The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-05-13
6 cL1T.H;1ItILNIllc,. II !

- 0I Cdpe OI. ICOque, IL hWSePe
along the northern shore of that cOnti-
nent, rushes through the Caribbean Sea-.
where it gathers cocoanuts, sea-weeds,
and bits of tropical woods, whirls.
around the Gulf Of Mexico with force
that keeps all its waters in motion,
gathers into one mighty current Eol-s
ume of water equal to three thousand
Mississippi rivers, and pours itself out
of the Florida Straits. Aud now mark
its course. .-. ..-..' .,-.------- ~.
1t has been said that, five had can
non capable of throwing ball three
thousand miles, and could plaut that
cannon at the Florida Straits, and, aim
ing it at Ireland, fire, our ball would.
follow exactly the course pursued by
the Gulf Stream. @ e- 10 z-5laa.
As it shoots out of the Straits, q it
takes a shape Of its own, color OF its
own, and, indeed, so decided characs
ter, that it persists in holding itself
quite distinctfrom the surrounding wa
tiers. 1t is about two feet higher in the
middle than at the sides, and thus is
roof shaped. The sailors ascertain this
by lowering a boat and noticing its
drift to one side or the other, while the
heavier vessel, drawing more water,
cleaves its way through the current un-
disturbed by its surface shape. live
are sailing along the ridge of this roof,
we may throw out two bottles, one on
either side of our vessel, and that on
the eastern side will inevitably. visit
Ireland, Scotland, or someother portion
of western Europe, while the other will
as surely be picked up on the LAmeri-
can shore-neither can 60 up bill or
climb the ridge of that roof. The coll
/ or of the stream is q darker blue than
the surrounding ocean, and the water
is salter, which gives it greater power
to corrode the copper on vessels bot
toms; so we have one sin to lay to its
charge. Could we gather all its heat
into mighty furnace, it would raise
mountains of iron from zero to the
melting-po and keep in flow from
them a molten stream OF metal greater
than the Mississippi river. slisquas sau
1t gathers its heat in the tropics, but
why is it not all lost on this long voy.
agei Do you know that cold earth
would take away heat more rapidly than
cold water woulds and for its better
preservation, the Gulf Stream is not al
lowed to touch the bottom Ofthe ocean,
but is protected by cushion of cold
water interposed below. So .,,,., ,sI y 4.
1t seems to possess an almost magic
al power of attracting every floating
thing that is dropped into Atlantic
waters You know that sailors are in
the habit of throwing overheard bottles
marked with the names of their vessels
and theirlatitude and longitude These
bottles are often picked up thousands Of
miles from their starting-point. / have
heard of a map showing the tracks Of
more than one hundred ofthese bottles,
and, sooner or later, every bottle had
passed through the Gulf Stream. The
winds and storms too tend toward it
from all directiens, and the sailors call
it a "weather-breeder." -. .,g
When it reaches the outlet of Baffin's
Bay, it meets the icebergs, coming
down from the north, bringing their
loads of sand, stones and earth. With
its melting power it makes them drop
their burdens and build up the grand
banks of Newfoundland with the soil It
has torn away from Artic land. ''-a
In this part of its course it also proves
invaluable to vessels whose rigging hal
become coated with ice. Often they
run out from our harbors into the Gull
Stream for the simple purposes Of being
thawed out. "a. easi, ~
Many years ago, it was met and al
most conquered by great storm from
the north east, which with furiou
strokes drove its waters backward anC
heaped them up in the Gulf of MexicC
thirty feet high. A vessel, called th'
Ledbury Snow, rode out,the gale witt
, both anchors down, and when the watel
subsidized, she found herself high anC