Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-12
WAYS OF CURRENTS.
RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS FIX
TENDING OVER MANY MONTHS.
DRIFTS OF The ATLANTIC MAPPED.
Voyages Made by Bot
ties Thrown Overheard from 'es-
sells I'm Various Parts of the world.
One Hottie Travelled Three Years.
correspondence Of the Dispatch

WASHINGTON, ID. e, NoNemper "
The United States Government has sue
ceeded in solving. in great meas'lre'
the mystery OF the ocean currents. IL
has lust caused to be issued from the
Photographic Office chart. primarily
intended for the guidance OF mariners
which indicates the results of labors ex-
tending over many months
From time to time statements nave
been made that the Navy Department
was engaged In throwing overheard from
various government vessels bottles, each
containing a request to the finder 10
note the time and place OF finding ana
return the same to the nearest represent
tative of the United States Government.
This is partially true, but the entire truth
Is that these bottles have been
thrown overheard, not only from the
ships OF the navy, but from SHIPS IN
various portions of the world which be-
longed TO other nations, the action having
in every instance been performed
nv representatives of the United States
Hydi ographic Office, detailed Tor inc
express purpose.
In every one Of these bottles was the
request to return referred TO, ana aiso
the additional information that the
finder would be suitably rewarded for
mis- action. The result Of this mas oeeh
that a very great percentage OF the pot
tIes thrown overheard have been re-
covered for IT became nolsed ABOUT
everywhere that to find such pottie
meant a very comfortable sum for the
discoverer thereof. 49,.
These bottles were the solution Oh tue
nroblem as to how best to estaDlish ue-
finitely the exact facts concerning 'hose
ocean currents which play so great u
mart In navigation The result has Deeh
astorightnq Not only have the appa-
rant truths concerning the drifts peeh
sbown clearly but new facts or when no
poviqator ever dreamed brought TO llght'
The chart presented herewith furnishes furnishes
an idea OF the path followed py nus
bottles whose drift was conilneu " VIC
Atlantic, the mapping OF the urllls ~
other oceans being at present imp ao.',
cable. for the reason that experiment,
h,yo az vet been too meagre to warrant
the assumption Of absolute iaet Una. '1 ~
government assumes with reference 70
the Atlantic.
or the bottles recovered, eighty-one
were cast overheard within the limits VI
the North Atlantic, nine In the Sou'n AZ
lantic. eight in the North Pacific, elsht II
the South Pacific. and three in the lhoiaH
Ocean Three bottles crossed the equa'
tor. OF these. two were in the Atlanuc
both going from south TO north' in'
first was thrown overheard from 'n'
steamship Euphemia, March D. 1850, II
latitude 7 40 south. longitude II "es'
August T. 1896, this bottle was recoVeres
I'm latitude IA 40 north, longitude 6l west
II had been journeying just l54 days II
that time had travelled Zoo miles, ah'
it's average drift per day was no miles,
The second bottle was thrown over
board from the steamship WitteKind
April q. 1896, in latitude 90 south longi
tude 30 % west. 1t was recovered sep
tember 80 of the same year In latituu
n "a north and longitude 16 &c west
having travelled 300 miles in 13l days
drifting 80 miles each day. The trip
the third bottle began In the China sea
and II went from north to south. l
was dropped overheard by a representa-
tive Of the Photographic Office from IN
| shin Siam. August IS, 1895. in latitude ~
north. longitude 116 06 east. June ~
of the following year ii was found II
latitude 3 south, longitude los east. al
| though it had travelled 293 days. the dis
lance traversed was only 1.4OO miles,
an average daily drift Of as miles. Thes
figures show better than all else the dlf
| ference between the currents in the dlf
| ferent seas.
Among the articles thrown overboar
and recovered. of which record has bee
| kept by the Photographic Office, are tw
| buoys. One OF these, a life buoy, wa
thrown overheard from the steamshi
| Palatia. September "a, 1896, and was pick
| ed up on the west coast of Ireland Island
! one of the Bermudas, January p. lSs
| The second was a buoy swept overboar
from the japanese cruiser BANJO. apr
% 1894. and which was picked up by tn
| steamship Kilanea Hou, in the straits be
tween the islands of Hawaii and Maui.
| The longest drift was that OF a bottle
thrown overheard from the ship Aller
ton 10 the south Of the Falkland Islands
and found. after an interval Of slightly
| less than three years, near Eyre Patch
on the shores Of the great Australian
Blight. the distance between these 1--WE
points. measured approximately aionI
the parallel. being $500 miles. or tn
more extended drifts the one having tn
! highest daily average, 176 miles, wa'
! confined, as usual, wholly to the equato
rial current, being that of the ootti
thrown overheard from the ship Euphe
| mia TO the south of the equator AM
picked up on the shores Of Martinique.
Taken collectively the courses foliowe'
by these bottles serve to elucidate IN
main principles OF the current system
| the North Atlantic, and TO STOW IN
close agreement that exists between IN
motion of the surface water and the oil
rection of the prevailing winds. The lat
| tor circulating around the region or IN
| high barometric pressure 10 the South
yyest OF the Azores, blowing on It's south
ern side with almost unfailing regular
~ but on its northern side frequentI
interrupted by the passage OF temporal
areas Of low pressure, give rise TO 'drilt
currents. which are merely the effect o
the wind on the surface Of the water
as. for example. in the region OF u
trade winds. where the whole surface
the sea. generally speaking. is converte
into a slow current moving 10 ieeWaru'
when. owing to the interposition {
anv obstacle, the mass OF water carrie
nv the drift accumulates TO sucn an 90
| tent that an outlet becomes heceSsai
the result is "stream" current ACTIN
by virtue OF it's own gravity ioio"ul
| a path imposed by the oostacie anu ~
drift co-jointy. and serving 10 equan]
the excess of pressure due 10 .he co.
tinuous action Of the driit. mus ~
Gulf stream, relieving the Gun Oh MeA
Il 20 and the Caribbean Sea ol the w
umes of water carried thltner py the a
ton of the equatorial drift, is streal
current and. as such, pursues cour'
lie inaenendent OF the wind until J
waters~are lost In the general easter
| drift. az. x.,htob
eoa ~ the prevailing wester