The Coconino sun., 1901-11-23
TRACING THE TIDES.
Interesting Experiments Conducted by Government Officials.
Valuable Facts Revealed by the Use of Floating Bottles Set Adrift in the Ocean-Resume of the
 Work.
There are several thousand com.


 mon beer bottles floating about in the northern Atlantic and Pacific ocean, drifting with the currents, in the interest of science. The pur- pose is to determine the drift of bodies coming under the influence of of these bottles, containing minute descriptions printed in St n differ ent languages, are annua thrown into the sea under the sui vision of the navy department, with the ex- pectation that many will be found by passing vessels, their location noted, and the fact reported to Washing ton. says recent report.
 Each bottle contains written di- rection as to what shall be done by the skipper who finds it. He is sup posed to note the latitude and longi- tude where it was found, where it was thrown into the sea, and the proba ble distance travelled since it was originally thrown overheard.
 Reports received at the navy de- partment for the last fiscal year in dicate that much valuable informa- tion is being gaIned by this method.
 Recent reports present some re- markable drifts of bottles, several having gone as far as the distance across the ocean and one double that distance. They vary from only few miles to over 35 day, which is all most the average of the usual dere- lict exposed to the wind and often borne along rapidly by the small DOT tion of woodwork above water serv- ing as a catch for the brcezes. One bottle has the record of 4,200 miles traversed in 557 days at the average rate of seven and one-half miles a day. This bottle was thrown over board from the ship Comlieba of the Spanish merchant service; am other drifted 3,900 miles in 6y4 days, at the average of five and one-half miles a day, while third travelled 3.6OO miles in 47s days.
 The most remarkable drift of all, however, was that of bottle that went 70 miles in two days, or at the rate of 35 miles day. Another tray. eled 200 miles in eight days. at the rate of 25.s miles day, while still another 3,1OO miles in 164 days, at the rate of 19 miles a day. The latter shows the quickest drift for long distance of any bottle reported.
 Long-distance drifting in the Pa cific is especially noticeable in the re- ports received here. March "A, 1897, a bottle was tossed into the sea from the ship Rockhurst, and, after drifting for 742 days. was picked up, having covered in direct line s,100 miles, or the entire distance from San Francisco to China. Its average rate was 2.s knots a day. Another bottle thrown into the sea from the Spanish ship Bel mont on October 10, 1896. and report ed June 24, 1899, travelled 7,G00 miles in the interval at the rate off knots a day. Still another thrown into the sea September, 1898. and reported IA months after, had sailed 5,2OO miles at the rate of 12.3 knots day. The num- Der of bottles picked up and investi- gated increases each year.
 The main features indicated in the drifts are that bottles thrown into the sea near the equatorial and trade wind region tend to the westward and usu- ally bring up in the West Indies, or on the Mexican coast. Along the Amer ican e. asst, north of the fortieth par allel, these conditions are reversed. Here the general direction of the wa ters is to the northward and eastward, and bottles thrown into the North At lantic find their way to the north coast of Ireland, or farther north.
 Between these two main drifts, and occupying a stretch of ocean extend ing in latitude from 25 degrees north 10 40 degrees north, and in longitude