The Bermuda Triangle IT IS KNOWN AS THE Devil’s Triangle, the Hoodoo Sea, and the Bermuda Triangle. This vast area of ocean encompasses some of the most mysterious and dangerous waters known to us today. Geographically, the area forms a rough triangle. It reaches from southern Florida to the northern-most point of the islands of Bermuda. From there it passes down to Puerto Rico and moves west back through the Bahamas to Florida. This mysterious region covers 380,000 square miles of sea and coastline. The area is legendary for tales of unexplained disappearances — of people, ships, and planes. Early explorers left journals of inexplicable happenings, especially in the area known as the Sargasso Sea. There, they claimed, the wind stood still and the seaweed grew so thick that it entrapped the ship that floundered into its snare. Nor were the wind-powered crafts the only ones to fall prey to these strange experiences. Motor-powered freighters and steamers met forces beyond their control, too. Little official concern is noted for these happenings until the 1800s, when two famous disappearances took place. In 1840, the Rosalie, a French vessel, was found derelict in the triangle, her sails set, cargo intact, but with all hands missing, Investigations revealed no clues. There was no indication of piracy or of an emergency on board and no traces of passengers or crew — ever. Forty years later, the British frigate Atalanta sailed from England heading for Bermuda. This time the ship and its passengers, all 290 of them, vanished off the Bermuda coast. Probably the most famous vanishing act in history took place on D 5, 1945, when the United States Navy launched a training flight fron Eon Lauderdale, Florida. A total of fourteen crewmembers aboard five TBM Ave ngerbombers flew out for a routine two-hour fight. Approximately 225 miles north: east of the naval base, on radar and in contact with flight control, all five aircra! disappeared. Immediately a PBM Martin with its thirteen-member crew was dispatched to locate and assist. Twenty minutes later, this bomber too was lost. One of the greatest intensive searches in United States history followed. | Hundreds of hours of search time were logged by planes and ships crisscrossing the ocean, but all efforts failed. No oil slicks or floating debris (normal results from planes ditched in the ocean) were located. Weather conditions were reported as excellent, personnel as top quality and well trained. What happened to the twenty-seven men and six planes on that fateful day? The list of ships and planes lost forever in the secret of the Bermuda Triangle is long. But what is the secret? Undoubtedly many disappearances can be blamed on human error and natural causes. Miscalculations, panic, freak atmospheric conditions, and sea- quakes take their toll. Occasionally a ship or plane that never existed is reported lost — a casualty of honest error or planned fabrication. But history records dozens of other incidents that can’t be explained away so easily. Among the theories offered by various researchers is one claiming that cer- tain areas in the world exist where the normal laws of gravity and magnetism do not function. The most notable of these areas are the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil’s Sea off the coast of Japan. Here, researchers say, compasses and other magnetic devices malfunction. Pilots become disoriented and motors lose their power. The result, of course, can often be tragic. Inhabitants of these areas say that an unusually high number of unidentified lights and flying objects have been sighted here. Are UFO’s kidnapping our craft and their occupants? Atlantis, the illusive sunken island whose roots have long been buried in legend, is a third suspect. Might powerful batteries used by a long-lost super- culture occasionally reactivate? This could explain the inconsistent safe and unsafe periods of travel in the triangle area. r sure, although many individuals and several governments = ace of He United States and Russia — are ee in nana} Pel on solution to the puzzle. Perhaps some day these eee ucceec - en will we be able to answer the questions: Is Pe enigma o} hae Sree caused by coincidence or a motivating force? If not coinci . force?For each sentence below, choose a vocabulary word from the list above that best completes the sentence. 1. The leopard carefully stalked its ee 2. If it were not for the force of —______ , we would all be floating in space. 3. An emergency situation arose at the nuclear plant when a safety valve began to 4. Whata it was to run into Uncle Fred at Disneyland! 5. Many tales have been told about the lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. 6. Because of the navigator’s , the ship was one hundred miles off course: 7. It was certainly of her to say she disliked sweets when she was eating a large piece of frosted cake! 8. Although it was a leaky old , we were able to rowit home safely. 9. His story about running out of gas was pure ee from the plane crash was scattered for miles around.Analogies show a correspondence or relationship between two things that are otherwise not alike. Below are ten analogies. In each case, select the word that best completes the analogy. EXAMPLE: VALENTINE’S DAY is to FEBRUARY as CHRISTMAS is to. A. Santa Claus B. snow C. white D. December (The correct answer for this analogy would be DECEMBER, because Valentine’s Day occurs in February and Christmas occurs in December. Now try the analogies below.) 1. SHIP is to WATER as AIRPLANE is to10. A. land B. rock C. air D. fire ADVANCING is to STALEMATED as SAILING is to A. sinking B. becalmed CC. wrecked ~—_—D. mast PIRACY is to SHIP as PLAGIARISM is to A. television B. word —C. language _. literature MICROSCOPE is to MAGNIFY as RADAR is to A. detect B. blip C. Bermuda Triangle D. explore COMPASS is to NAVIGATE as TELESCOPE is to A. enjoy B. hear C. know D. see TRIANGLE is to THREE as RECTANGLE is to A. side B. angle C. four D. form LIFEJACKET is to BOAT as PARACHUTE is to A, paratrooper B. airplane C. nylon D. ripcord POMPEII is to VOLCANO as ATLANTIS is to A.rubble BB. eruption = C.UFO OD. ocean LOST is to MISSING as ENIGMA is to A. knowledge B. found C. mystery D. discovery MAGNETISM is to ATTRACT as FISSION is to _————_____- A. split B. bond C. coalesce D. flameO Misfits Circle the word or phrase that does not belong in each of the sentences below. 1. The Bermuda Triangle is legendary for tales of unexplained disappearances of , , and A. people B. ships C. planes_D., radar2. Little attention to Bermu: of the ida Triangle disappearances was paid until the strange losses andthe in the 1800s. A. Rosalie B. Tycoon —_C. Atalanta 3. Si . . ome natural phenomena that might explain some of the Bermuda Triangle losses are o , or A. freak atmospheric conditions —_B, panic _C. flawed navigational maps D. seaquakes 4. The two governments most involved in trying to solve the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle are —______ and __ A. Japan B. the United States —_C. the Soviet Union 5. The two areas of the earth where bizarre disappearances of ships have taken place most frequently are the and the A. Devil's Sea _B. Dead Sea _C. Bermuda Triangle