The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-11

" " now hOWA WAoO yVu WCxV Oklvs
ing at long ago."
Opening the thick canvas-covereC
book in which he had been reading
Jack called his brother to his side anc
directed his attention to a diagram o.
the Eastern and Western continents.
Away down there, near the South
American coast" said Jack. pointing to
the spot with his finger, "the big Am.
azon is all the time pouring an i'm.
mcnse volume of water into the SO,
which lies sweltering under a tropiC
SUM-"
"Don't understand how the sea car
'swelter.'" broke in his ~irrepressible
brother.
THAT. my boy, is simply a figure Of
Speech" was the uumOyed answer.
But to continue. This sun-warmed cur.
rent. following the shore line at a dis.
lance, passes through and carries with
it the heated waters from what some
scientific person has called the two
great caldrons the Caribbean Sea and
the Gulf of Mexico. 1t then enters the
Florida Straits, where some say that
the Gulf Stream proper fairly COM
mences. because here are its first two
definite boundaries-Cape Sable on the
one hand, and the Island of Cuba with
the Bahamas or the other"
"But whereabouts does it begin to
run up-hili?:"
mot far from Cape Sable" Jack re-
piled, ''thOugh perhaps the expression
that / used was rather too strong.
What l meant was that the Coast Sur
vey sOundings have shown a gradual
rise from this point. where the stream
is about thirty miles wide, clear up to
Cape Hatteras. where it is more than
twice that width"
"And why does the Gulf Stream al
ways run to the north and east:?"
''Well." replied Jack, slowly, '.there
are different theories on that point.
The daily motion of the earth from east
to west has something to do with it.
Then, again, it is claimed that the
waters of the Gulf Stream and its tribu-
taries are salter than the sea which
hens it in. consequently evaporation
takes place faster. so that the water is
always hurrying in to take the place Of
that which the thirsty trade-winds are
tapping up. And perhaps the trade
winds. blowing steadily from the north
east, help to force this moving body of
water in the direction of the Caribbean
Sea-
And then, by the aid of diagrams.
Jack showed his brother how this
wonderful river in the sea, after follow
ING our own coast-line for hundreds OF
miles, splits in sunder above the fOrti-
eth parallel of latitude.
This branch runs up to the north
ward and eastward" said Jack, point
ing out the tiny arrOw-heads marking
its course, while the other, tending due
east. at last overfiows its banks of salt
sen, and is spread out over thousands of
square miles along the European shores.
Then describing a grand sweep, OF
which mid-ocean might be called the
middle, it helps form the great equato-
rial current which in turn is swept to-
ward the Caribbean Sea-"
'.But. Jack" said his brother, with q
puzzled look, "why don't the Gull
Stream water mix with the ocean,?
"Well." Jack slowly replied. ':thaA
is pretty hard for me to explain, be-
cause l don't fully understand it my
self. But as nearly as l do understand
it." he continued, Its something on
the same principle as the fact that hot
and cold water don't unite in q dish till
they're, so to speak, stirred up together
pretty thoroughly And then they say
that bodies of water of different densi.
ties won't mix readily, which is another
reason, for the Gulf Stream is consider
ably salter than the ocean which hens
it in. But Just see. Syl," Jack went
on, warming with his subiect-.just
see how beautifully the Creator makes
everything pulltogether. 50 to speak.
Now the earth is a conductor of heat.
you know"
Sylvester didn't know, but nod1ed his
and Jack went on:
"Well, if the Gulf Stream flowed di.
rectly over the bottom of the sea, ii
would soon loose its temperature. But
the Almighty has SO arranged it that
up in the Northern regions a polar
is set in motion, and comes
sweeping down to meet the Gulf Stream
somewhere near the Grand Banks.
When it strikes the warm current il
sinks to the bottom. and so puts itself
between the stream and the bottom oil
the ocean, so that the water is kept nj
the proper temperature
But what's the use of the Gull
Stream, anyway" persisted Sylvester.
Use of it, echoed Jack; Il guess
this would be a pretty uncomfortable
country to live in if there was no Gull
Stream. Only for this current to carry
away the heated water from the Gulf OF
Mexico and Caribbean Sea, the whole
-egion down there would be a parched,
dried-up desert. where no
could live nor anything grow. And
he same excess of heat that it brings
lway from the torrid zone is spread out
where it is most needed further north.
t tempers our W climate to q slight
extent, but its greatest power is felt
lcrOss the Ocean But for the warmth
{ scatters broadcast in its eastern
weep. the British Islands, which are in
he same latitude as Labrador. would
reeze up solid. and France might have
leighing all the year round, for aught
know. Then, again, vessels bound
rom Southern to Northern ports get the
,dvantage of its two and three knot cur
ent, and in winter, when they are iced
~ on own coast, q few hours sail
ng brings them into warm water. which
nelts off the ice and thaws out the sail