Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-03
GREAT SOUTHERN CONTINENT
The Antarctic World and its Mys-
terieS.
Some of the Features Which are Al
ready Known Of the Region
About the South Pole.

lowing from Good Words aptly describes
the character of the region:
The ice-bound character of these seas
is due to the absence of any brisk sur
face currents. In the arctic regions the
Gulf Stream makes its general influence
felt far and wide, breaking up the ice and
producing a constant circulation. 1t Is
true we have very scanty and imperfect
data of the oceanic circulation In the ant
artic seas.
Speaking in very general terms, and
apart from theories, one thing Is certain:
There is a steady northerly and easterly
drift-current proceeding from the pole In
the direction of New Zealand and Cape
Horn which is estimated to flow at the
rate of from twenty to thirty-five miles a
day: on striking the coast of South Amer
lea this current bifurcates, the stronger
arm proceeding north and washing the
arm of Chill and Peru, reducing the tenn
perature of these countries; the weaker
continuing east and north past Cape Horn.
The course taken by an iceberg is ultimate
" east by north, and its rate of travel is
about sixteen miles a DAY, except IN the To-
cality of Cape Horn, where lcebergs take
a more nOrtherly course up to latitude 40
degrees south, when they resume their
easterly direction and reduce their rate of
travel. The bergs, ON being detached
from the place of their formation, by a
process | shall afterward allude to, are
foated away at rate not exceeding three
quarters of a mile an hour. Carried first
to the westward and subsequently to the
north and east they are met with, the first
season after their separation, about seventy
five miles north of the barrier. This fact
seems to prove the existence OF what is
known as the antartic drift-current, which
flows toward the north.
''Closely approXimat1ng with the outer
edge of the ice fields we find the deep-sea
deposits to consist of very pure diatom
ooze: but as the santarctic continent IS
approached the detritus from the conti-
nent dropped by the lcebergs Is mixed up
with the diatOms and combines to form a
deposit of blue mud, which, on examina-
ton, shows all the mineral particles and
rock fragments usually found In the neigh
borhood of land. They resemble In many
respects, as Mr.. Murphy has pointed out,
the deposits found In similar depths off
the Atlantic coast of British n orth America.
Thus, taken in connection with the depths,
the deep-sea deposits would enable the
position and extent of the antarctic contl-
nent to be mapped out with tolerable
degree of certainty.
''The permanently low atmospheric
pressure $4,000 inches) in the antarctic
region is remarkable phenomenon In the
meteorology of the globe 1t seems to
obtain between the parallels Of 40 and 70
deg. south, even in the summer months,
giving rise to the most violent storms from
l, Tho xrrInHS htnTU
in cyclonically toward the south pole.
From the southern edge of the zone In
which the southeast trades exist, as far as
the antarctic circles, westerly winds blow
with more or less force and consistency at
all seasons of the year. Our data as re-
CARDS the winds within the antarctic circle
are extremely scanty, but Ii Is probable
that in the summer months January, Feb
ruary and March, the only season IN which
this region has been visited) the winds
blow east or west without any great
constancy or regularity. Extremes OF
weather are experienced In rapid success
sion, and there is almost constant preclplta-
ton.
''Ihe beautiful displays of the aura-aus-
trails have been noted by all antarctic voy-
ayers. The exhibitions have been OBJ
served chiefly about or within the latitude
of IS degrees south. They differ from the
same phenomenon in the arctic regions, in
the length of the vertical beams being
greater, their appearance and disappear
ances being more frequent and sudden
resembling flashes of light and from their
being often quite colorless. Lieut.. Wilkes,
who witnessed one very beautiful display,
thus describes it: 1T exceeded anything
of the kind | had heretofore witnessed; its
activity was inconceivable, darting from
the zenith to the horizon In all directions
in the most brilliant coruscatlons; rays,
proceeding as from point In the zenith,
flashed in brilliant pencilings of light, like
sparks of electric fluid In vacuo and reap
peared again to vanish, forming them
selves into one body, like an umbrella or
fan, shut up; again emerging to fit across
the sky with the rapidity of light, they
showed all the prismatic coiors at once, or
in quick succession. So remarkable were
the phenomena that even our sailors were
constantly exclaiming In admiration of its
brilliancy. The best position in which to
view it was by lying fiat upon the deck
and looking up.
1.-The vegetable kingdom, under such
unfavorable physical conditions, has no
in antartic lands. There
are enormous quantities of dlatoms,
plants belonging to many gen
era and species, which afford the chief food
supply for the marine animals. The dia-
toms are found in the surface waters, and
their dead TRUSTEES collect on the sea bot
tom about the latitude of so degrees south,
and outside the blue muds surrounding the
antartic regions, pure white diatomaceous
ooze. The oceanic light blue color of the
sea is, near the pack edge, frequently found
to be stained by dirty brownish tint from
the organisms Astounding there.
The marine animals prey one upon the
other, according to their position In the
scales of creation, all being eventually
nourished by the minute infusorial Or
ganisms filing the ocean In such incon-
numbers. On the ice and In the
water are Vulnerable seals. Three species
were observed by Ross, and they varied
considerably In their size and color. Their
colors ranged from dark gray, beautiful
" marbled with spots and stripes of a
much darker hue, to almost uniform white.
The largest in size, which were much less
numerous than the smaller species, were
armed with formidable tusks, by which,
and from the shape of the head, they re-
sembled the polar bear; and they are equal
" dangerous animals to approach, The
largest killed by the expedition under Ross
$50 pounds, and yielded Is gal
Ions of oil; it was nearly II feet long and
6 feet in circumference, and its stomach
was found to contain q pounds of fish.
The middle sized seal, called the sea Loop
ard from the marking ON its fur, as well as
the white antarctic seal, are so tame that
they may be approached and killed with