, 1883-12-27

earta around he san agd tie inclination
{ Of l,s axis. producing the VlrISSItUieS Of
| the seasons. w SLould have Gains, valI-
/ able winds and verified currents rs the
results of expansion IL the equatorial
REGIONS. northeast WIN l. from there To
I latitude - G".-. or 81 4 d':., variable winds
/ where thN southwest. currents begin to
J reach the surface jUst north Of the north
east winds: and southwest winds m win
| Ter aui northwest winds IN summer fur
/ tlor north. These conditions are found
! - exist wherever uobssEUcted bT other
! disturbing causes.
Other disturbing causes there always
| are, however. and here comes i'll the third
cf orr great climatic agencies.
Instead Of the CaEta being smooth
! surface. covered BY an ocean of uniform
/ depth, W End continents and islands Of
! irregular haVa and UEegUa!iy dlstr1hUt-
| cd. ocrupvsng Il considerable portion Of
! tie earth's surface. Vast ridges and
mountain Tclks rise from the land t.
! obztruct and divert the wind. and GoT"aS
| and chasms of profound depths, iniiJl-
encia" and often controlling the oceanic
currents scar the he'd of the sea in ever
direction. These break up the uniform
aerial and aqueous movements referred
| TO above and produce that seeming con
| fusion of currents which has been the
study and puzzle Of ciimGtoloSlSt5 and
geoGraphGrs for many years past. There
| is no doubt that the coTtiguratiou Of
continents and islands, and the direc-
ton of the deep grooves in the bed of
The ocean. largely influence the direction
and velocity of the occsnIc currents, and
when it is considered that One-haif of
the atmosphere surrounding our globe Is
condensed. by the pressure of its own
weight within belt four or five miles
in height. being below the tops of the
higher ranges OF mountains the iTTegu-
laritiGS Of The surface Will Ee admitted
to materially affect and so large extent
control the direction OF the winds in
their vicinity, together with the phenom-
ena OF the atmosphere dependent there
on.
Having thus outlined the various and
complex effects of the three leading eli
matte causes, We will proceed to consider
the operation of these various causes
upon the climates of tine interior and
western coast regions Of our continent
The Pacific Ocean being the largest
area on the face of the globe which pre-
sentS an even spherical surface should be
least subject to the irregularities which
are so common in most other localities,
and should indicate, with the least dis
turbance. the effects OF the distribution
of solar heat and the rotary motion Of
the earth in the production cf atmos-
ph9Tic and oceanic currents.
The prevailing winds of the temperate
zone being westerly should give the Pa
citic Coast region Ii climate of greater
uniformity than that which OBtalnS else
where. such, by observation, Is found
TO be the case. This equabiiity OF eli
mate (about 80 Geg. in winter and 6l deg.
in summeE,) gives the residents OF the
Pacific Coast districts, and especially of
Puget Sound, the winters of Norfolk
Virginia, the summers OF Nova Scoua
and the mean annual temperature as Pc
kin, London, New York and Chicago.
The location of these great cities on this
i5othermal line Was not the result of accI-
dent nor wholly of Topographic necessity,
but largely of mans intuiuve perceptil II
IN determining the belt of the carth's
surface best adapted to his physical and
intellectual development. Nature herself
has designated the locality of the great
en-, ,,orisIua of the E.:citic, and 1t Is tire
evident destiny of Puget Sound to DC
worthy of its place as a link of the com
merciai chain which enclrcles the earth.
Coming now 20 the oceanic movements
which are produced by the same causes
as he atmospheric currents, and which
have an equal influence upon climate,
we proceed to state that all substances
expand 10y heat, water as well as air,
although to much less extent. Hence
arise the two principal oceanic move
ments III the northern hemisphere, the
Gulf Stream and the great Japan Cur
rent.
In the cauldron of the torrid zone the
water is heated sometimes as high rs 81
deg. 1t consequently expands and flows
OIL to the cooler regions, It's place being
supplied by colder and heavier water
| from the north. This, together with the
great amount OF rainfall In the equator
| ial regions are believed to produce the
ocean currents of our hemisphere, which
are crowded against the eastern shores
of both continents by the rotary motion
of the earth until they reach latitude ~
| deg. TO J6 deg, when, by their mOuOn
| being in excess of that of tine earth sur
| face, and by encOunterInG more elevated
pIateaus of the oceans bed, they are de-
iiected eastwardly and break upon the
opposite coasts of the respective contln-
ents. This movement of the Gulf Stream
is well understood. Leaving the CarIb-
bean Sea and Gulf of Mexico 1t moves
northwardly along the American Coast,
| becoming an off shore current until II
strikes upon the grand banks Of New
foundland, wheie 1T Is detected to the
eastward, and moving along the south
ern declivity of the plateau, upon which
rests the ocean cable from Virginia Bay
to Valentia, crosses the Atlantic and
breaks upon the shores of Western Eu-
rope. \ portion of its volume escaping
over the plateau, moves along the north
ern coast of Ireland and the western
coast of Scotland. Here we have mag
nificent river of warm water carrying the
heat of the tropics omOre frigid regions.
| This heat is retainu,. intact, to great
degree, until the current breaks upon
the shores, where it is set free and being
carried inland by the prevailing westerly
winds renders all OF Central and North
ern Europe inhabitable. Were the Gulf
Stream arrested in its flow, the German
would become Il frozen ocean, the British
Islands would become another Labrador,
would cease to grow wheat and barley,
and the people would be obliged to eml-
CRATE or perish in frozen inhospltabie
wilderness.
Concluded on second page.)
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