Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-15

/ bureau has just re-
!. !. {. |: !: !
| IN = turned from his ex-
fA|z~z tended trip to the
/ A14[ great lakes. and an
| SB4HIEMzA nounces to the scien-
Nx58HN tifc world that the
| IWzEEEANS first chapter Of his
NF/<zn MN studies In these re-
| gions has be n
brought to a close.
| Since the early part
of July, accompanied
by Mr.. Norman b.
| Conger, the bureaus inspector in charge OF
| these experiments. Prof Harrington has
been cruising on each OF the five lakes in a
| small fishing vessel The main purpose of
| his trip was to personally complete the
| first observations in relation to the lake
currents. The northwestern part of Lake
| Superior. which, up to the time Of his trip,
was the only territory untouched by Mr..
Conger. was the principal point Of the last
| observations. Overcoats were In vogue
| throughout the whole journey. although it
was made during July and August, the tenn
perature being SO low at different times that
| snow fell very heavily In the central part
Of Lake Superior during last month. The
progress of the party was somewhat i'm
peded by the great forest fires Of Mime
sofa, the smoke from which made it impos-
sible on certain days to move their boat
even In the middle Of the lake.
The Importance of these experiments,
which were designed principally to deter
| mine the currents Of the great lakes, is hot
appreciated by one who does not realize
that the amount OF freight tonnage carried
annually to and from Detroit, or the water,
Is greater than that going through the port
OF Liverpool. which has always been con-
St6Rrad "a lob % RI,
While the weather bureau was engaged in
the preparation of a wreck chart. two years
| ago, for the great lakes 1t was noted that
the floating timbers had a tendency to
cluster In certain parts of the surface, sug-
costing the existence Of unknown currents,
which might play a considerable part In
wreckage. 1t was due to this observation
| that the experiments in current location
| originated. 1t was thought by the officials
| of the Agricultural Department. at that tine
that government money could hot be molc
Judiciously appropriated than TO carry on
these observations, which might locate in
the lakes the probable paths taken by
wrecked vessels. Furthermore cases in the
courts or admiralty were continually re-
ferring to the drifts in the great lakes,
while. in the criminal courts of the towns
and cities along shore, the question was
| ever arising as to where certain bottles
found by sailors had irifted from. or as 10
wnat might be their destinations. These
conditions were what brought about the be-
ginning Of the great work which Chief
Harrington has Just concluded. The field
OF investigation was absolutely bare. sim
any OF our inland bodies OF water before
The Bottle Test.
The location Of these currents was de-
| termined by bottles similar to those often
used In experiments on ocean currents
Hundreds Of these were given to the va
rious vessel owners on all of the lakes
for distribution. two years ago, in order
that their courses might be well defined by
the time the final observations were made
this summer. Many were given out last sea-
son, while stu a greater number have been
employed this year for the final charts
Some were found at different points on
shore within few days after their dis
tribution, while others were not heard from
for months in many cases not at all The
bottles especially made for this purpose
were about seven inches long blown of
brown glass, containing the name of the
bureau. nodded in the side, and resembling
an ordinary round medicine bottle in shape
Inside each bottle, rolled closely against
the side that 1t might be seen through the
glass, was placed a franked envelope ad-
dressed to the weather bureau, contain
Ing blank partly filled out by the captain
of the vessel who had thrown IL overheard
and who had made a memorandum Of the
exact time and portion of the lake at which
II was sent on its course.
This blank further requested the finder
to notify the bureau at once as TO the ex-
act place and time Of its recovery These
requests, II appears. were generally COM
piled with, especially by the fishermen and
lighthouse men along the various coasts
On the northern shore OF Lake Superior
however. some difficulty was experienced
| with the Indians, who. in their disappoint-
ment at not finding the usual contents of
| a dark brown bottle, had broken every one
| which washed upon their shore
In this way, each bottle being numbered
the place OF distribution and the place of
finding were both determined, and, since
| the general direction of the water was
| known beforehand, a curved line, con-
Meeting the two points, gave the drift as
accurately as IL could be found.
The observations which were made for
the location of these currents, and their
analysis. will be valuable to any navigator
| of fresh water. since the same conditions
exist IN all inland bodies which have a
surface inlet and outlet. Professor Har-
rington says that the general direction to
be taken by any body floating under these
conditions has been found to depend di-
rectly upon four forces, viz: First body
currents, or the motion of the whole mass
toward Its outlet; second, surface currents
| due to the prevailing winds; third, the re-
| turn currents, caused by a narrowness of
| the outlet, and fourth, surf motion due
| to the breaking of waves on the coast
These forces must be combined In pro-
portion to their respective influences on
certain parts OF the water. and their re-
sultant will give the general direction un-
DER normal circumstances.
Influence of the Wind.
The lakes being formed by a natural
drain from all the low central region If
| the country. are consequently slow in their
body flow toward their outlets. This mo-
ton is regular throughout the year and
is thought 10 affect all of the water in the
| i've basins. The surface currents. which
are caused by the winds, have been sucn
favorable subjects for observation that the
theories of those who believe the ocean
currents TO be due to a drifting of water
during constant breeze. and return to
level during calm, appear all the more
probable. The bureaus records have been
searched and the results of observations
made at all the lake stations since 1871
have been used TO establish in each of
these places, a table showing the relative
frequency Of wind blowing each month,
expressed in percentages. For instance, at
| one station 1t was found that the WINDS of
the same general direction. exceeding all
others, were from the southwest, while in
fher thAxv