Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01

directed his attention to a diagram OF
the Eastern and Western continents.
.Away down there, near the South
American coast" said Jack, pointing to
the spot with his finger, 1.-the big Am
AGO is all the time pouring an inn
mcnse volume of water into the sea,
which lies sweltering under a tropic
sun"
"Don't understand how the sea can
.swelter,,n broke in his irrepressible
brother.
"That, my boy. is simply a figure of
,peech." was the unmoved answer.
But to continue. This sun-warmed cur
rent. following the shore. line at a dis
tance, 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 on the other"
"But whereabouts does it begin to
run up-hiE?9'
"Not far from Cape Sable" Jack re-
piled, Though perhaps the expression
that l 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 thai
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 arc
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
inc our own coast4ine 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 overtlows its banks of salt
sea, 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 Gulf
Stream water mix with the ocean?"
"Well," Jack slowly replied, that
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, ''it's something on
the same principle as the fact that hot
and cold water don't unite in a 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 subject-"just
see how beautifully the Creator makes
everything pull together, 50 to speak.
Now the earth is a conductor OF heat,
you know"
Sylvester didn't know, but nodded his
assent. and Jack went on:
"Well, if the Gulf Stream flowed d.
rectly over the bottom Of the sea, it
would soon loose its temperature. But
the Almighty has so arranged it that
away up in the Northern regions a polar
current is set in motion, and comes
sweeping down to meet the Gulf Stream
somewhere near the Grand Banks.
When it strikes the warm current it
sinks to the bottom, and so puts itself
between the stream and the bottom of
the ocean, so that the water is kept at
exactly the proper temperature
But what's the use of the Gulf
Stream, anyway?' persisted Sylvester.
Use OF itn' echoed Jack; II guess,
this would be a pretty uncomfortable
country to live in if there was no Gulf
Stream. Only for this current to carry
away the heated water from the Gulf of
Mexico and Caribbean Sea, the whole
region down there would be q parchcd.
sun-baked. dried-up desert, where no
one could live nor anything grow. And
the same excess of heat that it brings
away from the torrid zone is spread out
where it is most needed further north.
1t tempers our own climate to a slight
extent, but its greatest power is felt
across the ocean. But for tho warmth
it scatters broadcast in it's eastern
sweep, the British Islands, which are in
the same latitude as Labrador, would
freeze up solid, and France might have
sielghing all the year round, for aught
l. know. Then, again, vessels bound,
from Southern to Northern ports get the
advantage of its two and three knot cur
rent, aud in winter, when they are iced
up on our own coast, a few hours sail
ing brings them into warm water, which
melts Oft tne ice and thaws out the sail
Grs. On | can tell you. Syl," said
Jack, drawing his lecture to y close. as
M caught his brother hiding a yawn,
1.-THE Gulf Stream is a great institution"