The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14
DRIFTING BOTTLES AT SEA.
THE DIFFERENTIATION OF Currents
~ mr. OCEiN CONG ON.

TBE DETERMINATION OF Currents
~ mn OCEiN GOING ON.
shippers Assisting the photographic Bureau
of the Navy in the Wurk-Somc Gases Of
Remarkable brifts-Fast Time Made by
some OF the BOTTLES Cast Overheard.
wAsHGSGTuN. Aug 18th wide scope en-
braced by the Photographic Bureau Of tho
navy IN recent years and the great benefit that
has accrued to the merchant service are
now being recognized, and substantial assist
ance is Afforded by hundreds OF shippers aunu-
ally in the work Of current investigation OF the
North Atlantic Ocean. For years every mar
liner has known that the ocean is as full Of cur
rents as any Western river. but the G!rSslAa
they take ana their general force have kSNn
predetermined until the simple method was
adopted OF them by tossing
bottles overheard and trusting that they
would Ice picked up and tho fact rec
ported TO the ofice here. These bottles may
be Of any kind. and As many may be thrown
into the sea rs any Captain wishes II he will sea
that record is made OF the location. date. and
month on a piece Of paper securely corked and
sealed up SO that salt water cannot reach 1t.
Six years ago the department began its first
experiments witt drifting bottles TO determine
the direction and strength OF currents. and 80
successful has the plan proved that it will now
he carried out more extensively. When first
tried it was the departments intention
To furnish a peculiar variety Of bottle to
vessels crossing the ocean. with Instructions
when and whore they were TO be cast adrift.
hut this plan was abandoned on account of the
expense involved and lack Of funds available.
The bottle was TO have been a large affair.
white, and constructed so that IL would float
perpendicularly. showing on its side a number
in black. 1t was believed such "a bottle would
attract attention and cause shippers to pick it
up. examine the length and course Of the drift
as shown from the timeit was last reported. and
note the facts for the photographic Office.
Now there are hundreds OF bottles annually
thrown overheard from all kinds of vessels, both
American and foreign. each having inside print
cd notices IN six languages ASKING the vessel
picking it up to report TO the department hero
the date aud whereabouts in the ocean. Re-
ports during the last fiscal year. which have
been received and irdeXed, indicate that valu-
able results are being obtained and that the exc
pertS are learning much III this primitive way
about the currents of the ocean.
The distances covered by some Of the bottles
found aud the average drift q day are remark
able, and rank two bottles at least almost with
the record oil the famous derellct FANNIE /.
Wolston; which. during her career as an aban-
T yosrs c sMiP f2 : @r5 rSa peF7TH So o. hot eyer e bt three
1898, having sailed 400 knots, since Nov.
ii, 1896. when 1t was thrown overheard. Dur
ing all this time the average number, OF knots
covered Il day was 80. Another bottle thrown
May. 1897. had sailed 100 knots. at an aver
age Of 40 knots a day.
The greatest record of all. however. is that Of
a bottle thrown. over from the steamer Snther-
land. which drifted 1000 knots between March
II. 1917, and Sept. = following. a period Of isl
days. the average drift a day being pr knots.
Following close upon this Is the record of a bot
tie tossed in the SEA from the bark Tinto Hill.
1t drifted $500 Knots between April %. 1857.
and Dec. u following Another bottle in fifty.
5yyy9} days dritted l.2220 miles or an average Of
from the ship Gulf OF Lyons drifted 1900 miles
ia seventy-eiEhht days. or an average of pa
recorded Of the Bottle thrown from the steam
ship Prince Frederik Hendrix on May I last and
10 niles at an ma wage IRA ? " q ' I Knots 81 S day a"'S
Out in the Pacific. where the experiments are
compared with that Of the Atlantic and the
One bottle picked up out there covered 1000
miles, however, in less than one year and
averages average be being nSH lis and ST Knots s" a d ige
Eleven hundred miles were covered in forty-two
days by one bottle at an average rate OF 26.2
Certain Of the bottles recovered present in
fbs 5ari M EN nf1IsH!asS' sS 9a9 w Saai rs wSs eas} G n.ar
Campbelton, on the coast of .kintyre. Argyll
shir o, p Sc C after a IapS Ss OF 3be days; me
23SI naptis9i miles giving an average daily
the one cast overb6ard of Cape Cod and recoS-
cred on the coast of Cornwall. the distance trav-
and the interval 900 days, the average daily
velocity being A miles a day.
of three. ali thrown overboard from the steamer
Dago, Capt, scroggie, on the same day and
west. and ali recovered after a drill Of 100
miles. within a short distance Of each other.
and during the same week. The fact that these
bottles were recovered at. approximately the
same time would indicate that they were picked
up shortly after landing. in which case the
mean of the three would furnish a good value
for the actual velocity OF the drift in this lati-
tude during the winter season. This mean 10
ga knots Ii day.
Two bottles were thrown overheard in mid
ocean. One of them was recovered on the coast
Of Dev1nshire, England. and the other on the
coast Of Florida. The recovery Of the bottlee
cast adritt in this region, although II IS crossed
by several OF the most important trade routes.
is rare. the records of the hydroGraphic once
furnishing only six cases since 1888. The track
of the derelict Fannie Z, Nolston shows the
character Of the drift 10 that region. This yes
Sci was reported ~tOrtv-siK times within a period
Of three years and six days. during which time
she covered 1885 miles.