80 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



along a line stretching from Tampa Bay to tbe Tortngas, and thruugb 

 the western half of the Florida Keys. luqniring as well as I could 

 whether there had been any evidenct s of i)lutonic action in that legioa 

 within a few years, 1 heard a tradition that about the holidays of 1877-78 

 an earthquake shock had been felt on the west coast. I have had no 

 opportunity, as yet, to verify this, but it is a well-known fact that just 

 previous to the hurricane of last August, so well remembered by all the 

 people of Florida West as a time of almost un])aralleled destruction 

 of shipping and height of tid;il waves, a shoclv: of earthquake was felt 

 throughout the whole southwestern end of the peninsula. It did con- 

 siderable damage in the city of Key West, and was so alarming at 

 Tampa that several persons ran in a fright from their houses. Imme- 

 diately after it, began the sudden destruction of hsh I have described. 



Whether the physical shock of such an occurrence, touching the fish 

 and creepers on the bottom, would do them harm, or whether the sub- 

 sequent patches of "poisoned water" owed their discoloration and un- 

 doubted deleterious properties to being saturated with suli)hurous or 

 carbonic-acid gases derived from subterranean vents, I cannot presume 

 to decide. But if the last supposition had been proved true, or shall be 

 at some future time, would it not be a rational and sufficient explanation 

 of the death of the fishes, sponges, and their kin, whenever they came 

 in contact with the discolored water alluded to? 



Analysis of the suspected water w^ould have done more to solve the ques- 

 tion, probably, than anything else can do, and it is a matter of continued 

 regret that I could not obtain specimens of it for that purpose. After 

 the end of September, however, the evil diminishtd, and by Christmas 

 all of the harmful water had disappeared from the Gulf. 



Regretting that I could not have done more to get at the truth of the 

 matter, in essaying which I was otlered every aid by the citizens of 

 Florida, but continually impeded by bad weather and other untoward 

 circumstances, I beg to submit this little that I have learned; and I have 

 the honor to be. 



Very respectfidly yours, 



ERNEST INGERSOLL. 



Professor Spencer F. Baird, 



United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, • 



Washington, D. G- 



