The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-09-04
Currents Of the Sea.

1
cal Geography Of the Sea. SO many cl-
'"rS had been made without success, TO
sound the depths of the ocean, that it had
come to bc reglr'le' as impracticaLc. The
observation OF the currents that were known
TO exist IN its waters We're attended with 80
many difficulties that they were at best but
'inrc'irctly understood. Tho same unccr-
talnty prevailed with rc@areI to the winds :
AMI navigation, consequently. was q thing
ot pare routine vessel followed vessel over
Il prescribed track, year after year, though
as h;H since been amply proved, n much
more advantageous course might have been
shaped. The universally appreciated book
OF Lieut.. M"nr;' lays before the public the
result Ct observations made in all paris
"i The globe ;,S 10 currents :tni winds,
the trnrcraturc Of the water. the
result Of deep sea soun,inns, Sc.
and hv the charts which lave been con.
sirctc.! will ;'lc i! O! these o!scrya-
lions, the navigator is enabled boldly to steer
over what 10 him is wholly IN unknown
sea. Thus many VOYAGES are mlirl, short
c''ed, and very great saving, often times
effected. -
The Philadelphia North Amcrican, in
an article on Winds AMI Currents, :,!,lu-
COS some interesting: facts, from which we
/ make some iil'cra! extracts !: It. SAYS. l,v
tar til: best known currents III the world OF
{ waters. Is Ike Gulf stream, which lies So
Immcdiatclv in the track o! mn,!crn COM
morcc. 1t las lis origin in the Gulf Ct
! Mexico, and flows out 20 near to Florida
! Keys ,l:a. its deep l!ne color is something's
distinctly VISIBLE from them. The line of
! Al Ir,,,pr ION 1rt, y1,, ',,1f
the cui'.r water Which serves for its bed. is
remarkably we'll .ir!inr.t-so much that i,
has b cn possible to distinguish the instant
at which Il vessel enters it, lIc general course
oil the stream Is first 10 the noriIcast-on' The
coast Of the United s;;;,tcs--and thcn turn
! iny to the eastward, ut about the southern
: extremity Of the Great Banlis, anL continu-
ally widening on the surface, it is Gis,rilu-
ted 10 :lc British Islands and the North OF
| Europe, the natural IGOR Of which it serves
| greatly 70 TEMPER. The comparatively
mild temperature Of the northwest of Eu
rorc Is attributed mai:.ly to the influence
Of the Gull Stream. which carries from
tropical region of Tic earth u great amount
OF heat, 10 be cNpcn,ir'l OH otherwise cheer
less shores. 10 the Influence Of the Gulf
Stream the moist climate Of Great Britain,
and Especially of Ireland, is due and. to
the same cause is owing 10 the rain which
our orhca>t"rs are pretty sure to bring
The introduction OF Il large body Of heated
water into 4 colder rcgon, it may readily
bc ilia@ncd. produces many atmospheric
and electrical changes, and hence the tile
"wcathcr BREEDER" which We are told
sailors bcstow Oh the Gulf Stream.
The large quantity OF water ever flow
ing out from the Gulf of Mexico is replaced
!y IN equatorial current, which crosses the
ocean from the coast Of Africa, and enters
the Caribbean Sea. Bctwccn the Gulf
Stream OH the moth, and this equatorial
current on the South, lies a region which
is known rs the Sargasso Sea. According
TO Lieut. Ma"ry, IT covers an area equal in
extent 10 the whole Mississippi valley,
and is so tl!ckly matted over with guilt
weeds that the speed Of vessels p;s>iYn
through it is often much retarded, and it
sometimes appears 10 tl!e'cye solid enough
to walk Oh. This phenomenon is at,ribu-
ted 10 the fact s6fthc Snr;;asao Sea being
the centre Of whrl of which the cQunlo-
rial currents from one portion and the
Gull Stream another. The Atlantic ocean
has been compared to 4 basin oi water, i'll
which, when the fluid is set into rapid mo-
ton, there is :. tendency in amy light sub
stances that may be floating on the outside
Of the whirl to the centre Of the basin, and
the presence of this drift in compara,ive-
y motionlcss sea is taken rs one cvilcncos
of the existence Of a circular current in :he'
Atlantic, flowing westward TO the great
American gulf, ru>hin. out through, the
straits Of Florida, and sweeping with
wide curve to the shores Of Northern FsfTu-
rope and Africa. 1t is very common for
bottles containing IL slip of paper, with the
name Of the ship, and its precise latitude
and longitude, TO he thrown overheard in
different parts Of the wor!,l, and the places
i'll which these bottles are picked up, after
the lapse ola considerable time, indicate
| the general direction of tho currents. From
experiments ofthis nature, it appears that
there is n steady tendency oflhe water of
the Atlantic to and from the Gulf of Mex-
co. a bottle dropped overheard is picked
up in the Caribbean Sea another dropped
oil the coast of Africa. makes its appear
ance in the Gulf Stream ON the coast Of Ire
land, and is there thrown ashore a third
escaping the shore, voyages along the
coast OF Europe TO the African seas again,
thus completing the circle.
There are other currents in the Atlantic
the most important of Which are those set
ting towards the equator from the Polar seas,
and ricc Uersd. There is thus q constant
interchange Of water between tho tropical
and arctic and antarctic regions of tie
globe,-an exchange attended with the
beneficial results, serving to ameiiorate" the
| -old OF the. one, and 10 modify tho beat Of