FRESH-WATER SPRINGS IN THE OCEAN. 683 



himself upon the ' Hydrology of Cuba/ in the Water Supply Paper 

 No. 110, page 93 : the springs " issue at all altitudes, from the 

 higher portions of the hills down to the lowland border, or even at 

 sea level. . . . Not all the water comes to the surface as springs, 

 but some passes outward and emerges from the sea bottom along the 

 coast, where in many instances the fresh water can be seen bubbling 

 up through the salt water. Such springs occur in Havana Harbor and 

 at many other points. The fresh water which surges as copious springs 

 on some of the keys is probably of the same origin, coming from the 

 mainland through subterranean passages in the limestone." 



These may be an illustration of the derivation of fresh water from 

 the mainland upon the island of Nashawena in Buzzards Bay Massa- 

 chusetts. This is a large island midway between New Bedford and 

 Marthas Vine3 r ard, upon which it is proposed to erect a new state 

 prison as well as a leprosarium. Near the center of the island and very 

 high up is Menaud Pond, a splendid body of pure fresh water, capable of 

 furnishing an ample supply to the new institutions. There is no per- 

 ceptible inlet or outlet; the supply seems to be derived from springs, 

 such as may be conceived to originate upon the mainland, to pass be- 

 neath the bay and to rise to the surface at the summit of Nashawena. 

 Except for the accidental presence of land here this stream would have 

 risen to the surface in the midst of salt water. People familiar with 

 the shallows over the region between Long Island and the Great Banks 

 of Newfoundland speak of an ' underground river ' extending from 

 Labrador to Block Island having many outlets similar to the sup- 

 posed one at Menaud Pond. Our theory of a connection with the 

 mainland through Tertiary strata is a better one. 



Conclusions. 



The foregoing facts warrant us in believing in the existence of 

 fresh-water springs bubbling up through the brine of the ocean. They 

 are known to exist among the Hawaiian and West India islands and off 

 the coast of Florida. The necessary conditions seem to be those which 

 will permit the existence of underground streams flowing towards the 

 sea; such as will render the boring of artesian wells successful. Evi- 

 dently there must be strata — whether of the later fossiliferous rocks 

 or igneous sheets — dipping gently seawards; and the springs can not 

 appear very far away from the coast. We should, therefore, look for 

 these phenomena adjacent to islands and all coasts bordered by Tertiary 

 and basaltic rocks. They may be seen off nearly the entire eastern 

 coast of the United States — from Cape Cod to the Kio Grande. Possibly 

 also fresh water may be able to accumulate beneath the submarine 

 belt of Tertiary between Nantucket and the Great Banks of Newfound- 

 land. It is conceivable that they might be utilized for the supply of 

 steamships in places where the local supply is either defective or un- 

 wholesome. 



