The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-11-06
DEEP SEA CURRENTS.
DEEP
MYSTERIES O. The OCEAN THAT
HAVE PUZZLED The SCIENTISTS.

=
A Theory M SC the Origin af.d CaUse
Of the Gclf and ether Stre:l:ns--A-c
They the Product Of --mcn$c Sub
marine GeySerss
For more than 4 century scientists
and philosophers have been vainly try
ing to discover tie origin and cause OF
the mysterious current in the Atlantic
ocean called the gulf stream. Why so
called is not apparent, as nothing III
the gulf Of Mexico is in its composition.
There have uccu many theories, which
have been abandoned. some perfectly
absurd. such as its being caused by the
earth in its revolution on its axis, Tor
if it had the power to draw tli!S stream
at the rate Of five miles all hour from
the coast Of Florida it would draw al
the water from tie cast coasts or
North and South America at the same
velocity. The prevailing theory is that
the northeast trade winds drive L cur
rent into the Caribbean sea and. a!ded
by the feeble equatorial stream, heap
up the water il the gulf of Mexico,
thence rushing around the south Of
Florida from the source OF the gull
stream. But there is no such 2 heap
ing Of the waters in that gulf. the
waters there are sluggish, and there IS
no perceptible current leading toward
the gulf stream or anywhere else.
This theory has been accepted for
want of q better, but those who favor
it are not entirely satisfied with it. Ihe
gulf stream is an independent BODY OF
water, having no connection with the
water around Or behind the point
where it emerges. 1t is warmer ana
of q deeper blue than the surrounding
seas and gushes forth from the start
inc point off Cape Sable at the rate or
from five to six kuots an hour with
tempera ture Of about SO degrees,
lessening gradually as it proceeds on
its journey Of thousands of miles across
the Atlantic ocean, warming the west
ern shores Of Europe.
Having seen the fallacy CT the the
ories concerning the gulf stream, we
will turn our attention to tie great IA
cific current. identical in all respects
with it's sister current Of the Atlantic
and concerning which there are no the
ories to contend with.
1t starts spontaneously from q spot
few miles from the south END or the
island CT FormoSa, in the BaEshee
channel, following the coast OF For
mosa northeasterly. past ard through
the Loochoo islands, Skirting the coast
of japan: thence turns eastward on IT'S
long journey across the wide Paclhc,
warming the coast OF America from
Puget sound to Mexico. Its dark blue
waters are in striking contrast TO the
surrounding seas, giving it the name OF
Murra Suar, or black water. 1t IS al
independent stream where no comDlna-
ton Of winds or currents can possibly
cause the mighty rush Of warm blue
water with a velocity Of from five to
six knots an hour from the start.
In its characteristics Of heat, color
and direction it resembles the gulf
stream in every particular. and the
origin of the two streams must be the
same, whatever they may be, which
shall endeavor to show later on. Ihere
is another ocean current similar in all
respects to the other two, with the ex-
ception that it runs in an exactly op-
posite direction. Starting from the Vi
cinity of the south end Of the island OF
Madagascar, it runs soUthwesterly
around the Cape Of Good Hope, where
it disappears off Cape Lagullas. AS
current, probably part Of it is diverted
into q steady set Of the eastern current
caused by the prevailing westerly
winds in that region. No scientists, so
far as am aware. have attempted to
account for this current. Having now
proved beyond refutation that all the
cries advanced as to the cause Of ocean
currents are groundless, it remains to
be proved what the true cause is.
It must be admitted that the currents
have similar origin, as they are lden-
tical in every respect as regards color,
heat and velocity, springing forth y
the same manner spontaneously IT
the earth in some mysterious WY
There is no place on the surface OF the
earth where the water can be heated
to furnish the heat contained IN these
streams that gush forth from the
depths OF the sea: consequently the
forces must he subterranean and caa
only be accounted for by large bodies
of clear. l!u2 water from the ocean
forcing =; WY into the depths OF the
earti. t:::,.": it* ernst. where it burrows
ci,anmgi C lis own to the surface
again, having received its warmth on
the way by contact with the internal
heat OF the lower regions Of the earth,
forced Oh by continual pressure from
behind.
That there are orifices in the earths
crust cannot be denied, also what be-
comes Of the vast volume Of water that
cannot be computed which is constant
ly running at the rate Of from four to
six knots an hour from the Atlantic
ocean, through the strait Of Gibraltar
into the Mediterranean sea. The nu-
merous rivers. too, are continually
flowing in, and yet the sea remains at
the same level. Evaporation cannot
account for it, for what is evaporated
is formed into clouds and is precip!tat-
ed again into the sea by the medium Of
storms and frequent rains.
The water must enter the earth from
the ocean through these apertures on
an incline as it gushes forth in these
three mighty currents and cannot be
discovered by soundings; consequently
these three mighty currents are moth
ing more or less than immense geysers.
Captain B. F. Sherburne in Cleve-
land Marine Record.