The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-05-12

New York Journal OF Com"e c.,..
T,o oxoed,cn,s resorted to by the BRITISH
Admiralty for tucIng up the m's s, ,, sup
Ataiants nave proved so far utterly Iu.he,
and mate a sorry record for tue euhcleucy
oT that stately body oil rep9.eu na"''.a'
sc,on,,s,s The ATLANTA LETT Berihu1a on
T,nmarv Doth for Portsmouth, Engisnd, un'
dor canvas. aud ought to nave veen eA,
nected NJ the latter port by the m'dole OF
March at the very latest, as tpe winter
MASSAGE from Bermuda 10 Engfsnd Is only
ih,rty.t frs. DAYS. Her non-arifVa' seems 10
have awakened no concern among tne haVh
authbY1ties until the 18th OF Apr'', "nen OF
,lers were prepared to send searcu-su,p
TO inquire for her at Bantry pay, on 'ne
southwest coast OF Ireland. I1is was
ante superfluous IL not an loie un-
dertaking, for bad she been url'en ln,o
Bantry bay she would have oeeh qulch'y
1pported to the home Government. Inen
the Mediterranean squadron was a,rec,eu
TO look for her near the Spanish ana ro'tu-
cuese coasts-an equally ill-ludged ana nap
hazard search, for bad the AtaIanta Deeh
disabled on her passage 10 Ebg'ahu IL 10
nearly certain she would not nave peen
cast oil these coasts. The piict Quarts SNOW
biob barometrjc pressures over the Eastern
contiguous coasts OF Southwestern Eu-
rome. the inevitable and well.known
effect OF which Is TO occasion strong
off. shore winds, which north Of the
fortletb parallel blow to the north
ward, and south OF that line are drawn into
the general trads-wind movement. The
ocean currents also between the Azores and
Portugal, and the general movement OF
storm centres curving round the Azores TO
the east. combine with the winter and
spring winds TO force all Atlantic drift mat
ter northeast and east OF these islands TO
take southwark coast; so that on the sup
position that the ATLANTA in a helpless con-
dition passed the merdians Of the Azores,
she would almost iniaIlibly have been drifted
with great force far away from the European
coast.
The next step taken by the Admiralty to
find the missing ship was TO direct inquiry
to the Azores; but the tremendous Attain
tic gales OF February do not appear to have
crossed these islands. Tie United States
Sigma! Service chart Of international me-
teorology" shows the February "Ocean
storm tracks" and its monthly weather
review srates: "Two OF these (Feb-
ruary Atlantic storms) appear to bave
passed in northeaslerly course after
arriving at the foltieth meridian, and
to have produced southerly gales along
the British coasts in two or three
days after leaving Newfoundland an
other, the ''revew" shows. passed The
meridanS of the Azores in so north lati-
tude, or 700 miles north OF these islands;
and the only remaining February gale de-
veloped during the 10Th on the coast OF
North Carolina, and on the 10th and l7tb
moved rapidly eastward south OF Nova
SCOTIA" Not one OF these hurricane CEN
tres, therefore. moved toward the Azores;
and had the English Admiralty conferred
with the Washington Weather Bureau
it could easily have learned these facts and
have been guided accordingly TO m0'e
promising field OF inquiry. Indeed. had
The international ocean weather reports for
the month in which the ATLANTA was seeking
to make her last homeward passage been
duly studied, seaich-ship might have betn
directed in time to the ye.y vicinity in
which the missing vessel or the de6riS OF
her wreck could have been found.
The last reported attempt to discover her
whereabouts was 10 send TO Newfoundland
and order a Government ship TO cruise
thence to the eastward. Probably no en-
deavor less likely 10 accomplish the object
in view could have been conceived. The
powerful and almost uninterrupted wester-
~ and nortbwesterly winds from the north
ern part OF this Continent swept the North
Atlantic from west TO east all through Feb
ruary and March, so that the most full-pow-
cred westward. bound steamships could
scarcely make half their Ordinary speed.
TO expect tidings from the Atalanta in any
part OF the ocean between Newfoundland
and The meridian OF Iceland would seem to
be as rational as 10 look for a waif lodged
in flood time on the turb!d waters OF the
Mississippi at Cairo, hundreds Of miles up
stream!