The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-18
d BOTTLES AND CURRENTS.

SSs$ BOTTLES AND CURRENTS.
Pilot Chart for uns Contains An IN
teTeatinE Account. 81.
The pilot chart for June, issued by
the United States 1lydrogrnphiot Office.
EaS been received It contains, q ar
interesting account Of tho number OF
bottles containing papers that were
thrown overheard from vessels, and
tue increased knowledge OF ocean cur
se n obtained through. them.
from June 1st,< 1896, to June 1st, 1897
Ivy pottleS were recovered and the pa
pers IN talem sent to the photographic
oliice. Of these 81 We're cast overheard
Mithin the limits OF the North Aalalptac,
> III the South Atlantic, 8 in the NortI,
t'acific, in the South Pacific, and 8 In
the Indian ocean. Three OF the bottles
1 crossed the equator, in the south to
north, and l In the Pacific and Indian
ocean list, in the China sea, going from,
north to south. Two buoys are includ-'
ed In the list-one q life buoy which
was thrown overheard from the steam
ship Palatia, September Gath, 1886. and
vas picked UP on the west coast Of Ire
and island, one Of the Bermuda is
lands, January 25th 1897, and the Sec
ond, of the Pacific and Indian Ocean
list, q buoy which was swept overheard
from the Japanese cruiser Baryo, April
I'd, 1884, and was picked up by the
fitchmship Kilanea Hou in the strait be-
tween the islands Of Hawaii and Maui.
The largest drift was that Of a bottle
which was thrown overheard from the
ship Allerton to the south OF the F,alk-
land Islands and found after an inter-
val Of slightly less than three years
at Eyre Patch, on the shores OF the
great Australian Blight, the distance be-
tween the two points measuring approx
imately $500 miles. or the more ex-
tensive drifts, the one having the high
est daily average was confined, as is
usual, wholly to the quatorial current,
being that of a bottle thrown overheard
from the ship Euphemia to the south Of
the equator and picked UP on the shores
or Martinique. The, average daily drift
Of this bottle was 17.G miles Taken as
a. whole, the courses followed by these
bottles serve TO elucidate the main
principles OF the current system OF the
North Atlantic and to show the close
agreement that exists between the mo
ZION Of the surface water and the direc-
ton OF the prevailing winds. The latter
circulating around the region of high
Daromcti$S pressure to the southwest
of the AZt-%s, blowing on it's southern
/ Is northern side frequently interrupted
~ the passage Of temporary areas of
low pressure, give rise to drift currents,
which are the effect of the wind on the
surface OF the water, as, for example in
the region Of the trade winds, where
The whole surface Of the sea is general
~ speaking, converted into a slow cur
rent moving to leeward. When, owing
to the interpretation OF any obstacle
the mass or water carried by the drift
occunuiates to such an extent that an
nutlet becomes necessary, the result IS
Il stream current. acting by virtue OF It's
Nn gravity, following Il path imposed
by the ohstacl and The drift conjoinlly.
and serving to eGual;Za he eNcc.S of
pressure due to the cc;t,nucus action cr
the drift
Thus the Gulf Stream, rcllavang the
Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea
of the volumes Of water carried thithcr
by the action OF the equatorial DRIFT. ~
stream current. and as Such pursllcs
a course quite independent of the wind
until its waters are lost III the general
oasterly DRIFT. TO the north Of the
Azores, along the parallel OF so degrees,
the easterly drift spreads ont like: Il
tan, its notheasterly extension reach
ing the shores OF Norway and The Lotto
den islands, its southeastern lne shores
OF France, Spain and Portugal. Tho va
rious destinations attained by bottles
cast adrift in this region show the IN
certainty Of the movement Of the sur
face currents. Thus. the five bottles
thrown overheard during the summer
season known ut the hydro graphic CT
flee as Nos. %, 30. %, CT and II wcrs. al
cast over i'll the vicinity Of ~ north and
so west within, an area Of 100 mics
square. (a!e Of these bottles. No. 20
was picked UP on the east coast ~ NM
way; two, Nos. 30 and II. on tht. west
coast Of Ireland; one No. 50. on the coast
OF France, and, finally, ones No. IL. on
the coast Of Spain. y noteworthy bottle
was that known rs No. As, thrown over
board by the steamship Wittcliind,
April 25th. 1896, in latitude 200 south,
longitude 1925 west and picked LIP Sep
tcmber Sd. on the African coast at the
mouth OF the BATHURST river. III Gam
h.a. This bottle. set adrift in the
strong equatorial current, must have
been transferred TO the Guinea current
and by it carried to the exceptionally
northern position on the coast Of Afri-
ca ut which it was recovered
TJ1>ErI2,AN2v N0JvITG