investigations Reveal The Sargasso Sea—often pic tured as a weed-choked graveyard for vessels unfortunate enough to wander within its grasp—has al ways been the subject of bizarre speculation by seamen. The early sailors, because of their small vessels and the fact that the area is one of light winds and thus slow movement, viewed the Sargasso Sea as much more formidable than it really is. Located in the central portion of the Atlantic ocean, the area came close to causing a mutiny on Columbus’ tiny vessels, when the crews claimed the brown floating algea was grasping the ships and holding them back.. Earlier accounts of the Sargasso Sea are open to speculation, al though there is evidence to sup port the theory that the area was known long before the discovery of America. Even before the Christ ian era, the Phoenicians noted the fact that there was a sea “to the west of the Pillars of Hercules” and certain parts of this sea were said to be unnavigable because of the seaweed. Columbus Warned Another account says an uniden- j tified Portuguese sailor warned Columbus that one of the. biggest things to be overcome on a westward journey to India was the weeds. The note in Columbus’ log, however, is the first factual report of the area. Columbus noted that he en countered the Sargasso weed for several days on his first westward journey, and on the return trip. It is believed the name probably was given it by the Portuguese from the berries which are found the weeds and closely resemble grapes, called sarga in Portugese. As sea knowledge advanced, however, the old theory that ships caught in the weed were slowly forced to the center of the sea and then disappeared was dis counted. The Sea, as we came to know r it better, became less and less terrorizing. A Major Rennell stated that “the waters of the Atlantic have a 'greater tendency toward the middle of the ocean than other wise and this seems to indicate a reduced level forming a kind of hollow space or depressed sur face.” ^Other Theories” Another theory concerning the reason for the Sargasso Sea states that it is “the vortex of an im mense eddy or whirl formed by the inclination of the water to the westward caused by the influence of the trade winds and the Gulf Stream.” Still others maintain it is a rais ed surface, kept in position by the currents around it. Much of our present-day know ledge of the Sargasso Sea was brought about by the Challenger Expedition in 1873. This expedi tion made a detailed study of the area, and many reports were writ ten about its findings. O. Krummel, in 1891, wrote an account which was based on the log entries for a number of years of German ships which reported any movements of seaweed that they spotted. From these logs, Krummel plot ted the frequency of observations and the boundaries of the Sargas so Sea. He then subdivided it into NOTICE! We Will Be Closed SATURDAY, JULY 4 Hayes Motor Co. PONTIAC DAVE HAYES GMC TRUCKS CADILLAC more or less concentric regions showing various degrees of fre quency of the floating weed. Collected Samples O. Wings, in 1923, and A. E. Parr, in 1939, both published re ports based upon actual samples collected by various research and merchant vessels. Parr also col lected samples during cruises to Central American seas. Actually, the area known as the Sargasso Sea is an oval area ex tending from about Latitude 25 de grees North to Latitude 40 de- 40 degrees West to Longitude 73 grees North, and from Longitude degrees West. Of course, various patches of weed are found outside this area from time to time, but this is the main body. It is also known that the entire body shifts a few degrees regular yearly cycles. The only land located in the area is the Bermuda Islands, as the Western end of the oval. A check with the map will show the Sargasso Sea is the center of the oceanic circulation, and is an area which is marked by fair ly weak and variable currents. On the west and the north, it is bounded by the weak Florida Cur rent and the -Gulf Stream, both flowing northerly, and then east ward. On the east, the North Afri can Current bounds the Sea. and on the south, the North Equatorial Current, flowing eastward, is the boundary. All of these currents are com paratively weak. The winds in the area are also weak, and it is this combination which is believed to have started the stories about the Sargasso Set stopping and holding any vessel that sailed within its limits. While the temperature of the sea water is high in the area, the decrease in temperature with depth is very small as compared with other ocean areas. One ex planation of this is the fact that the area is located in the lower latitudes, and this, coupled with the area’s freedom from strong currents, permits the radiation, of the sun’s rays to maintain high temperature. Another thing that character- 1 izes the Sargasso Sea is the rela lively high salinity of the water. It has 36 to 37 parts salt per thou sand, as compared with the usual 35 parts found in other sections. The explanation advanced for this high salinity is a combina tion of factors. Its location far from shore does away with the dilution caused by the flow of fresh water into the sea. And, as the temperature is high, condi tions are favorable for the faster evaporation of the water, thus in creasing the salt percentage in the water left. Another striking characteristic m Rev. Robert H. Harper, Tb* Righteousness end Justice of God. Lesson for July 5: Romans l: 8-17; 2s 1-2; 3: 21-22a. Golden Text: Romans 1: 16. In the third quarter, we con tinue studies in the Epistles of Paul .The Epistle to the Romans was written several years before Paul reached Rome, not as he had hoped but as a prisoner who had appealed unto Caesar. After expressing his great de sire to go to Rome, that he m^ght impart unto the Christians there some spiritual gift to the end that they should be established in the gospel, Paul acknowledged his weighty debt, not only to his own race but also to the Greeks, to all men. and he declared his readi ness to preach the gospel at Rome. Then he declared the great truth, that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. : The righteousness of God Is re vealed in the gift of Jesus, through whom men of faith can escape the penalty of a broken law and re ceive power to keep that law. For the “just shall live by faith.’* These words |ust quoted seemed to sound in the ears of Martin Luther while he was climbing, as a penitential exercise, a sacred stairway. ARRIVES IN JAPAN Mrs. Hugh King Boyd, Jr. and two children, Jimmy and Hugh King, arrived in Japan last Tues day, June 22, to make their home while Major Boyd is on duty there. The Newberry County Bank Announces An Increase In Interest Rate Paid on all Savings Deposit Accounts 1 to Effective July 1 st ■ f '* .i ’jii*})* ••if . , > The public is invited to take advantage of this in creased earning rate and to open a Saving Deposit ac count today at the Newberry County Bank. Newberry County Bank Newberry, S. C. Member F. D. L C. Joanna, S. C. of the Sargasso Sea is that the water is extremely transpareht and clear. The entire area is a very deep, clear blue. Two of the reasons given for this transparen cy are that it is far enough away from shore to keep sediments from the earth from reaching it, and there is a very small content of plankton, the small microscopic plants and animals that abound in other parts of the sea. The Sargassum, or “Gulf Weed” as it is known to many, was at first thought to be native to the Sargasso Sea. It is mostly a brown alga. More recent studies however have found that the plant does not grow in the spot. Although most persons at first thought the weed grew on the bot tom of the sea in that spot, and then, becoming detached, floated to the top, this theory has been discounted. Recent studies showed that the weed grows along the coast, tears loose, and then floats to that area by way of the Florida Current and the Gulf Stream. The plants are kept afloat by means of a natural air bladder, and grow vegetatively along the way, propagating by fragments al though they do not grow any fruit ing or blossoming parts. These floating masses then form a characteristic environment as they float, and thus collect other small plants- and small forms of animals as they make their journey from the coast to the Sagasso Sea. The masses float in the form of small islands, or at least, that’s the way they look as they float along the surfa- a. They are loose ly interwined branches, and are not matted closely together. These islands vary from a few feet to several yards in diameter, and it Is not unusual to find a large num ber of these “islands” floating along together and forming a long chain bn the surface. The general color of the weed is a sort of olive green, with the younger branches being a .brighter shade of dark green, and the dead branches taking on the dark brown color that is characteristic of most of the weed found in the Sargasso Sea itself. There has been only one 'esti» mate' made of the amount of weed contained in the area. One ex pedition towed' nets for a set length of time, And through a mea sured area. The weed gathered in the nets was weighed, and on the* basis of the findings, an estimate was made of the weight of the weed in the entire Sargasso Sea. The estimate was that the Sar gasso Sea Contained.- about 20 million tons > of weed. • One of the things that belies the. “Sea of the Dead” , title, that wai given to the Sargasso Sea is the marine life that is found there. The 'abundant • weed gives protec tion to several kinds of marine life that cannot be found in the open sea. ' ^ For the most part, however, the fear of the Sargasso Sea that was within the breast of most old- time sailors has disappeared^ The romantic and fearful descriptions of ships caught and decaying in the sea of weeds have gone die way of the sailing ship. They are still things to be talked about and remembered, but theyr are no longer accepted as fact I I : - ■ ■: ' - \ .TOraJX vk-. jl; -x-, -X ■ " - ' ' *4 m “v^ mm SENATE LEADERS CONFER . . . Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio turned over GOP Senate leadership to Sen. Wm. F. Knowland of California because a serious hip condition prevents the Ohioan from continuing active floor duties. Martin Suggests Buy Coal Early “Coal in your bin now is like money in the bank,” recently said George W. Martin of the Farmers Ice & Fuel Company. “The home owner who buys and stores his coal now can look for ward with assurance to whatever next winter may bring. I’ve seen the time when a mighty blizzard has whirled down through the town and tied up traffic for a couple of days. This hit the fellow hard who had let this coal supply dwindle down, figuring he could get delivery any time he wanted it. He was just out of luck, be cause when trucks can’t move, coal can’t get delivered. “Another reason for buying coal now is the matter of clean liness. Delivery can be made when the weather is sunny and there’s no chance of tracking up the basement or getting snow in the house. Clean delivery is as sured ■ when coal is bought early.” “Then there’s the matter of choice. The fellow who buys his coal early has the shopper’s priv ilege—he can select the exact coal he wants, the kind that’s best fit ted to his furance. And when his bin is filled no crisis, national or local, is going to disturb him. His next winter’s heat is stored right in his basement! “Above all, of course, the man who buys his coal during these weeks know’s he’s getting it at the season’s lowest cost. He’s sav ing money by buying at these low prices, much more than if his money were in the bank earning the current interest rate.” Mr. Martin’s company features Patsy Coal, which is a premium coal from East Kentucky, and is prepared in both stoker and hand- fired sizes. Ah interesting fact about this coal is that it is puri fied fight at the mine before it ever leaves the mine. That is, Patsy coal is washed in big vats that resemble giant washing ma chines where the coal is tumbled about like the family wash. In this process, the impurities, being heavier than pure coal, sink to the bottom while the pure coal stays afloat. Patsy is over 97 percent pure coal, there being very little ash to he removed. After this puri fication, the coal is run over 1 screens and sized, very much as a oanner separates the various grades of peas. In the case of Patsy Stoker, the coal is sprayed with a fine film of oil to seal in the loose dust particles. Because of its firm structure, Patsy coal stores well, particularly during the summer months. POLICEMAN MACK RETURNS HOME Policeman John Lee Mack who was a patient in the Baptist Hospital in Columbia for a week undergoing treatment, returned to his home on Nance street Tues day, and is getting along nicely. Tower Contest Winners Named COLUMBIA.—Mrs. Eva C. Mc Coy, lookout towerlady at Bon- neau tower in Berkeley county has been judged first prize winner of the Towersite Improvement Con test for 1952-53, according to As sistant State orester John R. Til ler of the S. C. State Commission of Forestry. This annual contest encourages the towerman to develop a com plete live-at-home program and to improve and develop the small areas of state-owned land on which they live. Modest prizes are giv en the towermen who have the best gardens and fields, neatest and cleanest lawns and houses, who do the most to improve con ditions and who do th& best job as towermen.- Mr. William J, Paige of Big Knob Tower in Laurens County won second place prize. Miss Isa bel Edwards of Rowesville Tower in Orangeburg county won third place prize. PET PEEVE iSp 70. Scott npHE Instructor erf the Driving School, which my wife is at tending at my suggestion, called at die office. He came right to the point. “I would appreciate it, sir,” says he, “if you would convince your wife to withdraw from the school.” “But why?” says L “She has me completely befud dle, confused, and dumfounded. In fact, I’m practically a wreck— and that’s not counting the auto mobile.” ‘ “How does she confuse you?” says L “Every instrument on the auto mobile is a gizmo. She refuses to learn their names. We start out and I tell her to release the clutch slowly. She asks what is the clutch. I explain. Then she’ll say, ‘Oh, you mean gizmo number one.’ Everything is a gizmo with a num ber. I’m going crazy. “You know, sir, it > would be rather simple with this number system if she would give each in strument the same number all the time. But she changes them at her convenience. Please, can’t you get her to give up the idea of learn ing to drive?” “I’m sorry, old man,” says I, “I have only convinced my wife of one thing in my life. That was to marry me. It has been almost 12 years since then.” “You have my sympathy,” says he. He walks to the door and paused for a moment, “You can send the check to the school,” he says and opens the door. . “What check?” sa ys I. “The one for $325.34 for repairs on the automobile,” says he. “Your wife got gizmos 1, 4 and 6 mixed the of The Newberry Hotel t IO' 3, O’ J -‘i-ii ' • -f 1' v Ci ^J?*•**-** i, <■%S '*f4 ’ft (With the exception of the dining room, reopening of which has been delayed on account of delay in shipment of equip ment) O'.. ul -Mllffji irjj :u WE ARE NOW OPEN BUSINESS \r u.v in I o However we will have our graiid opening at a later date. Watch for it Ralph Wilbanks, Mgr, -rf No Lag...No Drag... instant Response ■/r— We have ’em-^-drive in today! At Your Friendly Pure Oil Dealers • w w ts ,v* s|i£j} * . C.D.COLEMAN COMPANY U T o IV S Oil PRODUCTS *€ 10 ft € K AY, S a t I « v C A A O l I 0 A • Now ... more than over ... 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