The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-17
TRACING OCEAN CURRENTS
Interesting Work of the Naval Hy-
geographic Office.


'"hs 10 inc thrown
board by Nesse's at sen-inf"rmh-
ton Obtained ny Simple Methods.
men party VI Ne" 'oih hicH '",'
bottle CONTAINING 'fieif names anu "n-
dresses on sup Vi paper INTO 'le oce"''
from 'he uech Vi 'iie s'huo"ei Wv - NO
Ames' on Nah'ueAe' Shoais' one ou' nm
gay III Isss' none VI 'i'eih ii'ae ,iieu ''i'''
the document ~"s ~ 'e'0n'
ateu III 'he ohIo.i VI ~.
Hydrographic oi'ce' outh ho"e'ei' %
! It's ultimate iale' an" ,'""s 'i1 P'pe' - :,
Known as NJ 1" ~ ''e
/ iiidh eoiiet'i'ii %
inc po.'e pap -
srapiiic oiiiee vi '"S
a" ii'e
M the basement VI tii' -
-NafS p'iiue NS 90
mysterious c"i en- VI '.ie e,.'i az ' ?.
cn@fts Vi .he @N.is'ae' IN w
-Hiheiiea' iioiii - a., a,
uoes mo- sen ne ~ 80 -, ~.
Iec'loii anu ,eioes "a - n.-.
''e use Vi ''''i -, So ~, :
anu hs uies anu 'aO'e9 D"ou 80 '. -.
M otiia'ioh' "iien - ie','u p
~ p',o'7 80 -S' "'iu -,
Is ln'aiuaDie IN iis'' isal,oIi' 10 op.a ai
I'm - -
'try"i ..,ps - 9,.,p' "a -
- -
~ oa. -. . aaa - -, 81
- - - -, 1T
'o'ue papei mn, s"u oiioe ~ q III
a ne" il'e - 80. 49, "e,oss ms Ia. -
't,''is - 49, - ,''ta ~.
nc 49, t 49,. - -, -, ,.;,
,'ie'1Ii' VI '"..'s1 20 ~ 80 "a
~ - - - -
vi - VI - ],..
! Wa" 'i w ~ -,
aeV, !,
Aee'uins'S s'"'iiS NE ~ 'N0S
- ~. -.
-, -.,--
80, 10 1I,.5ran|.a,,,,ta O@oa - .
- ;.,zli it,. g. - eot, -
-. -, 49,, o,ta.,,oa,,, T., ,..,v;o,,,
- ~. -, ,'.,.;.s,,'.
idlt'ues' ihese SipS arr t'Niiiic"iiS
known as bottie papers On th"n III
seven anguages-English French, Ger
man. Dutch. Italian SPANISH. and Portu-
-, - -,r,.t ;,s4-,,o,;on. q. 81.
person WHO tufo"s INC -potue oNeipo u
name of the vessel from which the bottle
&c c.st tho date and tbe Iatituda an
=, -, =. -. 80.
lohsitu"e Where tae oot'ie Is SET dnfiAt'
Another space Is provided Tor the name
of the finder the date and locality where
the hottie comes ashore
,r,,l ra,,,,lSt a. ~. .,,., c,,so. Ill,
ePu''' 10 ''i'''e ',iI ''iNe+ j." IA
sehd the paper 10 any United states Con-
sui or forward it direct to the Hydro
graphic Office at washington These slips
arc 6IIad out nv tho eant,i,s of tho ,,e.-
- - -, -, -, l.. ~. -,
sels VINO tdke great interest IN the WORK
placed in bottles, which are carefully seal
I'D with Dar4ffn or tar and thrown over
hoard The hottIes come ashore and the
,,,,,,. EN-. ,,.,1,, M. ,,,,,.r, 49,, bo
COiiiei's iiilaHs ies',i '"e oo''ie ma. nv
traces on MS chart ~ihelr route ana esh-
mates their velocity. The rate Of speed
q, ,,.bjch ho+t1as travel 10 sop,a1ybat dini =
- 80 -, ~ - a,,a,,.a,o, is ID
CUT 10 arrive az dS no oi'o"aiice - iiaAe
for the time they may lie on the beach
undiscovered
In tho region NJ tho qre.t S,rapossa Sea
- =. ,,f.,,at,,a,,. -. htot, t,r,,roo+
liie' - s,is tiisn pdi
nc pressure. IhIs AlliuehCes tHe WINS
anu they, IN turh. the currents OIL the
oceaH' IN the MOI tileEh iieiils!,iiete' ana
MI u VI 'iIe oai hs17Sa sea, ING IL
- ~ h'iiIu IiIu III tiie II
iltHlsplieIe ieIt-lidilu tuuS. lhese cor
ISspoHu WIN tlle pleNailIhs Minus around
tue area OF hsh pressure ne STUDY OF
me moIoh Oh the waters py means OF
bottes mas gwen some OF tne most sig
nlhcaht results; ne WassihS OF the
waters III tht west fildies, WhSFe pottles
started on the coast OF Portugal, unite
win those from the south Atlantic, fur-
nish to the observer the most conclusive
proof OF the extraordinary pressure which
preFalls thefe ana sets IN motloh the
Gult Stream. II has been shown that bot
ties Immersed in weak currents move dt-
rectly contrary to the wind. and where
wind and current do not agree, the direc-
ton of the water is always taken by
the bottle.
The drift per day of the bottles varies
widely. They have been known to come
from the coast of Africa to the shores of
Nucatan at an average speed of l2.4 miles
per day, and there are exceptional cases
on record where bottles have crossed over
practically the same course at the rate of
thirty miles per day. In 1891 bottle was
set adrift off the Grand Banks and trav-
eled at the rate of fifty miles per day until
picked up five days later
To the north of the Azores the eastern
drift of the right hand eddy mentioned
before spreads ont like a fan its north
eastern extension reaching the shores of
Norway, and the Loffcden Islands and its
southeastern the shores of France, Spain.
and Portugal The various destinations
at aimed by bottles cast adrift in this re-
gio, shows the uncertainty of the move
ments Of the surface currents Five hot
ties were all thrown overheard in the
summer season within an area of one
hundred miles square one of the hotties
was Dirked mn an the coast Of Noryy.,y,
two on the west coast of ireland on, on
the coast of France and finally one on the
coast of Snair Tf1e courses Of fn,,r Rot
hes reperted bv The Hvdrorranhir otice
arc esneciaIIy- U,sI ,narlrad aYarnnlas al
Inc ,sii,aI,r djy.ryiy,., Jrifte ~ III l,,,r,,
Tho tiret tu,o - .hrr1,,n n,.art,.',j
within frtv nils NJ aacb az nor ~.
Iandad on ,rJrns rsIarJ " ap,t a.,
oil nor on The shores ~ NJ ,errc -,
,rI on az oi ,i, td,.Ic,