The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-18

maritime population the promotion of steam
lanes and their auxiliaries in every sea.
The Thermal stratincation OF the
Ocean-Ths Latest Deep-sea Re-
searches OF tho Challenges.
Among the splendid contributions to science
made by the outstanding Challenger expedi-
ton we have now to record the exposition Of
the thermal sterilization of the ocean. Il was
said by the late Sir Roderick Murchison that
the solving Of this interesting problem, in
volving the oceanic circulation, would be as inn
portant in physical geography as was Harveys
discovery of the circulation Of the blood in
physiology. If we may depend upon the data
of deep-sea exploration taken by the Ohal-
lenger, and published in one of the latest issues
of the London Times, the long disputed ques-
ton of marine temperatures Is practically set
at rest. The data referred to are the complete
results of the Challenger's thermometric sur
vey of the North and South Atlantic, which
have been recently submitted to the Hydro
graphic Department of the Admiralty.
The first temperature section taken across
the North Atlantic by the expeditionary sur
veyors ran from the Island of Tenerine to st.
Thomas In the eastern half Of this district,
at 900 fathoms depth, the cold water stratum
was met, having temperature of 40 degrees
Fahrenheit; and from this to the bottom.
which lay at 8, $50 fathoms, the mercury fell
to 354 degrees Fahrenheit. As the section
crossed the tropic about 100 leagues from St.
Thomas at correspondingly extreme depths,
the water grew still colder GA degrees); and
the cold bed of water also came nearer the sur
face, although the ship was nearer the Equator.
This remarkable thermometric depression on
the broad floor of the Atlantic was traced to
the extension of vast underdow Of ice-cold
water from the Antarctic regions, whose glacial
discharges have an unobstructed gateway in
the submarine channel between Cape Horn
and the Cape of Good Hope. The instru-
mental readings reveal, therefore, the extraor-
binary phenomenon of q vertical difference of
nearly 40 degrees in temperature between the
surface and abyssal strata-the former being
about rs degrees, the latter as low as IS de-
grees. From Madeira southwark to st. Vim
cent as the survey proceeded, the nearer they
approached the Equator the hot surface stra-
tum grew thinner and the cold Antarctic
underfow surged higher upward from the
ocean bottom. just little south Of the Line
were found the highest surface temperature
and the lowest bottom temperature encoun-
tered anywhere in the Atlantic, the former
being IS degrees and the latter 80 degrees
afording contrast of 46 degrees in 1900
fathoms. In addition to these instructive
and extended deep-sea observations, the Chal-
lenger, in her later cruise, discovers that, lat-
tude for latitude the South Atlantic Ocean is
much more glacial than the North Atlantic.
This is owing, probably, to the wide and ever
open communications it maintains with the
South Polar basin. 1t would appear from the
thermal contrast presented by the two At
lantics that the greater refrigeration in the
Southern Sea demonstrates the continental Gas
opposed to marine) character of the Antarctic
area. This has been before merely surmise,
but it seems now corroborated by the excess
sive iciness Of the Antarctic seas, as far as the
Challenger has tested their depths with the
mercurial thermometer.
The results obtained from this survey, in
valuable to the science of the physical
geography of the seq, confirm the reason
ings of several eminent American hydrog-
raphers, who gave that science its earliest
impulses. Indeed, nearly all the deep-sea
phenomena, now SO reliably brought to light
by these scientific researches-such as the
underfow and reAow of the glacial and SUM-
heated strata respectively, their most marked
contrast near the Equator, the movement Of
the superior Antarctic currents and the ther-
NAL contrast between the North and South
Atlantic, were matters of prediction among
our physical geographers before the Chal-
lenger left England The only great
field that vessel is yet to furrow in
the interests Of ocean science is the
Antarctic Ocean, which has long been in
vested with mysterious interess. ~ the voyagesl
of Wilkes and Ross. Doubtless the investiga-
ton of those waters will be rich in geographic
cal revelations Of the character of the South
Polar territory, and may, finally, prove whether
it is land or water. We shall look with the
utmost interest for whatever sheds light on
that interesting problem of physical geog-
raphy
Will the President Veto the Bins
In the response Of the President to the COM
mittee Of New York bankers and merchants
who waited upon him with an appeal to veto
the Imitation bill, that now only needs his sig
nature to become law, there are some words
that would have an encouraging sound if they
were not SO Intimately associated with an om-
nous 'but." General Grant says his views