The Hickman courier., 1878-08-09
GULF STREAM STUDIES.

/ The Return Of an American Ship After ObseTa'
I tions in the Gulf-- Curious Discoveries.
The United States coast survey steam
er Blake, which returned to Washington
three weeks ago from dredging operations
in the gulf Of Mexico, is now reftting
for another expedition in November.
Capt. Patterson, Of the coast survey,
says that the extensive and accurate
soundings of the gull, taken by improved
scientific methods in the recent expedi.
ton, do not tend TO confirm the belief,
long held. that the ennatorial current,
aftery rushing from the Caribbean sea
through the channel formed by the West
India islands and thenorthernp projection
of Yucatan, makes the whole tortuous
circuit of the gulf close by the shores OF
central America, Mexico and the south
ern coast of the United States before
emerging into the Atlantic between the
noint of Florida and the Bahamas. The
observations tend rather 10 prove that
the force of the incoming equatorial
stream expends itself in one direction
against the mass Of the gulf before it
reaches the Texas coast, and then turns
directly toward and reissues into the
ocean. The former theory, however, is
that elaborated in the very latest maps OF
the German geographers, who have
hitherto been the highest authority on
this subject.
The pet theory IN regard TO the cur
rent being unsettled, the expedition now
to be made will proceed 10 repeat certain
experiments and to make Others, with
the view Of either confirming or destroy
ing the latter hypothesis Exhaustive
observations will be made of the region
of ocean in and around the eastward
islands Of the Caribbean sea, through
which the equatorial current makes It's
entrance, as through sieve, from the
Atlantic into the long channel, one thou~
sand five hundred miles long, formed by
the West Indies on the one side, aud
: Central and South America on theothers
and leading TO thegulf of Mexico. From
the experiments and observations OF the
, expedition, Capt Patterson hopes for
} esults which will go far toward laying
] at rest all merely speculative theories
i relating to the gulf stream. ThetrouDle
with European scientists in dealing with
e this subject is, he asserts, that they have
q all speculated with too few data, assum-
: ing the problem to be one which could
e be solved by hypothesis. He assumes
e that the question of the direction ana
e influence of the gulf stream in its whole
!. extent is one which can only De an
d swered by the most minute and exhaust
a i've observations of facts, and, farther
N more, that it is question which Pecu-
re- liarly belongs to the American govern
al ment and to American science to an
id swer.
II In connection with the Investigations
er hitherto conducted by the coast survey
ID expeditions in the gulf of Mexico IL
I'd has been ascertained that the vast cn
ke rent of water pouring from the gnii ln1o
n the Atlantic, through the flofioA anu
Id Bahama gate, has neither the same Fs-
es loc;tv nor the same temperature. ~ y
I believed by Capt. Patterson and his as
10. sociates that further attention 70 .'''
,e. curious fact may develop results having I:
n. an important bearing upon the seleposS' % -
of climate and meteorology, making b'o
dictions possible as to changes IN lne ~ ~,
sons of the European countries an9'I,s
:. bv the gulf stream from the ~ SD.', e,~ "
rs ~ ouantity ~ M and temperature Of the NY
= = through the Florida straits