Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-10-21
SEA CURRENTS.
MYSTERIES OF THE OCEAN THAT
HAVE PUZZLED THE SCIENTISTS.

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For more than a century scientists
and philosophers have been vainly try
Ing to discover the origin and cause of
the mysterious current in the Atlantic
ocean called the gulf stream. Why so
called is not apparent. as nothing in
the gulf Of Mexico is in it's composition.
There have been many theories, which
have been abandoned, some perfectly
absurd, such as its being caused by the
earth in it's revolution on it's axis, for
IL it had the power to draw this stream
at the rate of five miles an hour from
the coast Of Florida itawould draw all
the water from the east coasts Of
North and South America at the same
velocity. The prevailing theory is that
the northeast trade winds drive a cur
rent into the Caribbean sea and, aided
by the feeble equatorial stream, heap
up the water in the gulf Of Mexico,
thence rushing around the south of
Florida from the source of the gulf
stream. But there is nc such a 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 a better, but those who favor
it are not entirely satisfied with it. The
gulf stream is IN Independent body Of
water, having no connection with the,
water around or behind the point
where it energies. It is warmer and
of a deeper blue than the surrounding,
seas and gushes forth from the. start
ing point off Cape Sable atfthe rate %Sof
from five to six kuots an hour, with
a temperature Of about 80 degrees,
lessening gradually Is it proceeds on
its journey of thousands of miles across
the Atlantic ocean, warming the west
ern shores of Europe.
Having seen the fallacy Of the" the
cries concerning the gulf stream, we.
will turn III attention to the great Pa
ciie current, identical in all respects
with it's sister current Of the Atlantic
cries to contend with. .
1t starts spontaneously from a spot a
few miles from the south end Of the
island of Formosa, in the Banshee.
channel, following the coast Of For
mosa northeasterly, past and through
the Loochoo islands, skrting the coast
Of Japan: thence turns eastward on it's
long Journey across the wide Pacific,
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 all
Independent stream where TIC combina-
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 it's 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 I
shall endeavor to show later on. There
Is another ocean current similar in all
respects to the other two, with the ex-
.ception, that it run in an exactly op-
posite direction. Starting from the vi
entity Of the south end of the island Of
Madagascar, it run southwesterly
around the Cape of Good Hope, where
it disappears off Cape Lagullas. As a
current, probably part of it is diverted
into a steady set of the eastern current,
caused by the prevailing westerly
winds in that region. No scientists, so
far as I am aware, have attempted to
account for this current. Having now
proved beyond REPUTATION that all the
cries advanced as to the cause of ocean
currents are groundless, it remains to
be proved what the true cause is.
1t must be admitted that the currents
have a similar origin, as they are iden-
teal in every respect rs regards color.
heat and velocity, sprlnging forth in
the same manne spontaneously from
the earth in some mysterious way.
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 be subterranean and can
only be accounted for by large bodies
of clear, blue water from the ocean
1UiCluS Ills way lulC LuS uSpluS OL Clle
earth under it's crust, where it burrows
a channel of it's OWE to the surface
again, having received it's warmth On
the way by contact with the internal
heat of the lower regions Of the earth,
forced IN by continual pressure from
behind.
That, there are orifices In the earth's
crust cannot be denied. also what be-
comes of the vast volume of water that
cannot be computed which is constant
" 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 precipitat.
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 1t gushes forth in these