Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-01-25
VOL. L, NO. 9......wHoLE NO. 257l.


Modern ingenuity has suggested a
well known method Of warming bull
dings by means Of hot water. Now,
the northwestern parts Of Europe are
warmed, in an exactly similar manner,
by the Gull stream. The torrd zone
is the furnace the Caribbean sea
and Gulf Of Mexico the boilers the
Gull stream the conducting pipe !:
from the banks Of Newfoundland to
the shores Of Europe is the great hot
air chamber, spread out So as to pre-
sent a large surface. Here the heat,
conveyed into this warn-ar chamber
of mld-ocean. IS taken 10 by the pre-
valhng west winds, and dispensed
over our own and other countries,
where It Is so much required. Such,
IN short, IS the influence OF the Gulf
stream upon our climate, that Ireland
Is clothed 10 robes of evergreen grass;
while IN the very same latitude, on
the American side OF the Atlantic,
is the frost-bound coast OF Labrador.
In 1881, the harbor OF ST. Johns,
Newfoundland, was closed with ice
so late 10 the season as June yet the
port of Liverpool, two degrees fur
ther north. has never been closed by
frost IN the seyrfcst winter The
Laplauder cultIyates barley IN lali
tuhc which, IN every other part Of the
world, is doomed TO perpetual sterillty.
The benefit thus conferred on our
country 10y the Gulf stream is re.
marknbe accident in our condition.
II obviously depends on the Gull ol
Mexico continuing To be guilt, which
however, it might easily cease to be.
A subsidence of the lsthmus of Pam
ANA 10 the extent of couple of hun
dred leei--and such subsldences have
taken place IN geological times all
over the world-would allow the
equatorial current of the Atlantic to
pass through into the Pacific, instead
of being reflected back to our coasts.
Britain would then become a Labra-
dor, and cease 10 be the seat of a nu-
merous aud powerful people.
While the Gulf stream is covering
our shores with verdure, rlpenlng the
haryesls of England and the vintage
of France, its influence is equally BEN
e6cial at its iounlain-head in the
western world. The Caribbean sea
and the Gulf of Mexico are encom-
passed on one side by the chain of
West India Islands, aud on the other
by the CordIlleras of the Andes, con-
lractlng with the Isihmus of Darien,
and again expanding over the plains
of Central America and Mexico. On
the extreme SUBMITS of this range
are the regions of eternal snow next
in descent is the terra tempidda, or
temperate region and lower still, is
what the Spaniards truly and en-
phalically have termed terra catiente,
the burning land. Descending still
i...'e', is the level of the sea, where
were It not Tor this wonuerfui system
of aqueous circulation, the peculiar
features Of the surrounding country
assure us we should find the hottest
and most peslilentiul climate IN the
world. Brt as the waters become
heated, they are carried off by the
Gulf stream, aud replaced by cooler
currents entering the Caribbean sea
The surlace-water flowing out is four
degrees warmer than the surlace-wa-
ter entering to supply It's place.
As in a hot-water apparatus for
warming buldlng-io keep up the
slmlle- the water cooked in the hot
air chamber flows back to the boiler,
SO one part of the waters of the Gulf
stream, after giving out its heat, flows
towards the equatorial current, the
other TO the polar basin Of Spnzber-
gen. The sec,els of The Arctic re-
glons are hidden by lmpenelreble ice;
but we know that a return-current
beurlng immense icebergs, comes
down from the dreary north, through
Davls's Strait, "nd meets the Gull
stream al the Banks of Newlound-
land. Scoresby counted at one Time
six hundred icebergs starting of on
then southwark journey by this cur
rent, which, pressing on the waters
of the Stream, curves IT'S channel ia
to a benz" in shape resembling a
horseshoe, and some hundreds of
miles in area. The bend is the great
receptacle or harbor of the lcebergs
which drift down from the north, and
are here melted by the warm waters
OF the stream, Who dare say that,
10 the course oi ages, the Banks of
Newfoundland have not been formed
by The earth, stones, aad gravel car
ned down to that spot by these verv
lceDergs
such is the dislinclness kept up
between the warm and cold water,
that, though the northern current
forms "A large bend Of iudenlation in
the Gulf stream, il does not commin-
gle with it; the former here divides
into two parls--one actually under
running the stream, the other flow
lng soulh-westerly between ii and the
coust of America. 1t is this last
branch of the cold current that affords
the citizens of the United Slules re-
lreshlng sea-bothing in the summer,
and an unlimited supply OF the finest
fish. In all parts of the world, the
most plentiful supply OF the most de-
llclous quality of fish are found IN
cold water The habitat of certain
kinds of fish unerringly indicates the
temperature of the water; and 4, is