Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-03
UNKNOWN CONTINENT
THE ANrARTIC WORLD AND ITS NY 5
TERIEs.
sone OF the Features which are Already
Known OF tho Great Rogion About
tho South Poe.
lSew York TimcAl

scriEeg the character OF the region :.
" The ice-bound chara ter Of these seas
"a due 10 the absence Of any brisk sur
face currents. In the Arctic regions the
Gulf stream makes its genial influence
faIt far and wide, breaking up the ice
and producing constant circulation.
II il true we hare very scan'y aud I'M
perfcct data Of the oceanic circulation in
the antarctic seas.
"SpeabIng in very general terms, and
onort from theories, one thing IS certain.
There is a steaJy northerly and easterly
drift. current proceeding from the pole
in the direction az New Zealand aud
Zane Horn. which is estimated to flow At
the rate Of from twenty to thlrty-hye
miles day. On striking the coast OF
South America this current blfurcatcs,
H.. stronger arm proceeding north and
washing The shore, OF Chilt ana
Peru. Producing the temperatures
of these countries, the weaker con
Timing east aud north past Cape Horn.
The conrse taken by an iceberg IS ultl-
ma,alv east 10y north. and It's rate OF
travel Is about sixteen miles q day, eX-
con. I'm the locality of Cape Horn, whese
iesbergs take u more northerly course up
- lafi.ude O south, when tlev resume
their ctstprly direction and reduce their
rate OF travel. The bcrgs, on being de-
tachel from the place of their formation,
by process [ shall oiterward aIlude to,
are eoated away at q rate not exceeding
t,rea quarters OF mile an hour. Car
rieJ first 10 the westward and subse-
ouontlv 70 tie north and east. they are
met With. the fret season after Their
e.paratl5n. about seventy miles north OF
the barrier. This fact seems to prove
th. existence of what IS known ps the
antarctic DRIFT current, which flows TO-
ward the north.
" Closely spproEimating with the
or.or edge Of the ice.lielGs we find the
decn-sea deposits To- consist OF very pare
lnf,n oozs: but rs the antarctic CONT
ne,.t is agtloached the doiritus from the
continent dropped hoy the iccbergs 10
.oiyed up with The 6intous AMI combines
to orm % deposit of blue mud, which
on examination shows all the mineral
rarti~les and rock fragments usually
/ iourd IN the Laiehhorbood of land.
. lhey resemble i'm many respects as Mr.
Murray has pointed out, the deposits
found in siImlqr depths of the Atlsntc
co.st of Bnti1h North America. Thus,
taken i'm connection with the depths,
( the deep sea deposits would enable the
position and extent Of the antarctic con-
. tncut 10 be mapped 0ut with a to.eraolo
degree Of certainty
"The rermsucutIv low atmospheric
rressure l-9,OlJ iucbcs) IN ,he a1lart'c
regions Is remarkable Phenomenon IN
the m,teorolo2Y Of She globe 1t seems
to obtain between the parallels OF 40
and w, south, even il the summer
months giving rise 10 the most violent
storms from the west ami northwest
/ Doe winda blow in cyclonicaIIy toward
/ the soulh pole From the southern edge
/ of tho zone in which the southea-t
/ trades exist as far as the antartlc circle,
F westerly winds Blow with moro or less
force and consistency 10 all seasons of tie
/ wear. our data as regards tine TilLs
/ within the anarctic circle are extremely
scautv, but t Is probable that IN the
summer months January, February
aul March, the only season iu Will. n
this region has been visited the winds
4 blow cast or west without any great con-
s.aucy or regularity. iNtromes OF
weather are experienced in rapid sue
co-s'ou. end there IS almos. constant
/ precipit ton.
"Iho beautiful displays Of the aura
austrahs have been noted Ivy al Antarctic
4 yoysears Tho exhibitions have been
observed chiefly about or within the
latitude az O.. south. They di1or
frou the same pnenomeuOn IN the Arctic
regions in the lnyth OK tho vertical
beams beng greater, their appearances
+ aul d.app4rauccs being more frequent
and sldie res mrling flashes OF
/ hgut-and from their being often quito
+ cO.0rcss. Lieutenant Wilkes, who Wit
messed one very beautiful display,
trus Describes it: cit exceeded any
f. thing OF the kind hat hereto
. lore witnessed ; i.s activity was lncon-
c-iyau.e, d4r,.ng from the zenith t. the
/ horizon Iu oil directions IL the most
brilliant couscahous rays, proceeding
o II from 70 point in the zenith. flashed
in brilliant penc.lii1p5 OF light, Ike
saaras of electric hIid 10 yacu0, and re-
appeared aesin 70 vanish, forming them
I selves into one body, like an umbrella
or IAN smut up; again emerging To int
across the sky with the rapidity OF light
they showed al. tho ur-matlc cOlors At
once OF IN an. !, succession. So remark
able were the phenomena that even our
sailors we're constantly exchlmiug III
admiration of its ariliaucy. HE best
F position in which 90 view 10 WAS by lying
fiat up1u the deck nni looking up.
" ue vegetable kingdom under such
/ uniavorlnie physical conditions, ha' no
representatives M antarctic lands. There
al enormous quantities Of dmtOms, mi
croscop!c plants belonging 20 many
genera and species, which Afford tho
ch..i fool supply for the marine AM
mais. lho dlatOms ale found IN tae sur-
Ace-YateI5, anl their dead frl5tuies coli
lc-t on tue fea-bo,tom about tue latitude
OF 800 south. and outside the blue muds
surrounding the antarctic regions, pure
white diatOmaceogs OoZe. The oceanic
h.ht-u.us color G. the sea il, near the
PACK edge. frequently found to be stain
ed by q dirty, brognIsh tint from the
organisms Astounding there.
Tie marine animals prey one upon the
other, according 10 their position IN the
sca.e OF creation, all being eventually
nourslcd by the minute iufusoral or
Ransms filling tho ocean in such neon
ceyab.e numbers. ON the lee and n
the water are inuumerabie seals. Three
species were observed by Ross and they
varied considerably in their size and col
orng Their colors ranged from a dark
gray. beautifully marbled with spots and
strives OF q much darker hue, TO almost
uniform white The largest il slZe. which
were much less numerous than the small
er speclo-, were armed with Formidable
tlsGs, by VIII ch. AMI from the shape OF
their head. they resemble the polar bear,
and they arY equally dangerous animals
To approach. The largest killed toy the
exreliton under Ross weighed $50
pounds, and yielded sixteen gallons OF
oil. { was nearly twelve feet long and
ak feet IL circumference, and Its
stomach was found to contain twenty