The Lost and Found...and Lost again, City of Atlantis

Lady Finely, good Dr. Staunton, Major Collins and other esteemed guests. Please, allow me to share with you a glimpse from my future novel, based on the true story of how I discovered Atlantis...and sadly, lost it again. Get your scones and jam, refill your tea and sit back while I attempt to convince you of the truth...or at the very least, entertain you for the evening.

A few years back (a lady could never tell specifics for possibility of revealing her age), I read a pamphlet written by my inspiration, well known feminist, Lady Harriet Martineau based on her travels to Egypt, India and Asia. Such a tale..I simply had to make my way to such a hot bed of story and excitement to launch my career as a journalist and one day be able to meet the good woman on common ground.

This is where the tale begins. I booked passage to Egypt for myself and my two traveling companions on a steam ship.  My personal servant, Janet Wilderspin Temple, and her brother, Ora McEvoy Wilderspin (sadly, a dull witted but well intentioned chap) were nervous of such a trip, but duty bade them onto the dilapidated vessel with me. Three days into the journey, we were barraged by a horrid storm, the ship tossed and swayed so forcefully, crew and passenger alike were convinced death would find us before the morning's light. My companions and I decided to take our last moments to our room, below decks, so I can not give you a first hand account of how it happened...but when we emerged from the storm, there was an eerie calm, even the sea was not in motion. Undaunted by the silence and the frightened whimpers of my companions, I dawned my travel attire, grabbed up my satchel and went to find the captain. To my utter shock and chagrin, the captain was no were to be found, as well as the majority of the crew. I can only conclude that they were washed overboard in the night. The remaining crew were of the lesser ranks, and in quite a panic. I soon learned the reason of this panic. We had run aground atop a small island in the midst of a vast ocean of calm water. The island was higher on the outer edges than in the center, and only slightly larger than our vessel. So perfectly situated for our ship, we were not even tipped over, the land held us upright as if we were on a solid ocean. After much convincing on my part, the remainder of the crew and my sniveling companions that remaining on board to wait rescue was a hopeless task. We set up a smallish sort of camp at the stern of the ship, taking items as we needed to surround a warming fire with curtained off areas for privacy while remaining near our best source of heat. Not much of the hull was intact, so walking from the lower decks right out onto the land was only a small journey, once the passage was cleared of debris. Once camp was set up, I assigned duties to each member of the remaining crew to better our chances of survival. To their credit, they got right to work while my companions and I set about attending to the minor wounds and injuries that were within our capabilities. I must say, Dr. we surely could have used your quick thinking and skills on this journey, but we did what we could, fashioning bandages and slings from bed linens once they were dried and properly torn to shreds. By midday, one of the young men of lesser damage from the storm, brought me something of interest. A tarnished metal dome, approximately the size and shape of a grown man's head and shoulders with a round port hole glass on one side. Instantly I realized that this ingenious item was a diving bell, though I had never seen one personally, much less used one, I had read of them many times. An argument ensued over our dinner of fish and crackers I managed to salvage from the galley about the use of this item. Of course, I won out, of the few of us that were in any condition to do so, I was faced with four stoney faces of fear of what might await beneath the surface. This made me the best candidate. We decided that morning's first light would suffice, so...after tying the remainder of our bed sheets end for end to the loop on the top of this contraption, two of the lads helped me into the water under this thing, just after our meager breakfast.

The world beneath the surface of that calm blue water was so amazing and so intense, I commissioned artists to illustrate my detailed descriptions for my upcoming novel. Since I was the only one to see it, the artists did what they could with what I could tell them, but I confess, not one is exactly accurate of the vision. The light filtering though the water's surface was in beams, spotlighting magnificence of which i have never seen the like. Huge walls in circular pattern like a drop of water on the surface of your tea, each larger and encompassing the one before, the walls were hairy with some sort of plant life, but in spots, the light sparkled with the shine of metal underneath. These "rings" surrounded the island we ran aground on. The gentle slope of the vast mountain we were atop of, let me walk gingerly downward into the abyss. Midway down, I realized beneath my feet were steps, making my journey even easier. Weighted down by the bell on my head and shoulders, and sure footed on the stairway, the sea life quickly became a second thought as I discovered well hewn carvings in the rock and mountain side...and a doorway that stood ajar! Slipping my frame though the gap was no problem at all, it was the diving bell that caught in the opening. I could barely squeeze it though, and became worried I was forever stuck, doomed to run out of air just before it broke though. Some swimming was required at this point, the floor dropped out from under me, and I kicked my legs furiously as it grew darker and surprisingly warm. I confess a bit of a thumping heart at this point. I turned to leave, knowing no good would come of my disappearance, and surely...in this dark, I would be lost. As I neared the entrance from which I came, I caught the sparkle of metal from the beam of sunlight that followed me though. On the wall I had passed to enter this cave, was more metal like that of the walls surrounding the mountain. I took a moment to mentally calm myself and absorb what I was looking at. Three giant gears of some unknown metal stood bigger than myself on the wall...I could see no further, but I got a definite impression there was much, much more to see. I do not know the passage of time, but from what those on the surface tell me, it was the majority of the morning. They had already begun to fear the worst and were trying to get their pitiable brains to work together and figure a way out of this mess when I emerged into the preplanned area containing my dry change of clothes just at the edge of the water, near the fire. I quickly changed, grabbing my writing gear as I recounted the tale for the others. I wanted to get it down in my journal while it was freshest, knowing it was unlikely my companions would suffer me another journey in the diving bell, as I came up empty handed for ideas on our survival. It took some convincing, but I was able to set an appointment for the following morning for the same trip, I had some time to think it over, and I decided the cave with the door was well worth a little fear faced to find out how such a wonder could exist. If it could not contribute to our salvation, at the least it could occupy my mind seeing as I was of no real use on the surface. The mood was getting hostile and we were snapping at one another as our stomachs and bumps and bruises began to sway our tempers for the worse.

The next morning was a meager light, clouds lay thick in the sky and my companions discouraged by poor sleep and their fear of meeting their Maker, rang complaints in the whiny voices that had begun to grate on the nerves. I was determined of my escape. The silence of the ocean was combining with my curiosity and journalist instinct to get below into the unknown and breathtaking world as fast as possible. Carelessly and, quite forcibly, I commanded the two lads of assistance the morning before to once again help me back into the water, taking with me a few items from the ship that I was sure was of no use to those I was leaving behind. I descended quickly, already knowing the destination I had in mind, it was easier and much closer than I imagined in the night. Clutching the tied bed sheet with the items contained in it as i wedged myself though the opening. Instantly the floor started to slope and my heart thudded in my chest. Taking a moment to slow myself and take a deep breath of the limited air supply inside the bell, it's weight, and possibly the weight of the situation I found myself in caused a trickle of panic to run the length of my spine. A moment, possibly ten passed before I remembered my purpose for being here. Carefully I brought the knot of the sheet I clutched into the narrow space in the diving bell, cramming my hands into the limited space to untie the knot, not wanting to lose any of my precious items when it was undone, I put two corners in my teeth, to keep them out of the water and from floating away and pulled the other two corners out of the bell, widening the opening in the top enough to reach in and grab what I needed in the order I needed it. First I pulled out the largest shiniest piece of metal the ship held that I could carry, a mirror from the captain's quarters, and clenched it between my knees as i secured the other two ends of the sheet in my teeth. The small beam of sunlight that followed me though the entrance was dimmer than the day before, but positioned just so that if I held the mirror right, I could see the wall with the intimidating gears. Moving the mirror as slowly as my shaking hands could manage, I inspected each detail of this wall. Three huge gears that disappeared into the darkness, closer to the door, a detailed carving, hieroglyphs like I have since seen in the pyramids of Egypt covered a space larger than myself, vertically, and almost as wide. Right in the center of these mysterious carvings, was what I assumed instantly to be a lever. Sea life and crusty barnacles surrounded it, but undaunted, I had to try. I reached out with trembling hand, the light fading as my free hand could not hold the mirror still in the current, and took hold of the end of this lever. It gave a little, as if it were waiting for my touch but could not move due to the debris surrounding it. Back into my make shift bag, I dug around for the largest kitchen knife I was able to find in my hurry though the remains of the ship before my decent. Wrapped in a scrap of leather so it would not cut though the sheet and tucked neatly in the middle of my necessities, it was easy to find, even blind. I let loose the leather in my excitement and it floated away, but I was able to wedge the mirror between the edge of my diving bell and the wall, kicking my feet to maintain pressure to hold it there as I worked to free the lever. A few gentle prods, and a few not so gentle ones, freed it from its position, and as it slid into the lower place, a great rumbling started. It seemed as if I had awakened a dragon. The water grew warmer and i was tossed about the darkness, in the panic of the sudden movement, the mirror dropped into the depths. I clutched my knife as I sank, as if it would help me survive, although I knew already I was doomed. After some time, what seemed like eternity, the rumbling stopped. Surprised and I believe in some shock, I was able to reach above my head to the sheets tied to the hook at the top of the bell... hand over hand I pulled myself back to the opening, darkness and heavy water surrounding me. At long last, the glimmer of light I was looking for was there, and I wedged myself though the door, without a second look back, ready to be free of this horrific and terrifying experience and never return. I stumbled out of the water gasping for breath. Upon the banks were all of my companions and fellow survivors. Panic read in each of their faces and a few held a note of anger. They too had felt the rumble, it had come from the very mountain our ship was aground on. Ora was babbling about a fountain of steam and water that shot into the sky farther than he could see during the event, but no one else saw it or was able to corroborate his story. An older man that survived the crew and had assumed leader among them, who from the first seemed dim witted to me, accused me angrily of causing the earth to quake with my disregard for what is proper. My companions inform me I was gone much less time the second trip, but it felt like days to me. After a short rest on the bank, half out of the water, I dawned my dry set of clothes, assisted by Janet. I ignored her whines and clucks of disapproval and went to warm myself by the fire. I was in no rush to retell the tale of the morning's events as I was the day before. Most everyone was resting or recuperating by the time I arrived at the fire, and no one was interested in a tale as their own discomforts had overridden all else in their minds. We all went to our allotted sleeping area's in silence that night.

The following morning was bright and clear, a thin mist covered everything almost like dew, but finer. The warm morning air was unnerving, as each of the previous mornings had been crisp and chilly. My eyes were not yet open when a screech brought me to my feet. One of the lads that was keeping watch for other ships for rescue stumbled into the camp as dawn broke, babbling and flailing his arms...making no sense at all. It was not until I myself was awake enough to look about and take stock of my surroundings that I realized he was actually telling the truth. The ocean was gone. I stepped out of the cover of the camp and viewed a spectacle unlike any I have seen before or since. The rings of the outer walls below on the ocean's floor had risen to above the surface and all the water between the outer ring and the center mountain had been drained out in the night. A great cavernous city lay before us, sunk beneath the ocean's surface and pumped almost dry in just a few hours. Fish of every size and color flopped and gasped for water all around us. The air was heavy with the stench and the sea's plant life hung like moss from every surface. I stood mouth agape in awe as the other survivors bustled around me, babbling in words I was not comprehending. The chaos that ensued was that of what I would expect from hundreds of people, when there were only a dozen or so of us. By midday, we were exploring, I at the lead, of course, as I was the only one with any sense of level headedness. I took my fellow companions and survivors down the path I had gone twice before, and into the cave that we now saw as a great temple. The gears and lever were still there as I had described, and the floor that dropped so drastically from beneath me before, was but a gentle slope into the center of a great cavern, what I can only deduce as the center of the mountain. Large statues and ornate carvings adorned the circular room with similar slopes and entrances going out in every direction. In the center at the bottom, was a small pool, in the center of that, what can only be called a throne. Surrounding the center pool with the throne were six other thrones, all facing the one in the center, placed between the ramps that led out of the room, and behind them, upward and continuing the pattern, rows of lesser seats. I appropriately named this the royal receiving room. Under the main ramp we came down, was a door, roughly carved and hewn into the mountain itself. After some time of admiring the place in awe, I gathered my senses and started to delegate tasks among those with me. We were unsure of how the water drained out, and not a few of us were concerned it would return at any moment. One of the cabin boys fled back to camp in a panic and we gave him the task of look out. By nightfall we had explored the entire throne room. A door at the top of the ramp behind the main throne led to a chamber above and a structure clung to the side of the mountain opposite our decent. I assume this was a private living quarters of the royalty. The door previously mentioned went downward, into the bowels of the mountain. Another great chamber was here. Much hotter, sweltering with steam so much so that we could only stand to be here in short lengths of time. It was here we discovered our means of escape from this pitiable situation. The lower chamber was covered in similar gears but smaller than the ones at the entrance. They went into the walls and out under each ramp that was not the one we were currently under. Levers and switches were all along a large round table in the center and under the table, a large metal box with ornate carvings. Avoiding touching any of the levers or switches, we were sure at least one of them would lead to our doom, we dislodged the precious box. Returning to camp before night fall we were exhausted and starving but the excitement from the day had us all around the fire, babbling excitedly. At dawn we opened the box carefully, inside, perfectly preserved was the such a large tangle of ropes and fabric it took all of us to unwind it and spread it out. As large as our wrecked ship, the three balloons attached with ropes led to the center at the bottom. A platform that was approximately the size of three men laid head to foot square unfolded in nine pieces and locked together ingeniously. Ample room for all of us and our most precious belongings. I restricted myself to my steamer trunk to be generous to the other's allotments. At this point, the food and water stores that survived the ship wreck were frighteningly low and we were all on edge. Figuring out how to secure our items safely was the least of our worries...how to fill the balloons with enough hot air to get us up into the sky, much less safely to land was our biggest trouble. I took a walk to clear my thoughts and that's when it came to me. The sweltering heat from the lower chamber...but how to get it to where we needed it? I must confess it took me the better part of the day to decide on the method best used. No one wanted to sleep that night, anxious to get on our way and away from this doomed week so we worked well into the dark. Ora and Janet were of so little help or encouragement, I assigned them the task of holding mirrors to give the remaining of us enough light to work by. The noble vessel we started this trek on was conveniently lined with brass hand rails, hollow tubes that were only a little trouble to dislodge with the right tools and motivation. We assembled them in a row, up the side of the mountain, working though the night as we wrapped moist scraps of material tied tightly around each junction from the ship wreck to the lower chamber. As the balloons filled with the steam filled air, the men secured the platform to the ground with the tether ropes, left by the creator of this magnificent invention. By dawn, the balloons were full and straining the ropes, but alas, the weight of all of us and our belongings was too much for them to lift us further than a few feet. Weak and hungry, exhausted from the events of the week, all were ready to give up. As I lay down to rest, despair hanging low in the camp, it came to me...a fire on the platform! Quickly I began my work, gathering stones and chunks of the buildings in ruins to make a circle to contain the fire. Voices of anger and disbelief rose as I worked, urging me to give up, but I would hear none of them. I secured our belongings along the edges of the platform to form a sort of safety rail away from the center fire. Building it to a flame as tall as me, the tethers strained from the ground as the platform rose. A few cries of hope joined my shouts of exaltation. One by one we carefully stepped up and took our place, the tethers never sagging. Slowly our hopes built to something that could carry us out of this mess and we released the tethers. As we rose into the air the cacophony of noise from below was deafening. The brass rails we fashioned as pipes tumbled in pieces down the mountain, I can only assume they did the same inside the cavern and lower chamber. From there the consensus of us all is that the levers on the table must have been hit by our make shift tubing collapsing as the water rushed back into the city and the walls surrounding it, holding back the ocean lowered back into their watery silence. The wind picked up and our now tiny looking ship faded into the distance. One by one the crew fell into a fitful slumber of exhaustion and starvation. I was the last to close my eyes as the last of the tiny piece of land remaining faded out of sight. Alone and afloat above a vast ocean, the last thought as my mind drifted was that we would surely crash into the water and drown but I had done my best.

I awoke to shouts and screams of my shipmates. Barely missing toppling over the trunk I was resting against in my haste, I soon discovered the source of the anxiety of my companions. Not anxiety, but joy. Ora had scooped his sister Janet up to dance her around a tiny circle as the others leaned over their own belongings to look at the land below. As the fire had died down as we slept, our decent had taken us nearly to the treetops. The men grabbed at the upper branches below us, grabbing hold as we lowered further. One or two climbed out into the trees to grab the tethers that were now almost dragging the ground and swing from the ropes. New found energy driving them to pull us to the ground, wrapping the ropes around tree trunks around the convenient clearing and heaving to bring the rest of us to safety. The farmer who's field we landed in was overly generous to our plight, paying him with what was left of our transportation after it's rough landing though tree branches, he and his family provided us with food and fresh water and after a few days, a wagon and ox to take us to the nearest civilized location and pointed us in the right direction. From there, I continued on my journey to Egypt, dragging Ora and Janet along with me, although once I was securely safe, they both decided to leave my employment permanently. I wished them happiness and safe journeys in their boring lives and now you see me here, better for the adventure.