The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-09-25
LOG OF sEAeoINe TREE.
Cid DereIict Has Crossed Ocean Once
and Is on Its Way Back.

From the Baltimore American.
A tree adrift in the middle OF the At
lentic ocean is the rsre signt reported by
Captain Freeman of the British steamer
Sidra, which arrived in port recently
with cargo of pig iron from Bemlsaf,
in the Mediterranean. 1t was on July 20.
when in latitude 3519 degrees north and
longitude 1922 degrees west, that an I'M
usual-looking object was seen floating
sLead of the steamer. These on the ships
bridge made out the trunk and limbs of
a tree about twenty feet long, canted to
one side and the roots sticking out of the
water.
The body OF the tree had been bleached
white by the sun and 1t was covered with
harnacles. 1t evidently reached the sea
by being washed down from some ATTAIN
tic coast river in a freshet. Many months
ago a tree, green with foliage and stand
ing upright, was seen off cape Henry
The tree seen from the Sidra is in the
same position as a bell buoy, seen two
months ago by the British steamer
Thirdly, which arrived here. For this
tree to reach its present position it must
have been drifting about the ocean for
nearly two years. When this odd dere-
liet went adrift it must have been picked
up by the gulf stream and carried up
the coast past Newfoundland. Then 1t
was swept 5000 miles across the Atlantic
to the vicinity OF the English channel.
Next the gulf stream carried 1t south
past the coasts of France and Spain,
and the northwest coast of Africa,
journey of 5000 miles. Here 1t drifted out
of the gulf stream and went into the
very center of the socalled Sargasso sea,
in the middle Atlantic ocean, the scene
of legends of the sea, where derelicts are
supposed to finally come to a rest in
tabled sea of grass. The Thirdly passed
the buoy spoken of April 26, in latitude
34:34 and longitude 39:42.
The navy department keeps a record
of all objects seen adrift, and only twice
in five years has voyage of the kind
been recorded that compares with that
of the tree seen from the Sidra. One
was the Cape Canso buoy. As that buoy
was one year drifting across the Atlantic,
the buoy reported by the Thirdly must
have been two years wandering the seas,
as it Travelled twice as far as the Cape
Canso buoy. The latter buoy broke adrift
from its station off Nova Scotia and drift
ed nearly into the English channel. The
buoy was a little over year in making
the trip. The shippers of vessels were
often puzzled to hear the bell far out to
sea. The buoy was sighted thirteen times,
and it was last seen 600 miles off Eng
land. 1t averaged a drift Of ten miles a
day.
The tree seen by the officers Of the
idraS will doubtless be picked up by the
gulf stream again and be carried across
the southern edge of the north Atlantic
ocean through the West Indies and UP
the Atlantic coast again. 1t is following
the track Of the famous derelict Fannie
e. Wolston, which was adrift nearly four
years and wandered 9115 miles. She was
100 days crossing and recrossing her
tracks and travelling around in circles.
She WAS sighted forty-four times and
crossed her own track twelve times.
That was the tree green with foliage
and standing upright reported adrift at
sea not far from the mouth of Chesa-
reake bay about year ago there can be
little doubt.