Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-03-27
III. l.. LANG.
StauntOn, Va.

upon the deck, or ran headiong
into the side of the ship, while
others rushed to the rail OF
the ship Instinctively their came to
memory the lines OF a familiar song,
cover the Banisters Leans a Face
etc but the words died on our lips.
Up to this tine l had. in company
| with several old salts, remained on
deck in fancied security, for by the aid
of some orange juice and frequent
puffs from strong cigar, fancied my
self an immune amid fallen host.
But so surely as all Things come to
him who waits, just so surely did my
| time come; for the ship began to turn
| around and around and upside down,
and it wouldn't stop-a cOwardly Trick
but it wouldn't. With the stewards
arm to lean on we began totteripg
retreat, which ended ia head on Gum
BILE amid confused pile of camp stools,
broken dishes and luggage-surely pride
gOeth before q fall.
MYSTERIES OF THE GULF STREAM
AS soon as our steamer had emerged
from the sheltered waters Of the Flori-
da coast the captain pointed out to us
the dark turbulent line of the Gulf
Stream, not five miles distant. There
it could be seen, mysteriOusly, yigor-
ously forcing its way through the cold
waters of the Atlantic-a broad deep
river flowing with rapid current right
through the ocean, never losing it's
course, never mixing with the sur
rounding waters, a mystery OF mys-
teries that for ages has baffied the
knowledge of scientists and has set at
naught every theory that pointed toward
reasonable solution In his cabin
the captain spread out his charts and
showed us the track of this wonderful
stream which in it's meandering ira
verses over quarter of the glODe.
1t has no beginning and no ending, |
but is in shape an elyptical circle |
maintaining perpetual motion If |
we assume (for illustration only that |
it begins off the south coast of Cuba.
then it's course is toward the Gulf of |
Mexico, thence around the peninsul of
Florida, and up the east coast OF that
State till above Palm Beach where it
bears off sharply to the northeast, not
touching the continent again till it
sweeps the coast of New FOundland,
thence in southeaSterly course along
the shores of Great Britain, France
and Spain, thence westerly to the
Caribbean Sea and back to south of
Cuba-the starting point. And so it
flows around this elypse, century after
century, holding to an unerring course
amid an ocean of waters, as surely as
does a mountain stream remain within
it's high banks. Neither heat, or cold,
Dr. storm, or win |, nor any other thing,
can turn this ocean river one iota from
it's unstaple banks. But for its tepid
England, and probably France
would be as Labrador, wrapped in a
sheet of eternal ice.
That the stream originates In the
tropics .is clear to reasoning mind,
Tor why else should the water be
warm 7 but what sends it on its track
ess mission amid frozen seas, and what
keeps it from mingling with the waters
through which it flows, Is a problem
not SO easily solved In width the
stream varies from 40 to rs miles and
in depth from go to 800 fathoms. There
are also many seams, or smaller streams
ing in Temperature. Thus it is that
cold and hot streams flow within the
6 ulf Stream side by side, in fact the
gI6dU SGFedm is COupOotc VI UuooS
smaller paralleling streams. To prove
this the captain lowered buckets at in
tervals and drawing up the water took
the temperature with thermometer.
70 our amazement every specimen of
water showed marked change in tenn
perature, ranging from IS to IS de-
grees. In rapidity of flow the great
stream also varies, sometimes it flows
at the rate of q miles an hour, at 9th
ers it makes as much as miles. Yes
sells usually count on 2! miles extra |
speed when they are sailing with the |
stream and loss of that much when |
they are gong against it. Wonderful |
mystery of mysteries, who
shall fathom it?
A. 8. MORTON.