A. EF. Verrili—The Bermuda Islands; Geology. 91 
Through the great border of reefs, extending from St. George’s 
Island at the eastern end around the whole northern and western 
sides to the extreme southwestern part, a distance of some 40 miles, 
there are only six or seven narrow and crooked channels considered 
navigable for vessels even of small size. Only one of these, the 
“Narrows” or ship-channel (8. C., map II), is used by passenger 
steamers and naval vessels. The others are sometimes used by the 
smaller native fishing and coasting vessels. One of these, the “ Hog- 
fish Cut” (see vill, maps I, II), was considerably used by coasting 
vessels in early times, and could be easily improved. In a former 
work* I have quoted the sailing directions, given by Mr. A. G. 
Findlay, 1870-1895, for entering by several of these channels. But 
most of them are too dangerous to be attempted, except by expe- 
rienced local pilots. 
They are of importance geologically, because they are probably 
the more or less obstructed and filled up ancient channels by which 
the separated interior sounds, described above, were connected with 
the sea in the time of Greater Bermuda, and were eroded to their 
greatest depths at that time. 
Beginning at the northeastern end of the islands, the first channel, 
off St. George’s and less than a mile from the shore, in some places, 
is the main ship-channel or “ Narrows” (8. C., maps I, II). This is 
long, narrow, and crooked, but has usually 6 to 8 fathoms of water. 
It leads into the Murray Anchorage. The next channel northward 
is Mills Breaker Cut (XIV, on map II, pl. xxxvii). This has 10 
fathoms of water at the entrance. The branch that leads directly 
westward is 8 to 10 fathoms deep, and leads to the small, deep 
sound (c), which is 10 to 14 fathoms deep and about a mile wide. 
From this it leads into the longer sound (a), by a channel 8 fathoms 
deep, running west, about a mile into the large North Rock Sound 
(e, map IT), which is 8 to 12 fathoms deep. This “cut” seems to be 
the most important one, from a geological point of view, because, 
according to the official charts, it is the deepest and one of the 
widest, and drains the deepest of the enclosed sounds. 
Cut XIII, farther northeast, is of much less importance, for 
though 10 fathoms deep at the entrance, and 8 fathoms within, it is 
much obstructed by scattered reefs and rocks. 
Cut XII, east of the “Great Breaker Flatts,” also appears to be 
very much obstructed. 
* These Trans., pp. 486-489; ‘‘ The Bermuda Islands,” pp. 74-77. 
