Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-02-25
THE GULF STREAM.
LECTURE BY PROF. MAURY

LECTURE BY PROF. MAURY.
The announcement that Prof. 7. B.
Maury would lecture on the Gulf
Stream before the Polytechnic Branch
of the American Institute, attracted
large audience Mt their rooms in the
Cooper Institute, on the 10th. After
the usual reading of scientific items by
Prof. Tilman, the speaker of the even
ing was introduced With the aid of
several large charts and maps, he traced
the Equatorial current of the Atlantic
from the Western Coast of Africa, and
showed how it formed the great COM
mercial highway known rs the Gulf
Stream. This current, he claimed, is
more than | 900 times larger in volume
than the Mississippi River. Ii moves
across the Atlantic Oh the track of a
great circle of the earth. Combating
the prevailing notion that the shores
and banks of Newfoundland de1lect
the current from its natural and nor
mai path, evidence was brought to
show that il moved i'm obedience to the
diurnal rotation of the globe on the
one hand, and, on the other, that, be-
ing of different specific gravity from
the waters of the Polar Sea, it seeks to
find an equilibrium by changing places
with them.
Two new positions were advanced
| by the lecturer as to this mysterious
| flow of the ocean. He denied that the
usual easterly curve of the Gulf stream
| (as the maps give it), by which IL Is
made TO sweep toward the Azores ana
around to the shores of Africa, have
any existence. There is current-an
offshoot, pparently-recurring in this
direction, but it is n mere drU. This,
he explained, is caused 10y the "brave
west Winds" or, more properly, south
west winds, which, he said, every
wheve on the globe, north of the Tropic
of Cancer, are the same" The true
Gulf stream, however, flows ON IN
mighty and resistless course. Even as
far north as Hammcrfest, in Norway
the most northerly town in the world
il makes its genial and balmy influence
felt. In 1881 the harbor of st. Johns
| Newfoundland, l, 800 miles south o
Hammerfest, had been frozen up a.
late as the month of June. But tho
harbor of HammeTfest has never been
known to be closed by ice, even IL
mid-Winter.
Mr.. Maury advanced the idea alsC
that the Gulf Stream is much more
than its name purports. lt Is not
mere stream from the Gulf OF Mexico
but volume nearly as large as thu
great equatorial current itself Though
the Stream, as IL comes through th'
narrows of Florida, is thousand time
as large as the "Father of Waters a
Newt Orleans, 1t is afterwald re-en
forced by an immense shaving of tn
main equatorial current known as tn
North West Branch. This body o
water being of the same or nearly tn
same temperature and specific gravlt,
US the Gulf Stream proper, readil.
unites with il after the latter has pass
ed the Bahamas. The lecturer thel
, read a letter from Capt. Silas Bren
} (the co-worker of Commodore PER-.
f i'm his Japan eXpedition), whom II
} had consulted on the views he enter
tanned. and who, in IA clear and concis
) statement, indorsed his reasoning.
III this be true, the lecturer said, tn
! views now entertained by geographer
= of the climatic power of the Gul
A Stream must undergo a serious reVis
{ ion, ii not decided revolution.
would no longer be regarded as th
5 comparatively small issue through TN
| ! NarIows of Bemini, but stream mor
q than double as large, aud one whlc
= was fully equal 10 the Office elaine
A for il, of penetrating the regions of th
: extreme north, and breaking throug
G the massive ice-wall which surroun
4 and guard the avenues To the Pol
4 itself The "bluen color and "phO'
s phorescent" features ofthe GulfSueaI
o were described and eXpl0ined. Pro
4; Maury compared tho Gulf Stream
: the Milky way, because its warm va
e ter at night was made 10y the myria
g insects TO glow and sparkle like sc
r of fire.