The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1895-07-27
OLD OCEANS DRIFTS.
DIFFERENT CURRENTS FOUND BY
GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTS.

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GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTS.
Great Wanderings Of Bottles Cast Into the
Waves NJ Different Places-One Drifted
$500 Mnes-Course Speed of Gulf
Stream Shown.
Forty-four bottles which have been
adrift ut sea for periods ranging from
five days to eight years-thrown over
board from vessels for the United States
government to test the ocean currents
have been recovered during the past
six months, and their wanderings are il
lustrated in the June photographic chart.
One Of these bottles drifted around
tho Atlantic in a semicircle Of 5, 700
miles, being at sea for as625 days. 1t
vas thrown overheard from the yacht
L'Hirondelle July 30, 1887, and recov-
cred Oct. s, 1894. It was cast into the
sea several hundred miles east Of New
foundland; Travelled toward England,
passed south along the coast of Spain
and down to the easternmost extremity
Of Africa and then went ashore on one
of the Bahama islands.
Another bottle was adrift 1, 358 days
and Travelled 2, 100 miles, finally bring
ing up in tho Arctic region. 1t started
midway between Great Britain and
Greenland. After bobbing about for
nearly 1000 miles it passed Iceland,
entered the Greenland sea, then made a
semicircle and went ashore OH the
northeast Arctic coast of Norway.
A long voyage made in good time
was that Of a bottle started about 500
miles east of New York and which drift
ed about seven miles o day, travelling
5000 miles in 420 days, to the north
west coast of Norway.
The record breaking bottle in regard
to fast drifting is held by ono which
journeyed so miles Il day. During five
days off Newfoundland it got over 900
miles. Another quick trip was that of
one from the west end Of Cuba, which
was swept along the coast of Central
America and Mexico and to neal New
Orleans at the rate Of over Is miles a
day, making 1900 miles in So days.
Two Of the indicators thrown over
board several hundred miles off tho No
va Scotia coast followed the transatlan-
tic steamship route and went direct to
England.
An cratic course, but following the
currents, was that of a bottle started
from among the Cape Verde islands, off
the westernmost extremity of Africa. It
passed along the north coast of South
America, around the western end of Gu
ba, travelled north along Florida and
stopped ON the coast of North Carolina,
after a trip Of 1900 miles in 457 days.
In II days o bottle reached Brazil from
q point $50 miles at sea, which is drift
ing at the rate of 81 20 miles a day.
Another bottle travelled SO miles in
toward the mouth Of the Delaware in 80
days, and another journeyed 20 miles
from sea to the mouth of the Chesa-
peake in 10 days.
In calculating the daily drift the ny
geographic Office makes no allowance for
the time during which q bottle lay I'M
discovered upon the beach. Three indi-
Gators agree in giving q mean speed Of
nine miles per day for the equatorial
current and three in giving a mean We
locity Of seven miles per day for the
mid-Atlantic gulf stream in it's course
toward Europe. Both of these values
are, however, probably below the actual
daily drift.
-Four bottles seem to disprove the ex-
istence of the we'll known Rennell cur
rent, which has been supposed to set
north and northwest athwart the mouth
Of the English and St. Georges chan
nels. The direction followed by three
bottles disproves the existence Of the
current, while the course followed by
one would favor it, hut it's course, it is
thought, was due to southerly gales.
Other observers, notably the Prince Of
Monaco, with his yacht, made a special
study of the supposed current and could
not find conclusive evidence of it's exist
ence.
This chart indicates a circular move,
ment Of the waters Of the Atlantic
around q point lying to the southwest
Of the Azores. Starting from a point to
the southwark of the Grand banks Of
Newfoundland the outer edge Of this
vast circulating system Of waters mounts
VOWGIO Uu0 uOll41CdSU " AdA 40 CAA0 AA4Vy-
first parallel Of latitude, there becoming
easterly. Northwest of the Azores, as
shown by four bottles, a portion Of the
current again takes q northeasterly di-
rection to Scotland and Norway.
The main body of the drift, crossing
the meridian at 20 degrees and 40 and
SO north latitude, turns to the south
ward and parallels the shores Of Europe
aud Africa to the Canaries.
Leaving the African coast, the exter-.
nal edge, it has now been shown, takes
u southwesterly direction, unites with
the northern portion Of the equatorial
current, and, entering the gull Of Mexico.
through the Yueatan passage, emerges
as the gulf stream through the straits Of
Florida. New York World.
MORE ABOUT BLooMERs.
1t is only areversalof conditions. The
society girl wears boomers on her bodice
and the bicycle girfwears sleeves on her
p%antaloons. Nashville American