Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-09
TRAVELS OF A wHIsrLrsc rrov
photographic Bureau Furn,..
With Valuable Informa,,o.
philadelphia Press

philadelphia Prcss)
The navigators OF the western Aus,.,.
ocean. and. indeed, a great many ,,,..
lists. are deeply Interested IN tho err.
wanderings Of the Martha's ylnev,,,
whistling buoy. which went adrirt IT,
It's location in the Vineyard sound NJ.
than two years ago. and Is atm 49,
carried 10 and fro at the VIII ~ -
winds and currents. After two roo,.s.
without news from this strange wsn6a.'s
comes the report that Il was again go.
by a passing vessel on September s,s
in latitude %. longitude J5 nearly "a
miles due east from the posiflon 4.
which 1t was last seen on July 9th
The United States photographic oflcl,i.
have become much interested IN the az,
OF this buoy. and have already gaIr,t
valuable information regarding the co..
rents and winds OF the North Atlap,'.
through plotting the travels II fbis
strange buoy, whose whistle sim so,r5,
a warning. intended only for vessels wbs,
near a shoal. Every issue OF the Nor,s
Atlantic pilot chart FOR nearly two yea,
past has contained the dotted drf,s =,
the buoy. and information regarding 4,
is largely sought after from all shfpr.s'
tiers crossing in the locality where h va,
last reported. This months charts fns,
issued, show that I'm February. 1877 a.
buoy was 600 miles 10 the northward ara
eastward OF the island on Bermud, u
was next reported, April 18th OF that yea-
80 miles southwest OF that position ana
then nothing was heard from the wan.
derer until october 9th. when 70 was n.
ported by ship captain IN about lan.
tude 36. longitude %. showing a drift \,
the northward and eastward OF 800 miles
in six months time.
Next. IL must have headed away abor,
east-northeast, Tor on January 8 lVS II
turned up in latitude 81, longitude a. n,
next course was of northwest. f0- Il,
May Dist II was seen I'm latitude % lor,
tude 5. June 4th the wandering buoy WA
seen in latitude 81. longitude A.. shown,
a tremendous drift TO the southeast. From
then on to July 9Th. when next seen II
took a slow and short drift on abogt
seventy-five miles due south. Al tb,s
point II changed It's course. and is nov
heading due west in the line OF Can.
Hatteras.
For some years past the hydroggapher.
have gained valuable information regard.
ing currents, &c, by having shipmasters
throw overheard bottles bearing I'm them
the date and geographical position where
this messenger OF Neptune was cast aduu
TO determine the velocity and directlo,
of the sea surface currents. Only small
percentage of these bottles are every ra.
covered. They probably fulfil their Dur.
pose, and reach the land, only 10 become
imbedded in the sands. Hence, 10 nau.
rally follows that the velocity OF any cur.
rent cannot be accurately determined In
this way. For this reason, the Martha's
III.
surface to the wind. offers n fairly cor.
rect means Of determining currents. and
it is for this reason so much interest al.
taches 10 IL. A bottle thrown overheard
from a vessel south Of Newfoundland nav
make a complete circuit Of the North Al.
lantic by way OF the Azores West Indies
Gulf of Mexico, and Florida coast As
rule. however, such a bottle Will bring
up between the Ushant and North Cape
of Norway.
II thrown overheard near the Azores a
bottle will likely find its way 10 ths
Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands
and the West Indies. Several bottles
have travelled over 500 miles. and three
years elapsed between departure and ar
rivals. Three bottles thrown overheard
by Captain Scroggie, when In command
of the British steamship Dag0. which
fOundered at sea not long ago. Ia LATITUDE
81, longitude Al, at the same instant. weTa
recovered after a drift Of .2QO miles Close
to each other during the same weak
Derelict ships follow generally well-tl.
fined routes, which coincide with bottle
drifts. The remarkable drift ot the lum.
ber-laden American schooner W. J. White
is still fresh in the memory Of Atlanta
nayigators. She was abandoned Ia DE
blizzard OF March. 1855, off the DelaTsr
Capes, and toward the end OF January
OF the next year she stranded on the He
brides, and her cargo was saved
The lumber-laden schooner Wysr o
Sargent is reported to have drifted atou,
for over three years, and finally her hIk
stranded in the West Indies. The schooner
Fannie T.. Wolston, lumber laden. was
abandoned i'm October, 1891. of Norfolk
She drifted east to longitude 49, thsa
south, and eventually she proceeded vssl
along the thirtieth parallel, curved nouh
and northeast, and was iast sighted four
years ago 6 degrees east Of the Do.aNsFs
Capes.