New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-14
SPEED OF OCEAN CURRENTS.
REMARKABLE VOYAGES MADE BY BOT
TIES THROWN OVERHEARD
FROM VESSELS.

CLEARLY EsTABrIsrED-MAP OF Al
LANTIC DRIFTS. THE RESULT OF
EXPERIMENTS EXTENDING
OVER MANY MONTHS.
Washington correspondence of Tho Pittsburs Dis
The United state, Government has succeeded In
solving IN great measure h@ mystery o, IRE from the
photographic Office chart primarily INTENDED i LOT
h guidance hors OF e,rnnK over many months The
story this chart tells those who care TO study ~
II Of extraordinary interest and II Is presented her"
From time to time statements hayo been made
that ;hc Navy Department WAS engage Yenses b"t
tics each containing request to the hnder 10 hOle
hc time and place OF ndns ana nc ea' states
Government. This Is partially true but the entire
bonrd not t ony from the shps OF the Navy but
ships In various portions OF ne %orld whIcn nv
Instance been performed by REPRESENTATIVES, OF the
United States photographic Office detailed lor lne
express purpose In every one OF these bottles was
the request to return referred to- and also the nd-
dltonu information that the finder would be sni'-
The result OF this has been that very great per.
centage OF the bottles thrown overheard mas Seem
recovered, FOR IL became nolscd ABOUT eVeIy"heIe
| that to ind such a bottle meant comfortable sum
! for the dlsrovercr thereof
| These bottles were the solution Of the problem as
TO how best 10 establish definitely the efact iac,s
concerning those ocean currents when pay a 81
great part In navigation. The result has been as
| tonlshng Not only have the apparent truths con-
cernlng the drifts been shown clearly. but new
facts Of which no navigator ever dreamed brought
bottles recovered S"e,b were a,i,S eas'
nine in the South Atlantic eight In the North "a.
n eight in the South Pacc and three th edaor
or these two were In the Atlantic both going from
SSm the to Steamship hRe Ms2Sh
latitude 80 south longitude p west ;, MdsuI 4
north. longitude 81 west 1t had been jomrneying
| just l5i days, In that time had travelled 100 miles
III The c' second bottle was thrown overheard from
the steamship wt,eknd. April % 1896 In latitude
north and Longitude 1876 west having Travelled
T The rip OF the third bottle began in the China
Sea. and It went from north to south, s W yIy
| phic Office from the ship Slam. August ~
1895 In Latitude 1913 north longitude lS'1 ea aSt
travelled 255 davs The distance travelled was only
These figures show better than al else the aii'er
Among the articles thrown overheard and re-
covered OF which record has been kept by the
Iydrographic ONCE are two buoys one OF ,neSs ~,
snoy was rSTn @ a rSm w ss pcKad
up on the west coast OF Ireland Island. one OF the
| Bcrmudas January 25 1887 The second was
the steamship Kllauea IIou in the straits between
| the islands Of Hawaii and Maui
THE LONGEST AND THE FASTEST.
| a
overheard from the ship Allerton. to the south OF
| The Falkland Islands. and found. after an inter
Patch on the shores OF the great Australian Blight,
! the distance between these Two points, measure
| OF the more extended drifts the one having the
| highest daily average Hb nhes. WAS confined. as
! Of The bottle thrown overheard from the ship Eu,
m M to , n soGh 1f hs EQUATOR anu picked
| Taken collectively. The courses followed by these
! bottles serve to cucidatc the main principles OF
| . f. q no
| show the close agreement that exists between the
| motion OF tho surface water and the direction OF
the prevailing winds The latter circulating around
the region OF the high barom"iric pressure TO the
! southwest OF the Azores. blowing on its southern
s ~" s2s5 usny BY thu
Of temporary areas Of low pressure. give rise TO
drift" currents which are merely the effect OF
the wind on the surface OF the water. as. for ex
ample IN the region OF the trade winds. where the
Who'll" surface Of tn. sea. generally speaking Is
converted into slow current moving TO leeward
When. owing 10 the tntcrpo-ltion Of any obstacle.
the OF water carried by the drlft accumulates
90 such extent that an outlet becomes necessary,
the result Is stream current acting by virtue
Of it, own gravity following path Imposed by the
obstacle ana The drif conformity. ana serving to
cquaze the excess OF pressure due to the continu-
Gus action OF the DRIFT. Thus the Gulf Stream.
iieving ne Gulf Of Mexico and ne Caribbean Sea
Of III" volumes OF water carried thither by the ac-
lion of tho equatorial drft, Is stream current.
and. as such pursues a course quite Independent
81 the wind until It's waters are lost In the general
castcrly drif,.
Between The casterly drift which In consequence
OF the prevailing westerly winds. exists TO the
norihward Of the area OF high barometric pressure
ana inr westerly uTlit, que 10 the trades 10 the
south Of II. Hes an extensive region throughout
which the surface currents are variable In velocity
may be set down at ~ degrees and TO the east
ward II extends 10 the meridian OF 30 degrees. Be
yond thes" limits the cddyike drin prevails
To the north Of the Azores along the parallel OF
20 degrees the cnstcrly drift spreads ont like
81 Noruny and the Tonfoicm Islands it, south
eastern the shores OF France. Spain and Portugal
adrift In this region show the uncertainty Of the
movement ~ the surface currents.
TRAVELLING IN THE SUMMER SEASON
Five bottles were thrown overheard during the
north latitude and 80 degrees west longitude and
within an area OF lco miles square. one OF these
and october o. 1896 In latitude 1919 north and iong
nde % SO west This was TecovGrcd on 'ae coast q
ana longitude 90 east I had travelled 100 miles
Anothey bottle thrown overheard from the steam
ship venea May s. ISss In latitude S2;lO north
issS on the west coast of Ireland in latitude SOS
north, longitude 1913 wes;. This bottle iourneyed
bottle was dropped overheard from the steamship
Corona September B. 1896 in latitude 53;05 north.
ives, coast OF Ireland February e 1897 in latitude
53i2 north lcnsude 9S west =; Nno hundred miles
being the average daily Journey.
miles OF each other and landed on Andres
Island. West Indies the other on tie shores OF
thrown overheard within a few miles Of each other
and near the northern limits OF the Gulf stream
indies while No. landed at Arachon France.
4 noteworthy member OF the drifts Is that OF the
hottie No t. thrown overheard from the steam
ship WittckrA April q: 1896. In latitude 2le south
I,ngitudc 1926 west and picked up September g. on
,he Africa; coast. nj the mouth OF the Bathurst
River Gambia. This bottle. set adrft In the strong
son,h equatorial current. must have been trans
,crrad 10 the Guinea current and by It carried to
The exceptionally northern pos on on the coast OF
Africn a, which II was recovered.
dividing the lists up into groups. according 10
latitude each bottle being allotted TO the group
overng the latitude Within which the great portion
~ lie Diff, lies the following average veocles for
the drift per day OF the various groups are OBJ
tanned: go.
Average drift
per day.
- 30 degrees. nj miles
..
90 degrees. miles