The Portland daily press., 1889-02-21
AN UNKNOWN CONTINENT.
The Antartic World and It's Mys-
teries.

acter Of these seas Is due TO the absence o.
any brisk surface currents. In the arctic
regions the Gulf Stream makes its genia
influence felt far and wide, breaking uI
Ice and producing a constant circulation
IL is true we have very scanty and imperfect
data OF the oceanic circulation in the antarc-
tic 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
20 to 50 miles day; on striking the coast Of
South America this current bifurcates, the
stronger arm proceeding north and washing
the shores Of Chilli and Peru, (reduclng the
temperatures Of these eountries.) the weaker
continuing east and north past Cape horn
The course taken by an iceberg is ultimately
east by north, and its rate of travel Is about
10 miles day except in the locality OF Cape
Horn, where icebergs take more nOrtherly
course, up. to latitude 40' 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 process shall afterward allude to, are
quarters Of mile an hour. Carried first to
westward and subsequently to the north and
east, they are met with, the first season after
their separation, about 20 miles north Of the
barrier, This fact seems to prove the exis-
tence OF what Is known as the antarctic drift
current, which flows toward the north.
Closely approximating with the outer edge
OF the Ice nelds we find the deep sea deposits
70 consist OF very pure diatom ooze; but as
inca tne antarctic continent is approached the de-
tritus from the continent dropped by the ice
bergs is mixed up with the dfatoms and com
bines to form deposit Of blue mud, which,
on examination, shows all the mineral par
ticles and rock fragments usually found In
the neighborhood Of land. They resemble
in many respects, as Mr.. Murray has pointed
out. the deposits found in Similar depths % off
the Atlantic coast Of British North America.
Thus, taken In connection with the depths,
the deep-sea deposits would enable the pO-
sltion and extent of the antarctic continent
to be mapped out with tolerable degree Of
certainty.
The permanently low atmospheric pressure
(290O0 inches) in the antarctic regions Is a
remarkable phenomenon in the meteOrOlOgy
OF the globe; 1t seems to obtain between the
parallels Of 40' and T0o south, even In the
Summer months, giving rise to the most vi
lent storms from the west and northwest.
The winds blow In cyclonically toward the
south POLE. From the southern edge of the
zone In which the southeast trades exist, as
lar as the antarctic circle. westerly winds
blow with more or less force and cOnstaney
at all seasons OF the year. Our data as re-
CARDS the winds within the antarctic circle
are extremely scanty, but 1t Is probable that
In the Summer months january, February
and March, the.0nly season in which this
region has been visited the winds blow east
or west without any great constancy or reg
ularity. Extremes OF weather are experience
ed in rapid succession, and There Is almost
constant precipitatiOn.
"The beautiful displays of the aura aus
trails have been noted by all antarctic yOy-
ayers. The exhibitions have been observed
chiefly about or within the latitude of 6So
south: They differ from the same phenom-
enon in the arctic regions, in the length of
the vertical beams being greater, their ap-
pearances and disappearances being more
frequent and misunderstanding flashes of
Highland from their being often quite col
orless. Lieut.. Wilkes, who witnessed one
very beautiful display; thus describes 1t:
ut exceeded anything of the kind / had
heretofore witnessed; its activity was in
conceivable, darting from the zenith to the
horizon in all directions in the most brilliant
coruscations; rays, proceeding as IL from a
point In the zenith, flashed in brilliant pen
cilings OF light, like sparks Of electric fluid
in vacuo, and reappeared again to vanish
forming themselves 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 colors 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 1t was by lying fiat upon the deck and
looking up
The vegetable kingdom, under such unfa.
vorable physical conditions, has no repre-
sentatiyes lin antarctic lands. There are
enormous quantities OF diatoms, microscopic
plants belonging to many genera and species,
which afford the chief food supply for the
marine animals. The diatoms are found in
surface waters. and their dead frustules col
lect on the sea bottom about the latitude of
CO. south, and outside the blue muds sur
rounding the antarctic regions, a pure white
diatomaceOus 0Oze. The oceanic light Eblue
color of the sea Is, near the pack edge, fire.
quently found to be stained by dirty brown
ish tint from the organisms abounding
there.
The marine animals prey one upon the
other according to their position In the scale
OF creation, all being eventually nourished
by the minute infusorial organisms filling
the ocean In such inconceivable numbers.
On the ice and in the water are linnumerable
seals. Three species were observed by Ross,
and they varied considerably in their size
dark gray, to beautifully marbled with
spots and stripes of 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 their
head, they resembled the polar bear; and
they are equally dangerous animals to ap-
proach. The largest killed by the expedi-
ti0n under Ross weighed $50 pounds, and
yielded 16 gallons Of oil; it was nearly II feet
long and feet In circumference.an and its stOm-
ach was found to contain 2S pounds Of fish.
The middle sized seal, called the sea leopard
from the markings on its fur, as well as the
white antarctic seal, are so tame that they
may be approached and killed with i'm
punity.
Then there are sea lions and sea elephants
which have been seen in great numbers south
of the Horn. The sea lions of the female
sex tiercely protect their young, the males
endeavOrlng to intimidate intruders by heir
roars of lusty defiance. The gashes seen on
them bear evidence of savage encounters
among themselves. OF the marine produce,
however, the most important to our fisheries
Is the whale. Whales have been seen by all
antartc voyagers, though their numbers
have more recently been greatly diminished
by the activity Of the whaling vessels. They
are almost exclusively Of the fin-baeked
species and chiefly haunt the pack edge.
Some Of those seen by Ross, especially TO the
south OF the Falklands, were of enormous
size, and sometimes so tame that they did not
even get out OF the way of the ships keel
Grampuses are also to be met with. Pen
gums abound on sea and land, their cry fire.
quently being heard above the storm at
places as remote as 100 miles from any known
shore they are very large birds, varying in
weight from GO to % pounds and they feed
chiefly of the erustaceous animals. On
being opened, from to 10 pounds of pebbles
have frequently been dislodged from the
stomach. White petrels, which frequent the
pack and thus give warning on the approach
Of any large body Of ice. stormy petrels, and
blue petrels are found in great numbers; and
sooty albatrosses, Cape pigeons, skua gulls,
and other oceanic birds are also met with in
considerable numbers. In fact, sea and air
are full OF life.
The ice conditions naturally present the
most interesting and characteristic features
of the antartic regions. The voyager, on
leaving the temperate zone to penetrate into
the frozen waters of the far south, would re-
Quire TO have very considerable knowledge
of navigation among ice as his chief equip
ment, and in order TO make any length of
stay there he would need vessel Of more
than ordinary strength, capable Of with
standing an occasional nip" from the bat
tering rams of the dangerous foes.
what Is the history Of these floating ice
Islands and icebergs? They are ali shed
from the parent icecap that surrounds the
pele. Extremes of frost and the gradual
proJectlon Oh the lcecap into the sea are the
causes OF thelr disruption. Here, flor cen
turtles perhaps, the great icecap grows and
moves like living thing Each season a
lresn layer OIL snow Is added to its thickness
which the rays Of the sun convert into ice
more or less solid. Slowly the huge cum
brous mass moves over the lOwer-lying lands
and through the valleys toward the sea,
grinding under its enormous weight rocks
ana boulders, which, from the cohesive
nature of ice IL sometimes gathers M and