﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  S. 
  S. 
  Spurling 
  

  

  A 
  GROUP 
  OP 
  "BOIPKRS" 
  OPP 
  THE 
  SOUTHERN 
  COAST 
  OP 
  THE 
  BERMUDAS 
  

  

  Reefs 
  of 
  this 
  peculiarly 
  symmetrical 
  form 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   world. 
  The 
  rims 
  are 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  living 
  crusts 
  of 
  barnacles, 
  mussels, 
  and 
  serpulae 
  which 
  

   usually 
  rise 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  feet 
  above 
  low-tide 
  level. 
  They 
  get 
  their 
  name 
  '"boiler" 
  from 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  heavy 
  seas 
  dash 
  against 
  the 
  hard 
  outer 
  rim 
  and 
  fall 
  over 
  into 
  the 
  central 
  area 
  

   like 
  a 
  cataract. 
  

  

  Challenger 
  on 
  her 
  scientific 
  exploration 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  bottom 
  and 
  islands 
  

   in 
  1873 
  had 
  disclosed 
  the 
  lonely 
  column 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  rested, 
  there 
  

   was 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  reconcile 
  what 
  seemed 
  a 
  

   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 
  1,200 
  

   feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  while 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  bring 
  what 
  

   was 
  sought, 
  it 
  greatly 
  gratified 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  

   puzzled 
  scientific 
  men 
  in 
  disclosing 
  that 
  

   the 
  coral 
  rock 
  and 
  seolian 
  limestone 
  were 
  

   a 
  mere 
  cap 
  to 
  what 
  was 
  an 
  old 
  volcano 
  

   sticking 
  its 
  cratered 
  top 
  up 
  to 
  within 
  less 
  

   than 
  one 
  thousand 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  shining 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  translucent 
  sea. 
  

  

  The 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  subaqueous 
  mountain 
  

   is 
  much 
  greater 
  in 
  superficial 
  area 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  visible 
  islands, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  every- 
  

   where 
  crowned 
  with 
  coral 
  and 
  limestone, 
  

   which 
  protrude 
  in 
  dangerous 
  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 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  and 
  at 
  others 
  lurking 
  just 
  beneath. 
  

  

  One 
  need 
  not 
  say 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  situation 
  

   makes 
  Bermuda 
  an 
  awkward 
  place 
  for 
  

   ships 
  to 
  reach 
  and 
  safely 
  land 
  upon, 
  and 
  

   this 
  circumstance 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  

   in 
  her 
  history. 
  

  

  Indeed, 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  danger 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  ships 
  coming 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  

   taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  and 
  

   when 
  opposite 
  to 
  Bermuda 
  changing 
  their 
  

   course 
  and 
  directing 
  it 
  toward 
  the 
  Canary 
  

  

  Islands 
  and 
  the 
  

   Europe 
  generally. 
  

  

  Mediterranean 
  and 
  

  

  IN 
  A 
  SCIENTIFIC 
  WORLD 
  OP 
  ITS 
  OWN 
  

  

  Let 
  me 
  note 
  another 
  characteristic 
  of 
  

   Bermuda 
  due 
  to 
  her 
  geographical 
  and 
  

   geological 
  features. 
  Bermuda 
  is 
  all 
  by 
  

   herself 
  in 
  the 
  scientific 
  and 
  naturalist 
  

   world. 
  Her 
  soil, 
  which 
  is 
  red. 
  is 
  nothing 
  

   but 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  working 
  of 
  the 
  

   weather 
  on 
  the 
  aeolian 
  limestone 
  and 
  coral 
  

   rock. 
  These 
  islands 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  wind 
  

  

  